Klaine: the Extended Edition
by functionaloptimist
Summary: An extended version of the adventures of Kurt and Blaine in seasons two, three, four, and five!
1. 2x06: Never Been Kissed

_**Hi everyone!**_

_**This is an idea I've had in my mind for a while... every time there is a scene with Kurt and Blaine, I wonder what happened before and/or after (the number one moment like this for me is in Prom Queen after Kurt shows Blaine, Burt, and Finn his outfit and then kind of storms off... I KNOW Blaine got up after that and went after him, and I really want to know what they said to each other in private about it! We'll get there in this story eventually...)! So, this is my shot at telling the "extended edition" of Kurt and Blaine, so to speak! I'm going to do each episode of season 2, starting with 2x06: Never Been Kissed - Blaine's first episode.**_

_**It's going to be canon as much as possible – I'm not trying to alter the story, so if I write anything that ends up being contradicted in season 3 or something, we'll just forget that it's here. ;) The scenes from the actual show will go exactly as they do on the show in terms of dialogue and etc. – all of my original stuff will happen immediately before and after. You'll understand after you read the first bit, I think! :) In terms of the songs, I use the lyrics that they sing on the show. So, for example, the version of Teenage Dream that they sing in this episode is shortened from the full version.**_

_**I think that's really all you need to know... I hope you enjoy!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun.)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Dude, why don't you make yourself useful and go put some rat poison in those old folks' Jell-O or visit the Garglers," Puck snapped.

"The _Warblers_," Kurt corrected.

"Whatever. See what they're up to. And you can wear all the feathers you want. You'll blend right in."

_Wearing feathers is not going to turn you gay, you idiot!_ Kurt shouted silently. He could see that Finn was not comfortable with the direction this argument was headed, but the taller boy did not speak up.

After a moment of contemplation (dominated by a mental image of dragging Puck outside and introducing him to the inner workings of the dumpster), Kurt decided that he didn't want to argue. The other boys were clearly not interested in Kurt's plan for their mash-up, and arguing was only going to make working with them all week impossible.

"Fine." Kurt gathered his posters and stormed out of the room. It was nearly time for lunch, but Kurt did not relish the thought of sitting around with the other members of New Directions. He decided to eat lunch in his car. He needed to put the posters there, anyway.

By the time he arrived at his vehicle, tears of embarrassment and anger were burning in his eyes. He shook his head and attempted to blink them away. He was not going to cry over a silly argument.

It was more than the argument, though. He was sick and tired of Lima, Ohio.

The moment the thought entered his head, Kurt's mind was made up. Puck had instructed him to spy on the Warblers, hadn't he? Westerville, Ohio was less than 100 miles away. It would take him less than two hours to get there. If he went now, he could be back by dinner.

He whipped out his cell phone, fired off a text message to his father (_Staying after school to work on a history project. May be late to dinner._), and was pulling out of the parking lot before a plan had even firmly cemented itself in his mind. He just knew that he needed to get away.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine's books were all packed into his bag by the time the bell ended his final class of the day. He leapt out of his seat and joined the throng of students moving down the hallway toward the stairs.

He allowed his mind to wander as he started down the building's ornate spiral staircase. Sectionals were rapidly approaching, and The Warblers' performance in the senior commons was going to be a convenient chance to gauge an audience's reaction to the song that they had been working on all week...

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Dalton Academy was not what Kurt expected. He had imagined an upscale version of the generic school buildings that made up William McKinley High, but Dalton was a campus of beautiful mansions. Kurt managed to make his way to the second floor of the building where, according to the sign outside, the music rooms were located. If he was going to find any information about the Warblers, he assumed that this building would be a good place to start.

He was so busy admiring the architecture and décor that he was startled when a shrill bell rang. Suddenly, there were boys everywhere. And all of Kurt's fascination about the quality of the school buildings turned to panic.

They were wearing uniforms.

He hadn't even thought about it. In his hurry to get away, he hadn't done any research. He had just put the private school's name into his GPS to lead him here. He had changed into a nice shirt and tie, and his best leather jacket. It was perfect private school attire. He had not considered the possibility that the students at Dalton would be wearing uniforms.

Although he was panicking inside, Kurt decided that acting cool would allow him to blend in more than running away into the nearest restroom or closet to hide. He allowed himself to be moved along in the crowd; everyone was moving in the same direction down the hallway.

Suddenly, there was a large skylight above him, and Kurt gawked with such intensity that he nearly fell down the accompanying staircase. As he regained his composure and started down the stairs, he noticed that the boys were all chattering excitedly. Students rushed by him down the stairs, and he kept to the inside and the safety of the railing. How was he going to spy on the Warblers, anyway? He felt a wave of apprehension at the possibility of being caught, but the excited atmosphere around him was intriguing enough to keep his anxiety level low. He needed to figure out what was happening. Maybe he could pass as a new student.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Kurt realized that he still had his sunglasses on. He pulled them off and tried to catch the attention of the nearest boy rushing past him on the stairs.

"Excuse me," he reached out with his voice.

As he finished descending the stairs, the young man turned in response to Kurt's words. Kurt's confidence faltered slightly at the sight of the young man's handsome face. Internally rolling his eyes at the new flutter in his chest, Kurt continued.

"Um, hi," he tried to sound casual, "Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

The young man took in Kurt's lack of uniform, and for a moment Kurt was sure that he was caught. But then the boy stepped forward with a smile and an extended hand.

"My name's Blaine."

Kurt reached out and shook Blaine's hand. "Kurt," he supplied.

"So, what exactly's going on?" Kurt tried to keep the excitement from rising in his voice.

"The Warblers!" Blaine said enthusiastically, "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. Tends to shut the school down for a while."

Kurt was sure he misunderstood. "So, wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?" he asked incredulously.

Blaine smiled brightly. "The Warblers are like rock stars!" he confirmed.

Kurt's eyebrows went up in shock as Blaine smiled up at him. After a moment, Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand. "Come on, I know a shortcut."

Kurt's heart fluttered wildly as Blaine pulled him down the remaining few stairs and away down a hallway. Blaine's grip on his hand was gentle, but firm.

In his wildest dreams, Kurt had not imagined that this afternoon would involve being led around by a handsome Dalton student. For a moment, as Blaine pulled him down the empty hallway, Kurt imagined how he was going to explain this to Mercedes. She was never going to believe him.

At the end of the hallway, Blaine released Kurt's hand and pushed open a set of double doors. Kurt found himself in a room full of uniform-clad students again. The Warblers. Kurt remembered why he had come to Dalton. He was a spy. But what exactly was he supposed to find out? He already knew that The Warblers were an _a cappella_ group, and their stellar record at show choir competitions was well documented.

"Oh. I stick out like a sore thumb," Kurt expressed his anxiety before he could stop himself.

"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, new kid," Blaine teased, reaching out to fix Kurt's jacket collar, which was crushed under his bag's strap. Blaine winked, "you'll fit right in."

Kurt felt completely flustered, but now it had nothing to do with his lack of a uniform and everything to do with the handsome student who had just told him that he would fit in. Nobody had ever said that to him before.

On an unspoken cue, The Warblers began to sing the introduction to their song, reminding Kurt once again why he was there. Blaine smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

Blaine turned away, and suddenly the room was quiet and he was singing.

_Before you met me, I was alright._

_But things were kind of heavy; you brought me to life._

Kurt felt numb. Blaine was a Warbler. Of all the boys in this school, he had managed to grab the attention of one of the Warblers' soloists. So much for being discreet.

_Now every February you'll be my Valentine._

Blaine turned and looked straight at Kurt as he sang, and Kurt was suddenly absolutely sure that this was a dream. No boy had ever looked at him like this in a private setting, much less in a room full of people.

_Valentine._

The Warblers began a synchronized dance to the song, and Kurt knew that he should be paying attention to their style and their form but all he could do was watch the singer in the lead.

_Let's go all the way tonight._

_No regrets. Just love._

_We can dance until we die._

_You and I will be young forever._

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream._

_The way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep._

_Let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back._

Kurt felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. He was in a room full of boys his age. At a school where a glee club composed only of boys was singing a girl's song. And the other boys in the room were completely into it. He made a mental note to thank Puck for giving him the idea to come here.

_Let's go all the way tonight._

_No regrets. Just love._

_We can dance until we die._

_You and I will be young forever._

Blaine was looking directly at Kurt again, and Kurt allowed himself to forget why he was there. He was lost in a sea of song and enthusiasm, and he allowed himself to just enjoy it. He could pretend that Blaine was flirting with him. He would never know either way.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine had been looking forward to singing _Teenage Dream_ in the senior commons all week. Next to not worrying for his safety every time he flirted with another guy, being a Warbler was his favorite part of being at Dalton. This particular performance was enhanced by the addition of the sharply dressed young man who had practically begged Blaine for information in the hallway. Based on Kurt's facial expression when Blaine had mentioned the Warblers, he had decided to bring Kurt along. Maybe Kurt would want to join.

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream._

_The way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep._

_Let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back._

_Imma get your heart racing in these skintight jeans._

_Be your teenage dream tonight._

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream._

_The way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep._

_Let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back._

_My heart stops when you look at me._

_Just one touch. Now baby I believe._

_This is real._

_So take a chance and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back._

_Imma get your heart racing in these skintight jeans._

_Be your teenage dream tonight._

Blaine was enjoying this performance even more than usual. Despite all the insecurities that his first high school experience had instilled in him about his sexuality, performing made all of that go away. He wasn't always sure that his lack of inhibition during a performance was a good thing, but on this particular day he felt amazing. His desire to flirt with this new student (if, Blaine mused as he sang, he was _actually_ a Dalton student. He had never known a new student to forget to wear their uniform before) flowed freely, and he didn't care if everyone noticed. Wasn't that the point of flirting, really? To be noticed?

_Let you put your hands on me in my skintight jeans._

_Be your teenage dream tonight._

The song ended, and Blaine smiled as the team congratulated each other on a stellar performance. He glanced back at Kurt, who was clapping wildly. He looked incredibly happy.

"Hey," someone clamped a hand down on Blaine's shoulder, "who's the spy?"

"What?" Blaine turned to find Wes smiling down at him.

"You are clueless," his friend laughed. "That boy you brought with you – the one without a uniform, also known as the one you were shamelessly flirting with throughout the entire song – he's from McKinley. I noticed him when we were looking at videos of New Directions this morning after we got our competition list for Sectionals."

Blaine glanced over his shoulder at Kurt, who was now leaning on the wall, looking a bit nervous. The joy from the performance was still in his eyes, though. Blaine sighed. "You aren't supposed to watch videos of our competition," he pretended to scold. Wes ignored him.

"Pretty brave of him to come on the same day that the list came out," David laughed, coming up beside them. "He's so obvious."

Blaine frowned. "I don't know," he said to his friends, "If he's here to spy on us, then why did he stop _me_ on the stairs? He would have done some research beforehand, and he would probably have recognized me from our most recent competition videos."

"Blaine," Wes feigned seriousness, "the world does not revolve around you."

Blaine smacked Wes' hand off his shoulder. "Thanks for that. Let's just talk to him."

"Let's go," David said dramatically.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Latte?" Blaine offered, sliding the drink across the table to Kurt, who was stuck in an emotional place between anxiety at being caught spying and excitement at the prospect of sitting across the table from his handsome new acquaintance.

"Thank you," he mouthed, feeling guilty for the selfish reasons that had compelled him to come to Westerville in the first place. He was going to be in so much trouble when Mr. Schu found out that he had been at Dalton.

"This is Wes and David," Blaine introduced his friends.

Kurt decided it was best to just come clean. He wasn't going to be able to lie fast enough to keep a conversation going. He hadn't thought any of this over beforehand, so he would have to admit that he was not, in fact, a new student. And suffer the consequences.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying," he said, trying to sound as casual and polite as possible.

"We are _not_ going to beat you up," Wes said immediately.

"You were such a terrible spy. We thought it was sort of endearing," David added.

"Which," Blaine said pointedly, "made me think that spying on us wasn't really the reason you came."

A million things flew into Kurt's mind at once. Lies he could tell. Excuses he could offer. But instead, he found himself starting the question that he wanted to know the answer to most of all in the entire world in this particular place in time. "Can I ask you guys a question?"

The boys gave silent approval, and Kurt hoped that someone would come for his body after they were done beating him up.

"Are you guys all gay?"

His question was met with immediate laughter, and Kurt knew he had been wrong to think that this was a good idea. He had a fleeting thought that maybe the dumpster at Dalton was cleaner than the one at McKinley.

"Uh, no," Blaine answered his question, still smiling brightly. As disappointment cemented itself in Kurt's heart, Blaine elaborated.

"Well, I mean, I am," he gestured at himself before opening his arms to indicate his friends, "These two have girlfriends."

Kurt had to take a drink from his coffee to keep the joy that surged into his heart from shining on his face. He had just flirted with a gay man. Or, had been flirted at by a gay man.

"This is not a gay school. We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy," David explained, and Wes chimed in with "Everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are. It's pretty simple."

The tears that Kurt had pushed away after his argument with Puck sprang back to his eyes before he could stop them, and they brought along a lump that solidified in his throat and made speaking impossible.

There were places in the world – in _Ohio_ – where people didn't have to worry about being beaten up for being themselves. He understood why Blaine was able to be so flirty during the performance without fear of someone noticing. Kurt felt overwhelmed. He felt hope that safe places like this existed. He felt ill at the thought that he would never experience this kind of environment. And he felt butterflies in his stomach at the sight of the smiling, dark haired boy across the table.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As soon as Kurt asked if they were gay, Blaine knew that he was definitely not a spy. The look on Kurt's face was too familiar. Kurt's sexuality was clearly a problem at his current school, and he had been unprepared for the sea of equality that was Dalton Academy. Blaine watched Kurt's eyes fill with tears, and decided that maybe an audience wasn't what Kurt needed right now.

"Would you guys excuse us?" He asked his friends, hoping that they would depart without questions. Fortunately, they both seemed to understand, and they got up from the table.

"Take it easy, Kurt," Wes smiled as he and David departed.

Blaine focused all of his attention at Kurt. He knew this wouldn't be easy for him, but clearly Kurt needed some reassuring.

"I take it you're having trouble at school."

To Blaine's surprise, Kurt didn't hesitate, although his voice shook with emotion. "I'm the only person out of the closet at my school," Kurt explained, "And I tried to stay strong about it, but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell."

Kurt paused, his eyes focused on a memory, and Blaine knew what he would say next, because it was always the worst part.

"And nobody seems to notice."

"I know how you feel," Blaine voiced his sympathy, "I got taunted at my old school, and it really pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty, and they were sympathetic and all but you could just tell that nobody really cared. It was like 'hey, if you're gay, you're life's just going to be miserable. Sorry, nothing we can do about it'."

Kurt looked away, but didn't speak, and Blaine continued. "So I left. I came here. Simple as that."

It hadn't actually been as simple as that, but Blaine knew that Kurt hadn't come to hear about someone else's problems. He was looking for answers.

"So," Blaine continued, trying to sound upbeat, "you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you just to come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton is kinda steep, and I know that's not an option for everybody. Or, you can refuse to be the victim."

Kurt waited, and still said nothing, so Blaine elaborated again. "Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance, right now, to teach him."

Kurt's eyes were dull – the result of too many attempts at teaching people that being gay was not a problem. "How?" he asked sadly.

"Confront him!" Blaine leaned forward in his chair, hoping that his eagerness would instill some courage in Kurt. "Call him out!"

Kurt looked unconvinced, or maybe just sad. So Blaine decided to try a more personal approach.

"I ran, Kurt, I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it is something that I really, really regret."

Blaine had never admitted that to anyone before. But something about Kurt made it feel so easy to say it out loud. Blaine hoped that his confession would save this young man from a life of torment. Because presently, there was little _but_ torment in Kurt's eyes.

Kurt sighed heavily, blinked a few times, and attempted a little smile. "Thank you," he said softly.

"I'm glad you came, Kurt." Blaine said, and leaned over to dig through his bag. He came up with a small piece of paper and a pen. "Here's my number," Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Blaine continued quickly, "Please, I know you feel all alone at your school. And maybe you are, at least physically, alone in your experience there. But I've been where you are, and there's no reason for you to suffer through it alone when I'm only a text message or phone call away."

Kurt looked like he was going to cry again, but Blaine needed to make sure that he understood, so he continued.

"You have the courage inside of you to stand up to this bully, Kurt. You're probably never going to regret standing up for yourself against his ignorance, but trust me. You _will_ regret doing nothing and allowing him to control your life. I regret it every single day." He slid the paper with his phone number on it across the table, and watched as Kurt took a deep breath.

"Is there anything _I_ can help _you_ with?" Kurt teased, rolling his eyes at his problems as he reached across the table to grab Blaine's pen. He ripped the bottom portion off of the paper, scribbled down his name and number, and pushed it back across the table.

Blaine laughed. "Honestly? I'd love to know if you think our performance earlier was competition-ready."

"Oh, yes," Kurt breathed without hesitation, before reigning in his enthusiasm and blushing slightly, "I mean, I think so."

Blaine stood up with a laugh. "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt sprang up, and shoved the paper with Blaine's number into his bag.

"No," Kurt said, in a voice that begged Blaine to understand the sincerity of his words, "thank _you_."

Blaine stepped forward and clasped his hand on Kurt's shoulder with a bright smile. Kurt smiled shyly and Blaine allowed his eyes to linger on Kurt's as the taller young man shouldered his bag and nodded a goodbye.

As Kurt walked away, Blaine sat back down at the table for a moment and thought about a time when he was in the same situation as Kurt. He rubbed his wrist absentmindedly. Things had not ended well at his first high school.

With a sigh, Blaine leaned over to pick up the strip of paper, still on the table, and entered Kurt Hummel's number into his phone.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey Kurt," Burt called cheerfully as Kurt slammed the front door and practically skipped past the living room on the way to the stairs. "How's the project?"

"What?" Kurt leaned around the corner to look at his father, who was watching a game on the television.

"The project," Burt repeated, twisting around in his chair to look at Kurt. He took in the huge smile on Kurt's face and raised an eyebrow. "I guess it's, uh, good and everything?"

"What–" Kurt started to ask, but he suddenly remembered the lie he had told to explain his late homecoming. "Oh, it's great, yeah," he attempted nonchalance, but the look on Burt's face told him that he had slipped up.

Burt paused the game and shifted in the chair so that he was facing Kurt. "Where have you been?" he demanded.

Kurt let out a long breath. "I went to Westerville," he mumbled.

"You went _where?_" Burt said, his voice rising. He stood up and moved so he could see Kurt completely. Kurt groaned in defeat.

"And when, exactly, were you planning on letting me know about this little excursion?" Burt demanded.

Kurt floundered for a moment. He could feel Burt's eyes on him. "I want the truth, Kurt," his father said quietly.

"I went to Dalton Academy," Kurt admitted.

"And what possessed you to visit this 'Dalton Academy'?" Burt asked firmly, making air quotation marks around the name of the school.

"We're competing against their glee club at Sectionals," Kurt said, attempting to remain as calm as his father. He still felt the high of the afternoon's events, but he knew that grinning wildly during this conversation would not help him. "I went to see if I could find out anything about them."

Burt narrowed his eyes. "Did your coach– er– glee club teacher tell you to do this?"

"Mr. Schuester," Kurt reminded him. "No, he didn't. I went on my own."

His father sighed heavily. "I don't really understand glee club politics or any of that stuff, and I don't want to be _that_ parent who flies off the handle whenever my teenage son does something without my permission, but come on, Kurt. I need to know where you are."

Kurt felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Burt stepped up and grabbed the bottom of Kurt's chin gently to force him to make eye contact. "Don't lie again."

"I won't," Kurt said solemnly.

Burt stared into his eyes for a moment, and Kurt could tell that his father was trying to make sure he was telling the truth. Finally, Burt seemed to believe him and he moved back across the room to his chair. As Kurt was turning around to flee to his room, Burt's voice stopped him.

"So... if you went all that way... what'd you find out about that other glee club? They any good?"

Kurt's heart hammered in his chest. "Yes," he said, hoping that Burt wouldn't catch the slight hysteria in his voice, "they're fantastic."

"Alright then," Burt said with conviction. "Well, that's something, I guess. Dinner was leftovers tonight, so just get whatever out of the fridge if you're hungry."

Kurt finally allowed the smile that had been building up inside of him to free itself. The small talk was his father's way of letting him know that he was forgiven. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Kurt," Burt answered. "I'll see you in the morning."

Kurt didn't need any further incentive to retreat to his room. As soon as he closed the door to his bedroom, he ran across the room and flung himself face-down onto his bed with a happy squeal.

"Today was a dream," he mumbled into his pillow. The argument with the boys of New Directions earlier in the day felt like it had happened a week ago. He rolled onto his back for a moment, contemplating everything that had happened.

As he thought about Blaine, he jumped off the bed and grabbed his bag. He pulled out the piece of paper with Blaine's name and phone number and studied it for a moment. He smoothed out a fold in the corner of the paper and skipped over to tack it to his corkboard, which was covered with photos of his friends and cutouts from various fashion magazines. He stepped back to admire the new addition to his board.

His phone vibrated on his bedside table, and he rushed over to the edge of his bed to pick it up. He felt guilty when he felt a twinge of disappointment that it was Mercedes' name.

"Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Hey Kurt," Mercedes said, "Are you okay? You disappeared before lunch..."

Kurt sighed happily and fell back onto his bed. "Mercedes," he said brightly, "you are _never_ going to believe what happened this afternoon."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The girls of New Directions were rocking their mash-up, and Kurt was enjoying it immensely. Since his visit to Dalton, everything seemed brighter somehow. More enjoyable. He didn't even feel jealous that the girls might crush him and the other guys in the competition.

He was already thinking about Blaine when he heard his phone vibrating from inside his bag. He reached down to grab it, and discovered a text message from Blaine.

_Courage_.

Kurt smiled, happy that he had given Blaine his number.

He pulled up the message again as he walked down the hallway after class. It made him feel stronger, knowing that there was someone out there sending him positive vibes.

Suddenly, his phone was on the ground and he was flying into the row of lockers that lined the hallway. The physical pain of hitting the lockers was minimal in comparison to the flood of panic that lurched into his heart.

_Courage._

Before he could talk himself out of it, he was chasing David Karofsky down the hallway, calling after the person who was making his life at McKinley a living hell. He could hear Blaine's voice in his head. _I ran, Kurt, I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it is something that I really, really regret. _Kurt didn't want that regret.

"I'm talking to you!" Kurt screamed as he chased Karofsky into the locker room. He fought for balance as panic threatened to overtake his moment of courage.

"Girl's locker room is next door," Karofsky quipped, not even turning around to acknowledge Kurt's presence. Anger and embarrassment flooded through Kurt.

"_What_ is your problem?" Kurt yelled as he moved quickly across the room toward Karofsky, hoping that he looked somewhat intimidating. He felt surer about this every second. Blaine had triggered this with his encouragement, but Kurt knew that this had been inside him all along, waiting for permission to break out.

"Excuse me?" Karofsky stepped forward aggressively, clearly unhappy with Kurt's lack of deference.

"What are you so scared of?" Kurt leaned forward into Karofsky's space. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins.

"Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?"

"Oh, yeah, every straight guy's nightmare: that all of us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you," Kurt fumed, "Well guess what, hamhock? You're not my type!"

"That right?" Karofsky challenged, stepping forward until he was within arm's reach of Kurt.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed, feeling strangely calm, "I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are going to be bald by the time they're thirty." It was mean; Karofsky wasn't completely unattractive. But Kurt wanted to fight fire with fire. He needed to be harsh.

An emotion that was more complex than just rage flashed across Karofsky's face as he stepped forward again, raising his fist. "Do not push me, Hummel."

Kurt looked at Karofsky's fist, so near to his face. He had been thrown in dumpsters and shoved into lockers, but he had never been beaten up before. His confidence waivered for a moment as he contemplated the amount of physical pain that he was about to find himself in. He had heard stories of people who were beaten up by their ignorant peers for being gay. He was about to become a hate crime statistic.

_Courage._

He wasn't a statistic. And he was not going to let this ignorant thug run his life. He thought of Blaine, and let his adrenaline push him forward. "You gonna hit me?" Kurt challenged, "Do it." He was ready. He was not going to back down again.

"Don't push me!" Karofsky threatened again, slamming his locker closed.

"Hit me," Kurt confirmed, bracing himself for the physical pain, "Because it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me any more than I can punch the ignoramus out of you!"

"Get out of my face!" Karofsky roared, but Kurt was not going to stop.

"You are nothing but a scared little boy," Kurt brought his hand up, pointing directly at Karofsky's face to reinforce his point, "who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!"

Karofsky lurched forward, grabbed Kurt's face in both of his hands, and kissed him.

All the courage that had built up inside of Kurt during the confrontation vanished in that instant. He felt equal parts horrified and detached, like the kiss was happening to someone else and he was watching it. When the kiss ended, Kurt was frozen. His hand was still clutched near his face from when he had been pointing at the taller student. He couldn't even think.

Karofsky looked simultaneously relieved and tormented. Before Kurt's coherency could return, Karofsky leaned in to attempt to kiss him again and Kurt's hands flew out, pushing the bigger boy away. The shove moved them both back, away from each other. Kurt brought his hand up to his face in an unconscious effort to protect himself from another kiss.

Karofsky let out a cry of frustration and slammed his hands on the wall of lockers. He stormed past Kurt and out the door before Kurt could move or think or feel anything.

As the door slammed, Kurt felt himself returning to his body. He had anticipated physical contact, but not _this_ kind of physical contact. He wished that he had been punched in the face.

The adrenaline that had aided him in the argument was fading fast, and Kurt's hands shook as he reached into his bag for his phone. It wasn't there. It was on the floor in the hallway where Karofsky had knocked it out of his hands.

He dug into his bag and pulled out his Chapstick. He applied a heavy layer of the cherry-flavored lip balm to his lips before licking it all off and applying it again. By the time he finished, it was all he could taste.

His heart was still pounding and his hands were still shaking, but Kurt knew that he had to go out and get his phone. And make it through the rest of the day. He stood up to his full height, straightened his clothes, and checked his hair in the mirror. The walk to his locker was a blur, and he was relieved to see his phone still on the ground. It had been knocked against the wall by the foot traffic in the hallway, but it seemed to be undamaged.

He quickly found Blaine's number in his contact list, and the phone was ringing against his ear before he thought about what he was doing. As the phone rang, he had a moment of doubt. He hadn't even known Blaine for a week yet.

"_I've been where you are, and there's no reason for you to suffer through it alone when I'm only a text message or phone call away."_ Blaine had been adamant. Kurt took a deep breath as the Dalton student's voicemail urged him to leave a message.

"Hey, uh, Blaine? It's Kurt. Hummel. From the other day," he could hear his voice shaking, and he realized that he wasn't sure how to articulate what he wanted from Blaine, "Sorry to call so soon, but I— something— do you think you could call me back when you have some free time? I— thanks."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey, Kurt!" Blaine saw the young man waiting for him as he parked in a visitor parking spot and climbed out of his car.

Kurt attempted a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Blaine jogged over and shook Kurt's hand firmly, clasping the side of Kurt's arm with his left hand.

"I'm sorry," Kurt sighed unhappily, "I panicked yesterday."

"Well," Blaine attempted to lighten the mood, "I panicked a little too... I couldn't decide what to wear!" He swept his arms out to draw attention to his Dalton uniform.

Kurt's smile reached his eyes briefly, but there was still anxiety there too. "Lunch just started," he said halfheartedly.

"Lead on!" Blaine said dramatically, hoping that his light tone of voice would ease some of the fear.

As they walked, Kurt told Blaine the full version of events that had culminated in Karofsky's kiss the day before. Blaine felt a mix of emotions. He felt sad and angry about what Karofsky had done, and he felt anxious because he knew that things could escalate from a rough kiss to something more violent.

"Thanks again for coming," Kurt said as they began to climb the stairs near the school's courtyard. Kurt assumed that Karofsky would be upstairs, eating with his friends from the football team.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine responded, "Just let me do the talking." Blaine wasn't sure what he was going to say, but Kurt had called him for help. He was trying to help Kurt find his courage, so he would attempt to do the same.

"There he is," Kurt suddenly breathed, and Blaine could feel the nervousness radiating from his new acquaintance.

"I've got your back," Blaine offered confidently, hoping that Kurt couldn't feel _his_ nervousness.

Blaine addressed Karofsky as cheerfully as he could manage, "Excuse me."

"Hey, lady boys," Karofsky scoffed as he looked at the two boys in front of him. He motioned at Blaine, "This your boyfriend, Kurt?"

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something," Blaine ignored the question, but he felt his heart accelerate at Karofsky's confrontational tone.

Karofsky pushed past them, and Blaine didn't hear what the larger boy was saying as he watched Karofsky reach out and shove Kurt into the wall.

"Kurt told me what you did," Blaine challenged.

"Oh yeah?" Karofsky returned, turning around to face Blaine and Kurt, "what's that?"

Blaine wasn't sure if he should call Karofsky out in such a public place. It could be best to be vague and avoid making a scene. Before he could make up his mind, Kurt spoke up for the first time and made Blaine's decision for him. "You _kissed_ me."

Panic flashed across Karofsky's face as he looked around to see if anyone had heard. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kurt looked at Blaine for help. Despite his anger regarding Karofsky's actions toward Kurt, Blaine decided to try a compassionate approach. Blaine had never had a problem admitting to himself that he was gay, but he had certainly had a hard time telling other people. He tried to imagine how Karofsky must be feeling.

"It seems like you might be a little confused," Blaine suggested gently, "and that's totally normal."

Karofsky certainly looked confused.

"This is a very hard thing to come to terms with," Blaine continued as Karofsky began to walk away, "and you should just know that you're not alone."

Karofsky stopped at the base of the stairs, and for a moment Blaine felt a spark of hope. But when Karofsky turned back to face them, there was anger on his face.

Blaine felt his heart lurch as Karofsky charged back up the stairs, grabbed the front of Blaine's blazer, and shoved him back into the fence. Instinctively, Blaine threw his hands up and hoped that surrendering immediately would reduce the chance of violence.

"Do _not_ mess with me," Karofsky threatened. Blaine couldn't speak. Before he could decide if he wanted to shove Karofsky off, Kurt intervened again.

"You have to _stop_ this," Kurt sounded desperate as he pushed Karofsky away from Blaine.

For a moment, all three of them were silent. Kurt was breathing heavily, obviously upset, and Blaine tried to feign nonchalance. Before anyone could say another word, Karofsky turned and hurried away.

Blaine's knees felt weak, and he leaned back on the hand rail. "Well, he's not coming out any time soon," he quipped, half to lighten the mood and half to distract himself from his racing heart.

Kurt was already moving to sit down on the stairs. He looked exhausted. Blaine welcomed the distraction and focused his attention on the taller young man. "What's going on?" he asked, moving to sit next to Kurt on the stairs, "Why are you so upset?"

Blaine knew it was a ridiculous question. Clearly, Kurt was upset because he had been verbally and physically assaulted, and his assailant had just lashed out at both of them. But he hoped that the question would get Kurt talking.

"Because up until yesterday," Kurt admitted sadly, "I had never been kissed. Or, at least, one that counted."

Blaine didn't know what to say to that, so he pursed his lips and waited to see if Kurt would say anything else. When he didn't, Blaine decided that maybe what the unhappy young man needed was a distraction.

"Come on," Blaine suggested, "I'll buy you lunch."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt silently agreed to Blaine's lunch invitation. As they walked down the stairs, he took a moment to consider his new acquaintance. They had only known each other for a few days; this was only their second meeting. Yet he felt comfortable with the trim young man.

Maybe it was because he was also gay. Blaine _understood_, and that was something Kurt had never had before. Kurt knew that he was fortunate to have a loving and accepting father and caring friends, but having someone who understood without any explanation was something else entirely.

Maybe it was because Blaine was a talented performer. Kurt felt a strange mixture of excitement and anxiety when he thought about Blaine's talent as a singer and his status as a soloist. He thought about competing against Blaine at Sectionals, and knew that he was going to take (possibly not-so-secret) pleasure in beating his new acquaintance and the other Warblers.

Maybe it was because whenever he looked at Blaine his heart fluttered like it was trying to beat out of his chest.

As they sat down to eat their lunch on one of the concrete steps in the courtyard outside, Blaine smiled brightly at Kurt, and Kurt decided that it was probably a mixture of all of those things. And maybe some things he couldn't put into words.

"I'm sorry that was so..." Kurt trailed off as he tried to think of what their confrontation with Karofsky had been.

"Intense?" Blaine suggested.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "Did he hurt you?"

Blaine took a bite of his apple and shook his head no. "Are you going to tell anyone?" the darker hair boy asked quietly.

Kurt considered for a moment. "I don't know," he admitted, "I thought about it all night last night."

"He assaulted you," Blaine said gently as he looked up from his food.

Kurt picked at his food. He was not particularly hungry. "I don't want to out him. It's not my secret to tell."

"It stopped being _his_ secret to tell when he forced himself on you," Blaine offered, but Kurt could see in Blaine's eyes that he wasn't going to press the issue. "I'm glad I was here," Blaine continued.

"Me too," Kurt knew that it would be impossible to describe the extent to which he was glad that Blaine had been there.

Blaine smiled. "Change of subject?" he offered lightly.

Kurt sighed heavily and returned the smile. "Please!"

They spent the rest of Kurt's lunch period chatting about food, music, favorite colors and classes. When the bell rang to signify the end of lunch, both boys were startled.

"I can find my way back to my car," Blaine said as they both hurried to clean up their lunch, "you should get to class."

Kurt wanted to say that he would just cut his afternoon classes so they could continue talking (Blaine was cutting _his_ afternoon classes to come to Lima, after all), but he knew that he needed to go to class. He had cut class to visit Dalton earlier in the week. He had dodged the bullet of his father's disapproval that day, but he knew that Burt was watching him more closely now.

"Do you want to hang out sometime?" he asked instead, "Just... for no serious reason?"

"Absolutely," Blaine accepted, and Kurt straightened his coat happily, "I'll text you later?"

Kurt nodded. "Thanks so much for coming, Blaine."

"You did great today, Kurt," Blaine said seriously.

The second bell rang as Blaine turned to walk back to his car, and Kurt rolled his eyes as he realized that he was late for class. But as Blaine disappeared from sight and Kurt scrambled to get to class before anyone noticed his absence, he felt like he could take on the world.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The end! (Or... the end of this episode!)<strong>_

_**My GOAL is to finish by the time Glee's third season starts on September 20th... that day is rapidly approaching, but I will try. I'm finding that these early episodes are the most difficult... I just want Kurt and Blaine to be adorable boyfriends, but they're still just friends for now! It does make me laugh, though, because remember how crazy we all felt wanting them to get together? But now, looking back on it, I think the pace of their relationship was perfect.**_

_**The next episode will be posted tomorrow! :)  
><strong>_


	2. 2x07: The Substitute

_**Can I just hug you all? I pretty much flailed the house down when I logged on this morning and saw that people actually read the first chapter and that some of you actually took the time to review and add this to your watch list. Thank you so much!**_

_**Also, I forgot to mention at the start of the first chapter, but if you have a Tumblr and want to find me there, I'm the same username (functionaloptimist)! :)**_

_**Blaine and Kurt are only in this episode very briefly (when Mercedes is still having her ridiculous "tots" arc... I can't even believe that happened. COME ON, GLEE. REALLY?). So, most of this is new stuff... Blaine and Kurt hanging out (we know they were hanging out during the time-frame of this episode – Kurt says so more than once!) And things get serious at the end...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"So," Kurt asked, pleased for an excuse to examine Blaine's attire in detail, "what do you wear when you're not in uniform?"

"I don't own any other clothes," Blaine said seriously, brushing off his Dalton blazer. "We represent Dalton even when we're not at school, so we're expected to wear our uniform at all times."

Kurt's narrowed his eyes, and Blaine laughed. "I'm kidding!" he assured, "I just didn't want to waste time going home to change before I came."

Kurt giggled and took a sip of his coffee. They had come to the local coffee shop – the Lima Bean – and Blaine, as the coffee expert between the two of them, had immediately chugged down nearly half of his drink because it tasted so good. After he took a moment to cool his burning mouth, Blaine had pronounced that they would definitely have to come back again. Kurt had tried to argue; they were significantly closer to his house than Blaine's, but Blaine had insisted.

Kurt didn't mind. This was their first meeting that had no purpose other than the progression of their friendship. And Blaine was already talking about future meetings.

They had texted back and forth for a few days after Blaine had come to McKinley to help Kurt confront Karofsky, but their schedules had kept them busy through the weekend. When Blaine had suggested coffee on Tuesday after school, Kurt had spent ten minutes composing and re-composing his acceptance text message.

"How's glee club?" Blaine's voice brought Kurt out of his memory.

"Oh my gosh," Kurt gushed, bouncing slightly in his chair, "we've got a substitute, and she is amazing."

Blaine leaned forward a little, interested. "Yeah?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure our normal director – Mr. Schuester – hasn't listened to the radio since the 80s. So, we're kinda stuck there most of the time. Musically, anyway. But this week we got to do Cee Lo's new song, and it was amazing."

Blaine almost choked on his coffee. "She let you–"

"No!" Kurt interrupted with a smirk, "Nothing but the cleanest of lyrics at William McKinley!"

They both laughed for a moment before Kurt continued. "It's just been fun to let loose a little."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"The Warblers never let loose," Blaine smiled. "But I kind of like it. It's... comfortable."

"I bet," Kurt teased. "Being a rock star sounds fabulous."

"Is it really that bad at your school?" Blaine asked, confused. "I mean, you seem to really like being in New Directions."

"Oh, I love glee club," Kurt confirmed, "although sometimes I could do with a little less drama and a few more solos. But getting a slushie facial at least once a week is bad for my complexion."

"Slushie facial?" Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Imagine getting punched in the face by an artificially-colored iceberg," Kurt sighed.

"Why would you put a slushie on your face?" Blaine frowned.

"Oh god," Kurt's eyes twinkled, "_We_ don't put them on our faces. They get thrown in our faces."

Blaine put his coffee down for a moment to consider a slushie facial. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like.

"Why would someone do that to you?" He finally asked, furrowing his brow.

"Because they're jerks, I guess," Kurt said with a shrug.

"That's horrible," Blaine said sincerely.

"What was the glee club like at your old school?" Kurt asked. "Before you became a rock star, I mean." He winked.

"I wasn't in the glee club at my old school," Blaine said reluctantly. "I did the school musical my sophomore year, though."

"Let me guess..." Kurt analyzed Blaine's face for a moment, "...Link in _Hairspray_?"

"Danny in _Grease_," Blaine corrected with a grin. "I have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason we did it in the first place was because the teacher in charge had quite the crush on John Travolta."

Kurt looked completely distracted for a moment, and Blaine took the opportunity to change the subject. "Speaking of musicals," he said, "do you like _Rent_?"

"Is that a legitimate question?" Kurt pretended to be offended.

Blaine rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Well, they're performing it at the community theater on Friday night. Do you want to go?"

"Let me just clarify something about myself," Kurt said primly. "If I ever decline an invitation to a musical, there's something seriously wrong with me and I should be hospitalized. Immediately."

Blaine smiled. "Okay, then. It's a date."

Kurt beamed at him from across the table, and Blaine nonchalantly changed the subject to things not relating to high school and his old life.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I'm just saying that drunk people who get married to someone they met an hour ago by an Elvis impersonator... I mean, that's a bigger insult to marriage than two gay guys getting hitched." Kurt said, exasperated.

"Totally," Blaine agreed enthusiastically. "It's like, if marriage is so sacred, they should just outlaw divorce."

As Kurt voiced his approval, Blaine turned to the third person at their table. "What do you think, Mercedes?"

Mercedes clearly hadn't been paying attention. "Oh, about Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" she asked.

"No, we're on Prop 8 now," Kurt corrected.

Mercedes nodded. "Totally for it!"

"Against it," Kurt corrected again, and Mercedes looked embarrassed. "Right. I'm sorry, I kinda just blanked out."

"No, don't apologize," Blaine said quickly, motioning across the table at her, "We should talk about stuff that you're interested in too."

"I know! Let's play a game," Kurt said immediately, "On the count of three, name your favorite 2010 Vogue cover. Ready? One, two, three!"

Blaine and Kurt had the same answer. "Marion Cotillard!"

"Yes!" Kurt clapped his hands.

"Oh my god, stop it!" Blaine laughed, and both he and Kurt took a moment to agree on their love for the French actress.

"Anyway," Blaine turned his attention to Mercedes, "do you like the Buckeyes? Sometimes I'm convinced that my dad only bleeds red because he's such a huge fan... and I've inherited some of that, I guess!" He rolled his eyes playfully. When Mercedes didn't answer – she was staring at them, but was clearly not really seeing them or hearing what Blaine was saying – Kurt frowned.

"Mercedes?" Kurt tried to get her attention, "Mercedes?"

She seemed to hear him on the second try, and she looked momentarily confused as she refocused on the two boys.

"I was just talking about the Buckeyes," Blaine repeated the subject, "I'm a college football fan. I like sports too, you know."

"Oh, way to break the stereotype," Kurt applauded with a giggle.

Kurt held his hand up, palm forward, and Blaine gave him a high five.

Mercedes suddenly stopped their waiter. As she asked for tots, Kurt felt a mix of emotions. Mercedes was one of his closest friends, and he felt a twinge of guilt as he admitted to himself that she had been getting on his nerves a little bit all week. He knew that he was spending lots of time with Blaine, but he had never felt more comfortable with anyone in his life. He wished that Mercedes understood. On an impulse earlier in the day, Kurt had arranged this little meeting with his old friend and his new friend, hoping that interaction between the two would make Mercedes feel better about the whole situation.

Kurt knew what it felt like to be lonely. He felt like he could take on the entire universe when he was with Blaine, but he knew that he would not soon forget the feeling of loneliness that had started to consume him in the months before he met his new friend. Sometimes he still felt it late at night when he was lying in bed. He wanted to call Mercedes out for being obsessed with the food, but part of him understood why she was acting this way. He decided to ignore it.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"So, what were we talking about?" Mercedes said happily.

"Has anyone read Patti LuPone's new book?" Kurt asked, mimicking her suddenly upbeat attitude.

Mercedes said nothing, and Blaine teased Kurt for a moment by feigning uncertainty. He could feel Kurt starting at him, and he couldn't keep up the charade. "I'm kidding, of course I have!"

"Okay, good!" Kurt put his hand on Blaine's arm for a moment, "You scared me so much there!"

Both boys laughed, and Blaine caught sight of Mercedes' face. She was feeling left out again.

"So, Mercedes," he decided to turn the conversation to Kurt's friend, "Kurt tells me you have quite a voice."

Mercedes smiled one of her first truly happy smiles of the evening. "I don't know," she pretended to be modest.

"Oh, please," Kurt scolded. He turned to Blaine. "She's amazing."

Mercedes shifted happily in her seat, and Blaine watched as a smile passed between her and Kurt. It made him feel good to know that Kurt had a friend at McKinley.

"Do you two ever sing together?" he asked.

"No!" Kurt squealed immediately, and Blaine turned to frown at him in confusion as Mercedes giggled into her napkin. "I mean," Kurt recovered, "Mr. Schu usually sets up the duets, and we've never been paired together."

"Huh," Blaine acknowledged.

"So, Mr. Private School," Mercedes smirked, "speaking of singing... you and your boys ready to be crushed at Sectionals?"

Blaine matched her playful tone. "I wouldn't be so confident. Show choir judges have a thing for uniforms." He straightened his blazer.

"I'll tell you what," Mercedes countered, putting on her best diva demeanor, "I'm gonna win a solo for this competition, and then I'll show you what show choir judges have a thing for."

They all laughed, and the trio spent the remainder of the evening eating Mercedes' tots and chatting about dream duets and competition set lists. By the end of the night, when Blaine was driving back to Westerville, he realized that he hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt was standing at his locker considering the direction of his friendship with Mercedes when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He spun around to see Karofsky glaring at him.

"Question for you," Karofsky said roughly. He looked around for a moment to make sure nobody else was listening, "You tell anyone else what happened? How you... kissed me?"

Kurt still had anxiety about Karofsky, but with Blaine's encouragement he was starting to think that maybe he could handle it. "You kissed _me_, Karofsky," he corrected, "and I understand how hard this is for you to deal with. So, no. I haven't told anyone."

It was a decision he had made the night after Karofsky had kissed him. He would not drag the other boy out of the closet. Other than Blaine, who had sworn that he would also keep the secret, Kurt had not told anyone. And he did not plan to.

"Good, you keep it that way," Karofsky said seriously, and Kurt felt his first real sense of fear since the taller boy had started the conversation. Kurt stared at the football player as he leaned in to make sure that Kurt understood his next words.

"Because if you do, I'm gonna kill you."

Kurt felt his body go cold as Karofsky leaned forward even more and gave a small nod of confirmation before walking away without another word.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"That was amazing!" Kurt was practically skipping as they exited the theater, but he skidded to a stop by the door.

It was pouring rain.

"Oh," Blaine said as he came up behind Kurt. He turned to the well-dressed young man. "Want to run for it?"

Kurt hesitated and looked down at what he was wearing. Blaine laughed. "Okay," he said, "I'll get the car and come get you."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I am such a diva," he whined.

"But a lovable diva," Blaine teased, pulling his jacked up to cover his head. "I'll be right back!"

He ran across the parking lot and jumped into his car. He tossed his wet jacket into the back seat, checked the status of his hair in the visor mirror, and smiled to himself as he looked at Kurt – still stationed by the door, as far underneath the awning as he could possibly stand –across the rainy parking lot. He loved hanging out with Kurt. With a sigh of contentment, he started the car and drove to pick Kurt up.

"Thanks," Kurt huffed as he slammed the door behind him.

"No problem," Blaine smiled brightly. "So, you liked it?" he motioned at the theater building.

"Are you kidding?" Kurt clapped his hands together once. "It was perfect!"

"_Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes_," Blaine sang playfully. Kurt laughed, and Blaine thought this might be the most relaxed he'd seen the young man since they met.

"I want to hear you sing," Blaine continued brightly. "You've told me all about glee club and I know how much you love musicals, but I've never heard your voice. You've heard mine, so it only seems fair." He winked at the other boy.

Kurt straightened his shirt furiously. "I can't just sing right here!" He motioned to their surroundings with dismay.

"Yes, you can!" Blaine encouraged. "We could turn on the radio or something if you want some music..."

"I'm not even warmed up," Kurt moaned.

Blaine giggled at his companion's hesitation. "Oh, come on," he said lightheartedly, "It's not going to kill you!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw Kurt's hand freeze by his forehead where he was reaching up to fix his hair.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked, turning briefly to look at the slim young man beside him. Kurt quickly lowered his hand and sat up straight. His face was like a statue.

"Kurt," Blaine repeated, but this time it was not a question. He glanced at Kurt again, and he could see tears in his new friend's eyes.

"_Kurt_," he stressed a third time, trying to break Kurt out of his silence, "what's wrong?"

Kurt took a deep breath, but said nothing. Blaine could tell that he would cry if he spoke, so he decided to give Kurt a moment while he found a place to stop the car. He wanted to focus all of his attention on the other boy, not on keeping the car on the road.

They passed a small shopping center, and Blaine pulled into the nearly-empty parking lot. Once the car was safely parked under a streetlight, he turned to face Kurt. The rain pounded on the car, and the pattern of the water on the windows cast moving shadows on Kurt's face.

"Did Karofsky do something?" Blaine guessed, feeling anger swell inside him. Part of him understood why he was so protective of his new friend; Kurt's situation reminded him of the events that had led to his escape from public school and into the safe haven that was Dalton Academy. He wanted to help save Kurt from the kind of regret that he felt every day when he put on his uniform. But part of him wasn't sure why he felt _so_ strongly. Any time he thought about what Kurt was going through at McKinley, he wanted to personally throttle Dave Karofsky.

Kurt sighed deeply and shook his head no. "He didn't," Kurt said quietly, "but he threatened."

Blaine felt the sudden urge to reach over and grab Kurt's hand, but he resisted. "What did he say?" he asked quietly.

"He said he'd kill me if I told anyone." Kurt said emotionlessly.

Blaine felt a surge of rage and fear, and he couldn't speak for a moment. When he finally got control of himself, he reached out to briefly touch Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt, you have to tell someone."

"No!" Kurt said quickly, turning to face Blaine. "No," he repeated firmly.

Blaine matched his seriousness. "You don't know what he's capable of."

"Neither do you," Kurt retorted.

"That's true," Blaine admitted, trying to remain calm – he could sense that Kurt was starting to get agitated, "but Kurt, he threatened to _kill_ you."

Kurt was silent. Blaine could see the tears in his eyes again, so he decided to continue rather than wait for a response. "Please," Blaine said softly, "I'm not going to force you to do anything, but _please_ think about it. Think about telling someone."

Kurt said nothing.

"Promise me, Kurt," Blaine pleaded, "please at least promise me that you'll _think_ about it."

Kurt nodded, focusing anywhere but on Blaine. Blaine sighed deeply, and Kurt spoke suddenly in a voice so soft that Blaine could hardly hear him. "Please, don't say anything."

Blaine rubbed his face in frustration. "I won't tell anyone," he confirmed reluctantly. He wanted to press the issue further. He wanted to tell Kurt about the physical violence that _he_ had endured at the hands of bullies at his first high school. But he didn't want to put the fear of physical violence into Kurt's mind. He knew that Kurt probably thought about it – what Karofsky had done _was_ physically violent – but Blaine didn't want Kurt to have to carry the fear for both of them.

"I'm a broken record," Kurt said quietly, "but thank you so much."

"You're not a broken anything," Blaine said firmly, "but you're welcome."

* * *

><p><em><strong>So... how does everyone feel about this so far? If you've got ideas – things you don't think were explained well on the show, little things you wish had happened between Kurt &amp; Blaine, or things you imagine they were thinking in a particular scene <em><strong>–<strong>_ let me know on Tumblr (I'm the same username there!)! I am not promising to use all of your ideas, but the whole point of this is to bring to life the things we wish had happened, so don't be shy!**_

_**Next chapter/episode will be up tomorrow! :)**_


	3. 2x08: Furt

_**I think I should start every chapter off with a hug for all of you. Okay? Okay.**_

_**Alright, everyone... Blaine's not in this episode at all. So, in order to bring some Klaine to this episode, I decided to write Kurt telling Blaine about what happens!**_

_**Someone asked if maybe we could explore the reason why Blaine didn't attend Burt & Carole's wedding. In my opinion, Blaine didn't attend the wedding because he'd only known Kurt for about a month at this point (if we assume that Glee is generally connected to real time – for example, Quinn's pregnancy lasted about nine months in real time, and they do holiday episodes around actual holidays, etc). Kurt is really into Blaine, and their friendship is going really well at this point, but I just don't see Kurt – as much as he might **_**want**_** to – inviting a boy who he has known for a month and is not yet his boyfriend to his father's wedding. Especially because Kurt already knows everyone who is attending, so it's not like he needs a plus one to have someone to chat with. Does that make sense?**_

_**Another thing I want to mention before you read this episode/chapter... I know there's debate about whether or not Dalton is a boarding school. They basically contradict themselves on the show all the time. So, for the purposes of this story, I'm making it a boarding school. Or at least a school that has dorms for students who don't live in Westerville. Why? The major reason is because, in the Christmas episode, just after Kurt and Blaine sing **_**Baby It's Cold Outside**_** (it's already nighttime at that point), Mr. Schu comes to see Kurt at Dalton. Why would he drive all the way to Westerville (which, according to Google Maps, is almost a two-hour drive each way) if Kurt was going to be home in Lima later that evening? So, agree or disagree, in **_**this**_** story, Kurt boards at Dalton. And, so it's not incorrect later when Kurt talks about living with Finn, let's say that Kurt goes back to Burt & Carole's house in Lima on weekends.**_

_**I think that's all (yeah, I know. I'll try not to carry on so much in the future). Here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine opened the door to his room, one hand still holding a towel to his wet hair, to the sound of his phone ringing. He slammed the door and almost tripped over his desk chair as he grabbed the phone and answered in a rush of air. "Hello?"

"Oh my gosh," Kurt's excited voice sang into his ear without a greeting, "you are never going to guess what happened today!" Kurt's voice was high and loud, and Blaine couldn't stop himself from grinning into the phone.

"You got a solo for Sectionals?" Blaine guessed.

"No, better!" Kurt cried, "Or, no. Not better. I mean, better but in a different way. Or, just different!" Blaine imagined Kurt's demeanor as he stumbled over his words. Whatever this was, Kurt sounded more excited than Blaine had ever heard him.

"Tell me already!" Blaine laughed, putting the phone on speaker so that he could find a shirt.

"My dad and Carole are getting married!" Kurt exclaimed, and Blaine was _sure_ that he was bouncing up and down.

"Aww, Kurt, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Blaine ran a hand through his damp hair. Hearing this kind of happiness from Kurt made him feel warm inside, like everything would be okay.

"And they're even letting me plan the whole wedding," Kurt sighed dreamily.

Blaine smiled and sat down at his desk. "I'm happy for you, Kurt. This is great news!"

"Thanks," Kurt's voice was suddenly a little shy. Blaine heard something that sounded like papers shuffling around in the background.

"You already have a bunch of it planned, don't you?" Blaine laughed.

"I may have some ideas," Kurt said coyly.

"Colors?" Blaine inquired.

"Russet and cognac." Kurt said immediately. Blaine shook his head in amusement. "That sounds beautiful," he said sincerely.

He heard Kurt sigh happily. "Thanks for letting me call and squeal down the phone at you about it," he said.

"I want to hear _every_ detail," Blaine said encouragingly. "Call you tomorrow?"

"Yes sir!" Kurt said brightly. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Congratulations, Kurt," Blaine said quietly, "I'll talk to you soon."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey," Kurt answered his phone, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking as much as his hands.

"Hey yourself," Blaine answered, "I got your voicemail – you okay?"

Kurt let out a long breath. "I told."

"You told?" Blaine's voice rose in approval. "Who? What happened?"

"I didn't tell what he did. Just that he threatened to kill me," Kurt clarified. "Karofsky interrupted one of our dance lessons for the wedding and Finn pushed the issue in front of my dad. I couldn't lie."

"I'm proud of you, Kurt," Blaine encouraged. "What happened after that?"

Kurt's whole body shook as he contemplated what had happened next. "He's expelled," he said, feeling like he could float away into the clouds. "He's expelled immediately."

There was a sound that Kurt thought might be Blaine dropping his bag, and when Blaine spoke again his voice was weak with relief. "Oh, Kurt, I'm so glad."

"Me too," Kurt admitted unnecessarily.

"How did it feel?" Blaine asked. "When you told."

"It was tense for a minute immediately after I told them," Kurt answered, "but now... I've never felt so relieved in my entire life."

"Things are going to be so much better," Kurt could hear the joy in Blaine's voice. "Kurt, things are going to be so much better now. You're safe again."

"I hope so," Kurt said wistfully.

"You've handled this so well, Kurt," Blaine said, and his voice sounded strange. "You should really be proud of yourself."

Kurt's heart clenched. He wished that he could see Blaine's face. He looked across his room at the note on his corkboard with Blaine's name and number on it and remembered how he had felt that day. "I never would have been able to handle it without you," he whispered.

"Yes, you would have," Blaine countered immediately.

"Maybe," Kurt allowed. He knew that Blaine was right; he would have been able to handle Karofsky somehow if he had never gone to visit Dalton. But now, since he _had_ found the boy on the other end of the phone, the thought of not having Blaine in his life made Kurt's heart ache.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Blaine spoke again.

"So, what about the wedding?" Blaine asked. "Is it all settled?"

"Yes!" Kurt felt giddy as he thought about the added bonus of the wedding. "Fortunately, everyone is really into the song for the entrance. It's going to be amazing."

"Any luck convincing Sam to cover up that black eye?"

"Sadly, no," Kurt huffed. "He thinks it makes him look manly." He rolled his eyes. "And because he got it standing up for me..." he trailed off and was silent for a moment. If he was honest with himself, it felt really nice to know that his friends in New Directions cared about him enough to stand up to Karofsky on his behalf, even if he hadn't asked them to. But he did wish that Sam would let him put a little makeup on his eye to make the injury less noticeable.

"I hope you enlisted someone to record the entrance," Blaine said.

"Oh, yes," Kurt affirmed. "I am not about to allow my work to go undocumented!" He laughed.

"The first of many weddings planned by Kurt Hummel?" Blaine teased.

Kurt's stomach clenched as the image of Blaine in a well-tailored suit sprang to his mind before he could stop it. "Yeah," he answered breathlessly, "I hope so."

"Kurt!" suddenly his father's voice carried up the stairs and through his closed door. "Can we rehearse the dance again? Don't you dare tell Carole, but I'm not feeling so confident about this whole dancing thing!"

"You have to go?" Blaine understood.

"I guess the official wedding countdown begins now!" Kurt said happily, "I'll text you, okay?"

"Have fun, Kurt, and tell your dad and Carole congratulations for me!"

"I will! Thanks, Blaine. Bye!"

* * *

><p><strong>TEXT MESSAGES FROM KURT TO BLAINE THROUGHOUT THE DAY OF THE WEDDING <strong>

[Photo of the empty reception area before the wedding] _Is this real life?_

[Photo of Kurt and Mercedes all dressed up] _Here we go!_

_Ceremony complete! It was amazing. I cried. Don't judge me._

_Just married!_

[Photo of Burt & Carole] _Oops, forgot to make it a photo message!_

_Oh my god. Finn just sang a song to me. Yes, to me. I'll explain later. It would be impossible in bursts of 160 characters._

[Photo of Finn & Kurt] _Brothers from another mother!_

_Finn just stole my phone and sent that photo message. It's the last photo of him before he died._

_That was the best day ever. I wish you were here. Thanks for letting me spam up your message inbox all day! Crashing into bed now. Goodnight!_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey Kurt!" Blaine greeted the taller young man with a bright smile, standing up from the bench outside the coffee shop. It was the week after the wedding, and Blaine was excited to hear all the details. Kurt had called him to explain Finn's song the day after the wedding, but Kurt had decided that he wanted to tell Blaine everything else in person.

As Blaine got a good look at Kurt's face, he felt his heart clench with uncertainty. Kurt's face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. He wouldn't make eye contact.

"Can we just sit out here instead of going in?" Kurt asked calmly. "I'm going to cry. I can tell."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him over to sit down on the bench. He fixed his eyes on Kurt's face and squeezed his hand; he didn't know what to say.

"I'm transferring to Dalton."

Blaine's mind had gone many places when he saw the anguish on Kurt's face; this was not one of them. His heart lurched with surprise and empathy as Kurt's prediction came true and he started to cry.

"They let Karofsky back in," Kurt said, his voice oddly steady despite the tears on his face, "and I am not going to spend one more minute fearing for my life at school."

"I understand," Blaine said quietly. Looking at Kurt's face, Blaine thought back to the day when he had made the decision to transfer. His heart ached for both of them.

Kurt's tears started to flow faster, and his voice hitched as he continued. "My dad and Carole are using the money that they saved for their honeymoon."

Blaine nudged Kurt's knee with his own to make Kurt look at him. As his eyes met Blaine's, Kurt started to cry hard enough that he couldn't speak. Blaine reached up with one hand to gently rub Kurt's back. "It's okay, Kurt. It's okay to cry about this."

"They were all so upset, when I told them earlier," Kurt managed to squeak out, and Blaine knew that he was talking about the members of New Directions. "And Mercedes... I'm letting them down." Kurt was getting himself together, but his voice was still hitching as he spoke and tried to breathe through his tears.

"No," Blaine said sternly, "you are not letting anyone down. Everyone wants you to be safe. More than anything."

"It was actually their idea," Kurt mumbled. "My dad and Carole. After the meeting where we learned that Karofsky was coming back to school. My dad called Dalton. He was so angry about the whole thing. And they were so nice and said they have space for me. They even waived the housing cost for the rest of this semester because of the seriousness of the situation."

It suddenly dawned on Blaine that Kurt wasn't just transferring to another school. He was transferring to _Dalton_.

"I can't stay for coffee like we planned. I'm so sorry," Kurt said after a moment. "I've got to pack."

Blaine nodded. "This is going to be okay, Kurt." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand once more before releasing it. Kurt met his eyes, and Blaine smiled. "No regrets, okay?" He hoped that his eyes didn't betray the sadness that he felt.

Kurt sighed, but returned the smile. "See you tomorrow?" he asked as they stood up to return to their respective cars.

Blaine nodded, realizing that things were going to be different now. They would see each other every day. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Thanks so much for reading! Let me just love you all.<strong>_

_**The next episode is definitely going to be longer than this one (I know, so far they've been getting shorter since the first episode!)... Kurt's starting at Dalton and they've got Sectionals, which means much more Klaine! It'll be up tomorrow!  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to share your ideas or things you would like to see if you have any! It can be for/about any upcoming episode - I can keep track of them for later episodes. Also a reminder... I'm the same username (functionaloptimist) on Tumblr! :)  
><strong>_


	4. 2x09: Special Education

_**I love your opinions about why Blaine wasn't at the wedding! I don't really know, of course, so that was just my opinion! I'm guessing that the **_**real**_** reason Blaine wasn't in that episode was that Ryan Murphy and co. were frantically trying to figure out where Blaine's storyline was going... they probably wrote 'Furt' before Blaine was in the picture, so to speak. (And they had no idea how popular he'd be and that we'd all miss him when he wasn't in the episode! There's actually an episode coming up – 2x13: Comeback – where Blaine AND Kurt aren't in it at all, so I'll have to make up something fun for them to do! But that's a few episodes away.)**_

_**There's a lot of change going on for Kurt in this episode! I think he handles it all very well. Of course he does, right? He's Kurt! I think this episode is where we really start to see that Kurt's maturing. He'll always be an adorable diva, but just think of how much he grows up (I mean mentally, but physically too!) between now and the finale! I hope the writers keep that up for season 3. But anyway, I digress! Here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt looked in the mirror with a heavy sigh. He had been excused from classes on his first day at Dalton so that he and his father could spend the day moving him into his dormitory. The room was still a mess – boxes and suitcases everywhere – but Kurt thought that it had potential. The hallways had been mostly empty in the dormitory all day; most of the students were in class, but the few who had stopped to say hello had been friendly and helpful.

Kurt was simultaneously excited and nervous about his first Warblers meeting, which was less than an hour away.

Burt had just departed, and Kurt was alone in his room for the first time. He stood looking at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, considering everything that had happened to lead him here. He had put on his new Dalton uniform. Everything except the blazer, which was draped over his desk chair.

He leaned over and attached a pin to one of the lapels of his blazer. The dress code allowed for pins, and Kurt wasn't going to pass over a chance to personalize his outfit. He slipped the blazer up and over his shoulders, straightened his tie, and scrutinized his appearance.

He looked like a Dalton student.

Kurt was thinking about Blaine, and how he looked in the blazer, when there was a sharp knock from the doorway. Kurt spun around to find his friend leaning on the doorframe.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey," Blaine smiled broadly. He motioned to Kurt's uniform. "Looks good on you."

Kurt looked momentarily flustered, but he recovered quickly. "Come in," he said lightly, motioning for Blaine to come in from the doorway.

Blaine surveyed the abundance of boxes and clothes scattered around the small room. "How're you feeling?"

"Like this room is a metaphor for my brain," Kurt admitted, "but I think once I'm all unpacked and settled..." he trailed off with a shrug.

"It will feel more like home," Blaine finished for him.

Kurt nodded.

Blaine studied Kurt for a moment until he spied Kurt's camera on the desk. He stepped over to pick it up.

"We need to document this momentous occasion... Kurt Hummel's first time wearing a Dalton blazer," he said with mock seriousness. He turned on the camera and snapped a photo of Kurt laughing at his theatrics.

"The first day of many," Kurt whined halfheartedly.

"Oh, come over here," Blaine rolled his eyes. He threw an arm around Kurt's shoulders and leaned into him so that the sides of their faces were touching. "Now smile like you mean it," he teased as he held the camera out in front of them. He took a self-portrait of them together, and he could feel on his cheek that Kurt was smiling broadly.

Blaine stepped away and took a photo of the room covered in boxes and clothes. "Alright," he said, satisfied, "here you go." He handed the camera to Kurt, who quickly put it down on the desk.

"I've gotta grab my stuff from my room before Warblers practice," Blaine said, glancing at his pocket watch, "See you there?"

Kurt nodded, and Blaine turned to walk out of the room. He paused for a moment in the doorway to look over his shoulder at Kurt, who was watching him leave.

"Welcome to Dalton, Kurt."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt gathered his things and set off for the room where Warblers practice was held each afternoon. As he walked down the hallway to the double doors that led to Warbler practice, a student raised an arm for a high five. He didn't even know the other boy, but clearly the boy knew Kurt. Kurt smiled as he realized that the students at Dalton didn't care what he was. Just that he was a person. A new student. New students at McKinley were met with suspicion, but at Dalton the other students were going out of their way to make sure that he felt welcome.

As Blaine opened the doors, Wes announced Kurt as a new member. Kurt smiled as the group applauded. He made his way to the front of the room, and Wes continued.

"In our oldest tradition for our newest Warbler... an actual Warbler." He motioned across the room to Blaine.

"Kurt," Blaine said kindly, motioning at a small bird cage at his feet, "meet Pavarotti."

"This bird is a member of an unbroken line of canaries who have been at Dalton since 1891," Wes informed Kurt. "It's your job to take care of him so he can live to carry on the Warbler legacy. Protect him – that bird is your voice."

This was unexpected. Kurt had never had a pet before. He felt a twinge of nervousness as Blaine brought the bird cage over to him. "Hey, I'll bring him to work with me," Kurt quipped to hide his apprehension, "Weekends I volunteer at a stray cat rescue," he paused for a moment. "It's at the bottom of a coal mine."

Blaine was giggling silently at Kurt's joke, but the rest of the Warblers didn't seem to find Kurt amusing. He backtracked quickly. "Uh, that was a joke. I don't– I don't work at a coal mine."

"Let the council come to order," Wes quickly started the meeting, "Today we discuss the set list for Sectionals."

"Council?" Kurt asked.

"We don't have a director," Blaine interjected, "every year we elect three upperclassmen to lead the group." Kurt imagined for a moment the drama that would ensue if New Directions ran their glee club this way. It wasn't a pretty mental image.

"But don't worry – we all get a say." Blaine reassured.

Kurt felt a surge of excitement. "Fantastic!" he said happily. "I have a lot of ideas. Warblers, if I may?"

Nobody objected, so Kurt continued. "Now, I can't deny that the Warblers' vocals are absolutely dreamy, but I believe our set for Sectionals this year should have a little more show-biz panache. I think we should open with _Rio_ by Duran Duran."

"The council is responsible for song selection," David said immediately.

"But we appreciate your enthusiasm, Kurt," Wes added. "It will come in handy one day when you're sitting behind this desk."

Kurt felt a rush of embarrassment as Wes continued the meeting, talking about their harmonies for the competition. He moved to sit down near the door. He couldn't bring himself to look across the room at Blaine, who was perched on the edge of the couch.

He remained silent through the rest of the meeting, trying to fight back the feeling of homesickness that gnawed at his chest.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As soon as the Warblers meeting ended, Blaine watched Kurt get up and move silently out of the room. Kurt didn't look upset, but he didn't look happy either. Blaine had glanced at the new student multiple times during the meeting. Kurt had appeared to be listening, but Blaine could tell that he wasn't comfortable because he had removed the pin from his blazer and had spent the entire meeting fiddling with it. Kurt had shoved it into his bag when the meeting was coming to a close.

Blaine was about to hurry after Kurt when he heard Wes calling his name.

"What's up?" Blaine pushed his way to the front of the room to talk to the trio at the council desk.

"Kurt's a bit more eager than the last time we saw him," Wes said with a grin.

"Kurt's an enthusiastic person," Blaine said seriously. "And from what he's told me about New Directions, he's going to need time to adjust."

"I think he's going to be a great to have around," Thad said merrily.

"I can't wait to hear his singing voice," David piped up. "We should have had him audition."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "He was in New Directions. It would be insulting to force him to audition."

David tilted his head in reluctant agreement.

Wes looked thoughtful. "Let's allow him to audition for a solo," he said after a moment. "Nick and Jeff are the only other two who have expressed real interest for Sectionals, so let's see what he's got."

David and Thad nodded, and Blaine grinned. "He'll like that."

"Well, go and tell him," Wes waved Blaine away.

"Thanks, guys," Blaine said happily.

He turned and jogged toward the stairs at the other end of the corridor. As he started down the stairs under the large skylight, he saw Kurt already halfway down.

"Hey Kurt, wait up!" Blaine called after the new student as he descended the spiral staircase. He thought for a moment about the last time they had been together on these stairs.

"I saw that glee club was hard for you today," Blaine said as he reached Kurt, "Seeing your ideas shot down like that."

"It's just a different energy in there," Kurt said, "Not better or worse, just something I'll have to get used to."

"We recognize that," Blaine spoke for the group, "and we have a tradition at this school of rewarding a student with a good attitude, so... we would like to invite you to audition for a solo."

"For Sectionals?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"For Sectionals," Blaine confirmed with a smile, and he felt a tug at his heart as Kurt's face lit up.

"Sing something good," Blaine teased as he turned to leave. As he walked away down the hallway, he admitted to himself that he was very excited to hear Kurt's audition later in the week. He couldn't wait to hear Kurt's voice.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt shuffled nervously. He was about to perform his first audition for the Warblers, and he wanted to impress them. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet as he thought about the song he was going to sing. He had thanked Rachel profusely; it was perfect.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, stepping out into the hallway where Kurt was waiting. "We're ready for you."

Kurt skipped forward, but Blaine put a hand on Kurt's chest to stop him from passing into the room.

"I'm really looking forward to this, Kurt," Blaine said sincerely. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Kurt squirmed under the intense gaze of the other boy's amber eyes and Blaine's hand on his chest. "I've got this."

Blaine laughed silently and pulled his hand back, turning to follow Kurt into the room.

"Welcome, Kurt," Wes said from the council desk. "Please begin whenever you're ready."

Kurt nodded. "I'm ready."

Thad reached over and started the music, and the Warblers settled in to listen to Kurt sing.

_It won't be easy; you'll think it's strange_

_When I try to explain how I feel_

_That I still need your love after all that I've done_

Kurt moved across the room to the window. He couldn't watch all of their faces yet. He wanted to focus on the song.

_You won't believe me, all you will see is the girl you once knew_

_Although she's dressed up to the nines_

_At sixes and sevens with you_

_I had to let it happen; I had to change_

_Couldn't stay all my life down at heel_

_Looking out of the window; staying out of the sun_

He finally turned to face the room full of boys. Everyone was looking at him, interested, and he felt his confidence solidify in his chest. But he could not look at Blaine.

_So I chose freedom; running around trying everything new_

_But nothing impressed me at all_

_I never expected it to_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

_Don't cry for me Argentina_

_The truth is I never left you_

Blaine felt warm inside as Kurt sang. His voice was rich and beautiful, and Blaine felt hypnotized as he watched and listened to Kurt's performance. None of the other Warblers had a voice like Kurt's.

_All through my wild days_

_My mad existence_

_I kept my promise_

_Don't keep your distance_

Kurt finally turned his eyes to Blaine for a moment during a brief pause in the song, and Blaine gave him a small smile of encouragement. He didn't want to look overly excited; he had to try to be objective.

_Don't cry for me Argentina_

Blaine stifled a grin as Kurt began to raise his arms in time with the song. Blaine knew that the Warblers would prefer an audition with few theatrics, so he discreetly signaled to his new friend to lower his arms. Kurt seemed to notice, and he lowered his arms slowly. Blaine wanted to laugh as he wondered if anyone else had noticed the silent communication. He didn't look around to find out.

_The truth is I never left you_

_All through my wild days_

_My made existence_

_I kept my promise_

_Don't keep your distance_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

_Have I said too much?_

_There's nothing more I can think of to say to you_

_But all you have to do is look at me to know_

_That every word is true_

Despite Blaine's subtle discouragement earlier in the song, Kurt couldn't resist a bit of flair with his arm at the end of the song. He understood Blaine's unspoken suggestion – the Warblers were looking for strong voices, not showmen – but he thought it was an appropriate way to end the song.

The Warblers applauded politely, and Kurt saw Blaine nod his approval. He wasn't used to such a dignified reception, but the energy of the room was positive. He bowed slightly and turned to the council desk for further instruction.

"Thank you, Kurt," Wes said kindly. "Nick, Jeff, could you show Kurt the waiting area while we vote? Someone will be in shortly to let you know the results."

Kurt caught a smile from Blaine as he walked quickly across the room to join the other two. He smiled back as he passed through the doorway behind Nick and Jeff.

"We wait in here," Nick informed Kurt as they entered a new room. Kurt nodded. The other two moved to sit down on a large leather bench near the window, so Kurt joined them.

"So, how many times have you guys auditioned?" Kurt asked.

Three and six times. Kurt whistled his surprise, feeling a bit of apprehension. Kurt knew that he had performed well, but clearly the standard was high here.

"Hey guys," Blaine suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Nick, Jeff... congrats. You're moving on."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine saw Kurt's disappointment as he told Nick and Jeff that they were moving on in the competition. As the other two Warblers hugged in relief and left the room, Kurt remained sitting by the window.

"Any sage advice?" Kurt asked when he was alone in the room with Blaine.

Blaine had already thought about it. "Don't try so hard next time," he suggested as he walked across the room to stand by Kurt.

"I didn't realize that caring was frowned upon," Kurt seemed unhappy with the advice.

"I don't know how it worked at your old school," Blaine tried to explain, "but did you notice that we all wear uniforms around here?" He tried to think of a positive way to explain the mentality of Dalton Academy. "It's about being part of the team," he offered.

"I guess I'm just used to having to scream to get noticed," Kurt mused.

"You're not going to make it as a Warbler if all you care about is getting noticed," Blaine answered.

"You're right," Kurt said quickly, "I'm sorry."

Blaine leaned over to look at Kurt's face. "I know it's going to take some getting used to," he said gently, "but you'll fit in soon enough. I promise."

Kurt smiled weakly. He looked sad.

Blaine moved to sit in the chair to Kurt's left. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, settling back into the large chair.

"I think I'm a little homesick," Kurt said softly. "And it's never been my personality to fit in, I guess."

"Don't think of it as having to lose yourself in the sea of uniforms," Blaine said after a pause, "Try to see it more as... a chance to use your individuality to enhance our team."

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment. "Are you planning to become a politician?"

Blaine laughed. "Would you be disappointed if I said no?"

Kurt shrugged noncommittally, but his eyes were livelier than before.

"They were impressed," Blaine said seriously. "But tradition is something the Warblers take seriously, and I don't think they've ever given a solo to someone so new. It's kind of a hierarchy."

"So I was doomed from the start," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Maybe," Blaine acquiesced. "But don't give up, okay? You never know what could happen by the time Regionals roll around!"

"You are so optimistic," Kurt mumbled, pretending to be annoyed. Blaine put on his best innocent face.

"Well," Kurt said as he got to his feet, "I've never had a solo in a competition before, so this is simply the continuation of a trend." He gave Blaine a meaningful look. "For now."

"That's the spirit," Blaine teased, standing up to join Kurt. "Shall we?" he added, sweeping his arm out to suggest that Kurt lead the way back to where the rest of the Warblers were waiting.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted Kurt's chat with Rachel with a touch on his back, "we're going places."

Blaine acknowledged Rachel as Kurt thanked her again for her support, and they turned to leave. Kurt felt confident as the boys returned to the staging area where the rest of the Warblers were waiting. The Warblers' routine was completely different than anything the New Directions had ever done, but he had learned the vocals quickly. Jeff (who had won the second solo for the competition) had helped him learn the choreography.

Kurt was only nervous about performing in front of his friends from New Directions. He had tried not to think about it much since his transfer; he still spoke with Mercedes and Tina on a regular basis, but he tried to keep from asking specifics about glee club. He was finding his way at Dalton, but he missed his friends at McKinley.

He heard the Hipsters begin their set, and suddenly he felt a shoulder nudge against his.

"How're you holding up?" Blaine asked cheerfully.

"I can't decide," Kurt admitted.

"I know it hasn't been long since you were in New Directions," Blaine guessed what was on Kurt's mind, "but you're a Warbler now. You're one of us, and we're better for it."

Kurt blushed. "Thank you so much for all the time you've spent acclimating me."

"Isn't that what friends are for?" Blaine said offhandedly, and Kurt smiled. It was the first time Blaine had told Kurt that he considered him a friend.

"Oh," Blaine said suddenly, "you've got..." He stepped around so that they were facing each other, and Kurt's heart thudded uncontrollably as Blaine's thumb brushed across his face below his eye and swept away a stray eyelash.

"T-thanks," Kurt stammered as Blaine studied his face for a moment, making sure that he had removed the eyelash. Blaine was close enough that Kurt could smell his cologne and the coffee on Blaine's breath. He closed his eyes, breathing it all in.

"Don't be nervous," Blaine misunderstood Kurt's reaction. "We've got this."

Kurt smiled and opened his eyes to see that Blaine had moved away. He adjusted his tie as Blaine turned to glance at the rest of the group. "Time to warm up?" Kurt guessed.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed, and they returned to the group to rehearse one final time.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"And now, for our second performance of the program: from Dalton Academy in Westerville..." Blaine turned his head to wink at Kurt as the announcer's voice boomed and the curtain started to rise, "...the Warblers!"

Blaine felt a surge of adrenaline as the Warblers began the song. He felt all the problems of the world melt away, and he stepped forward to sing.

_Your lipstick stains_

_On the front lobe of my left side brains_

_I knew I wouldn't forget you_

He turned and playfully mimed at Kurt as he sang, hoping that the newest member of the Warblers felt confident. He knew that all of Kurt's friends in New Directions were somewhere in the audience watching, and he guessed that Kurt was nervous to sing _for_ them rather than as one of them.

_And so I went and let you blow my mind_

_Your sweet moonbeam_

_The smell of you in every single dream I dream_

_I knew when we collided_

_You're the one I have decided_

_Who's one of my kind_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt didn't feel the same energy singing background harmonies and dancing synchronized steps as he was accustomed to feeling as a member of New Directions, and he felt a little uneasy as the song progressed. Blaine was making eye contact with him quite a bit, and Kurt couldn't decide if it helped or make things worse.

_Hey soul sister_

_Ain't that mister mister_

_On the radio, stereo_

_The way you move ain't fair, you know_

_Hey soul sister_

Kurt caught Rachel's eye in the audience. "Smile!" she mouthed at him, exaggerating the word with a hand motion by her mouth. Kurt obeyed, realizing that his unease was probably showing on his face.

_I don't wanna miss a single thing you do_

_Tonight_

_The way you can cut a rug_

_Watching you's the only drug I need_

_So gangster, I'm so thug_

_You're the only one I'm dreaming of_

The one aspect of this performance that made Kurt feel like the smile on his face was expressing his actual emotions was watching Blaine let loose as he sang. Blaine was more reserved than Kurt in most situations, but Kurt was starting to realize that his friend's reserve melted away when he performed. Performing Blaine was like an exaggerated version of everyday Blaine.

_You see, I can be myself now finally_

_In fact there's nothing I can't be_

_I want the world to see you'll be with me_

_Hey soul sister_

_Ain't that mister mister_

_On the radio, stereo_

_The way you move ain't fair, you know_

_Hey soul sister_

_I don't wanna miss a single thing you do_

_Tonight_

As the song ended, Kurt admitted to himself that he had enjoyed his first performance as a Warbler more and more as it had gone on. Their sound was terrific; the crowd seemed to love it. He watched as Rachel jumped to her feet, and the rest of New Directions soon followed. Kurt felt a smile of relief spread across his face. He had been worried about their reaction, and seeing them in the crowd being so supportive made him feel like maybe being part of the Warblers would be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Got your text, what's wrong?" Blaine asked, concerned, as he hurried into the room.

"It's Pavarotti," Kurt said quickly, "I think he's sick. I'm taking good care of him, but he won't sing and he's losing his feathers."

Blaine leaned over to look at the little bird.

"Oh, he's just molting," Blaine reassured, realizing that Kurt had probably never had to take care of a bird before. "He's growing a new coat of feathers, so his body has to shut down a little."

Blaine looked up at Kurt, who sighed in relief.

"But don't worry about it," Blaine added. "He's got food, water. He seems to like his cage. Just give it a little while. He'll be singing again in no time."

As he explained the bird's predicament, Blaine glanced at Kurt's face and realized that maybe Kurt could understand Pavarotti more than any of them at the moment.

"Don't forget," Blaine reminded, "Warbler practice tonight at five."

He leaned into Kurt's shoulder, causing the slim young man to smile. "Regionals, here we come!"

He patted Kurt's knee affectionately and started to leave. He was almost to the door when Kurt's voice stopped him.

"Hey," Kurt stood up from the sofa, "I didn't really get a chance to tell you before – things were a little crazy – but great job at the competition. The entire auditorium was swooning at your charisma and talent."

Blaine strolled back in Kurt's direction, trailing a hand on the back of one of the leather couches. "Thanks," he said with a smile. "And you, Mr. I'm-Now-A-Warbler. I've never heard better harmonies. And by the end, I daresay you were even enjoying yourself."

Kurt grinned. "I'm glad we're moving on."

"We're going to have to step up our game, though," Blaine said seriously. "New Directions was amazing."

"I could sabotage them," Kurt smirked, casually adjusting his blazer.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that," Blaine said casually.

Pavarotti chirped loudly, and both boys laughed. Kurt picked up the bird's cage and walked with Blaine to the door. They had to go in opposite directions, so Blaine leaned over until he was at eye level with Pavarotti.

"See you later, little guy," Blaine said before standing up and giving Kurt a brisk nod. Kurt giggled and nodded back, and the two boys were both smiling brightly as they parted ways.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay, this chapter was longer! I have a feeling that once we reach the point where they are actually boyfriends (or, really, Silly Love Songs where the whole possibility of a romance is introduced), the episodes are going to run away with me... but bring it on! I am really enjoying writing this!<strong>_

_**I like to think that Pavarotti was rooting for Kurt and Blaine from the start. He was a smart little bird, okay? I think he could tell when Blaine handed him off to Kurt that they had chemistry. ;)**_

_**Thank you all so much for reading! (HUGS!) Tomorrow... Christmas!**_


	5. 2x10: A Very Glee Christmas

_**Let's start with a big hug... you are all so lovely! I really, really appreciate it, and I hope you continue to enjoy the little extras I'm adding to Kurt & Blaine's story!**_

_**It's Christmastime at Dalton, and you know what that means... time for the flirtiest duet in Glee history! And one of the best, if you ask me. I could watch and/or listen to this duet on repeat forever.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt was alone in one of Dalton's grand rooms, studying for finals. It was already dark outside, but Kurt planned to stay in this room until he was confident that he could pass his history exam. Classes at Dalton had proved much more difficult than he had anticipated. While he welcomed the mental challenge, he was worried that his grades might not live up to his expectations if he didn't study hard.

Suddenly, something hit the table in front of him and he looked up, startled, to see Blaine standing by the table with a small stereo.

"Hey," Blaine said with a confident smile.

"You scared me," Kurt admitted, pleased to see his friend.

"Good," Blaine said playfully, "Because I'm actually Marley's ghost and I'm here to tell you to stop studying so much."

Kurt was amused at Blaine's lighthearted attitude. "What's with the boom box?" he asked.

"I need you to sing with me," Blaine admitted. "Well, rehearse with me. I got a gig singing _Baby It's Cold Outside_ in the King's Island Christmas Spectacular!"

"Ah," Kurt acknowledged, "A personal favorite. Too bad they'd never let us sing it together."

Blaine narrowed his eyes.

"I mean," Kurt clarified vaguely, "as two... artists."

"Mmm," Blaine acknowledged just as vaguely. "So, you gonna help me out here?"

"Anything to get me to stop reading about Charlemagne!" Kurt said, relieved for an excuse to take a break.

"Very good, then!" Blaine said, and he slammed Kurt's book closed. He stepped over to start the music before dancing back over to Kurt, who began the song.

_I really can't stay – But, baby, it's cold outside  
><em>

_I've got to go away – But, baby, it's cold outside  
><em>

_This evening has been – Been hoping that you'd drop in  
><em>

_So very nice – I'll hold your hands; they're just like ice_

Blaine reached over, pretending to warm Kurt's hands as he sang, and Kurt could tell that Blaine was in performance mode. He thought about the first time he had watched Blaine perform and how pleasantly shocked he had been at Blaine's flirting. This time he would mirror the trim young man and do some flirting of his own. He stood up to move about the room as they sang together.

_My mother will start to worry – Beautiful what's your hurry_

_My father will be pacing the floor – Listen to the fireplace roar_

_So really I'd better scurry – Beautiful please don't hurry_

_But maybe just half a drink more – Put some records on while I pour_

_The neighbors might think – Baby, it's bad out there_

_Say, what's in this drink? – No cabs to be had out there_

Kurt tried to ignore the affection in Blaine's eyes, but his heart was pounding. He had never been particularly skilled at flirting – a consequence of being the only gay male he knew for most of his life – but with Blaine it felt easy.

_I wish I knew how – Your eyes are like starlight now_

_To break this spell – I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell_

_I ought to say no no no sir – Mind if I move in closer?_

Kurt leaned on the back of one of the leather couches, and Blaine scooted across the back of the couch until the two boys were shoulder-to-shoulder. Kurt couldn't help but squirm happily.

_At least I'm gonna say that I tried – What the sense of hurting my pride?_

_I really can't stay – Baby, don't hold out_

_Baby it's cold outside_

Blaine played the piano in sync with the recording for a moment. Kurt knew Blaine was just showing off, but he was impressed anyway.

_I've got to get home – But, baby, you'd freeze out there_

_Say, lend me a coat? – It's up to your knees out there_

_You've really been grand – I'm thrilled when you touch my hand_

_But don't you see – How can you do this thing to me?_

_There's bound to be talk tomorrow – Think of my lifelong sorrow_

_At least it will be plenty implied – If you got pneumonia and died_

Blaine leaned toward Kurt across the back of the couch as he sang, and Kurt wanted more than anything to close the gap between them and kiss the dark-haired young man. He had thought about kissing Blaine before... what Blaine's lips would feel like, taste like. As Blaine leaned close to him, singing such a flirty duet, the urge nearly overwhelmed Kurt, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. He was letting himself be carried away with the flirting, and so was Blaine, but he wouldn't kiss the other boy until he was absolutely sure that Blaine wanted him to.

_I really can't stay – Get over that hold out_

Blaine gestured grandly for Kurt to sit down on the couch, and Kurt obliged. Blaine sat down beside him and leaned into him as the song ended.

_Oh, baby, it's cold outside_

They looked at each other for a moment, both energized after the flirty duet. Blaine looked away first, and Kurt felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

"I think you're ready," Kurt said confidently. If Blaine sang the song like that, Kurt had no doubt that every person in the audience would be swooning by the second line. He felt a twinge of jealousy toward the unknown girl who would get to sing the song with Blaine in front of an audience.

"Well," Blaine sighed as he stood up, "for the record, you are much better than that girl's gonna be."

Kurt tried to contain his excitement at the compliment as Blaine left the room. As his eyes followed Blaine on his way out, Kurt was distracted by someone else entering the room. He felt his heart clench for an entirely new reason at the sight of his former director.

"Mr. Schuester!" Kurt said, jumping up to embrace the teacher.

"Good to see you, Kurt!" Mr. Schu said warmly. He motioned toward the door where he had just passed Blaine. "Someone special?"

Kurt turned to make sure that Blaine wasn't still within earshot. "No," he said, "just a friend. But, on the upside, I'm in love with him and he's actually gay." Kurt felt giddy as he admitted his affection for Blaine. "I call that progress!" he teased, aware that Mr. Schu knew of his previous crushes.

The confession seemed to please the older man. "How're you doing?" Mr. Schu asked.

"Classes are harder," Kurt admitted, "but the kids are kinder." He felt homesickness clenching in his chest again as he thought about everyone he had left behind. "But I miss you guys a lot, though."

"So what brings you here?" Kurt changed the subject, "Are you looking at teaching in a place where pencils aren't primarily used as weapons?"

"Actually," Mr. Schu seemed a little embarrassed, "I need a little holiday help. I don't know if you know this, but I am really bad at Christmas shopping. This year I drew Sue in the office pool Secret Santa, and, I tell ya, I can't think of anything good. And you are so great at shopping I thought I'd..." he trailed off.

Kurt thought about it for a moment before an idea struck him. "I have the perfect idea."

"Yeah?" Mr. Schu said hopefully.

"While Coach Sylvester doesn't have the most enviable sense of style, I'll give her one thing. She's consistent." Kurt analyzed. "Perhaps a personalized or seasonal track suit?"

"Yes!" Mr. Schu said excitedly. "Maybe with a fur-lined hood for when it's so cold."

"I am only going to say that's acceptable on two conditions," Kurt said skeptically. "One, that it's faux fur. And two, that I don't ever have to look at it."

The teacher laughed. "Deal. Thanks, Kurt."

"It's good to see you," Kurt admitted. "I'm sorry that I left so unexpectedly."

"No, Kurt," Mr. Schu said calmly, "you did what you had to do. You look good. Better. I think this place is good for you." He raised an eyebrow, "And, based on the look on your face when I walked in, I'm guessing that boy is good for you too."

Kurt felt his face burning. "That remains to be seen," he said expectantly. "Speaking of holiday shopping, I need to think of something to get him."

"Clothes?" Mr. Schu suggested.

"I thought you were a terrible holiday shopper," Kurt scolded. "And anyway, I've only seen him in his regular clothes a few times. Uniforms," he rolled his eyes, motioning at his blazer.

Mr. Schu shrugged. "What does he like?"

Kurt's eyes lit up. "Mr. Schu," he announced eagerly, "I don't think you give yourself enough credit."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt paced outside Blaine's door for five minutes before he found the courage to knock. He was carrying a present that he had wrapped in red paper and shimmery golden ribbon.

"Come in!" Blaine's voice floated through the closed door.

Kurt opened the door a little and stuck his head in, feeling unnaturally shy. "Are you busy?"

Blaine's face lit up at the sight of Kurt. "No, not at all!"

_Moment of truth_, Kurt thought to himself. They had not discussed exchanging gifts, and he didn't want things to get awkward if Blaine hadn't bought anything for him, but he was excited to give Blaine his present.

"Winter break starts tomorrow..." he trailed off as he entered the room, holding the present in one hand like a waiter would hold a tray.

"Any big holiday plans?" Blaine asked from his desk, pretending that he had no idea what was going on. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top and he had untied his tie, but it was still draped over his shoulders.

"Not really," Kurt said as he walked across the room to where Blaine was sitting. "It's our first Christmas with Carole and Finn, so I guess we'll spend quite a bit of time figuring out which traditions work well together. You?"

"We always go to my grandparents' house in Indianapolis for Christmas and the New Year," Blaine explained. He stood up and shrugged off his blazer before motioning at the present in Kurt's hand with a smirk. "Who's that for?"

Kurt shook his head in mock annoyance and handed the box to Blaine. The dark-haired boy carefully unwrapped and opened the box.

"Oh my gosh, Kurt, thank you!" Blaine smiled widely as he turned the box over and gently dumped its contents onto the bed.

Six little tins of coffee.

"They're all different varieties," Kurt explained. "There's a fair trade store in town... they said these were their most popular flavors."

"It's perfect," Blaine sighed, sinking down to sit on his bed to examine the flavors. He looked ridiculously content.

"Do you need a minute?" Kurt teased.

Blaine rolled his eyes playfully and reached over to pull open the large drawer at the bottom of his desk. He pulled out a perfectly wrapped silver package and looked a little apprehensive as he handed it to Kurt, who was immediately intrigued.

"You look nervous," Kurt commented as he started to open the present.

"I hope you like it," Blaine admitted.

Kurt lifted the top off the nondescript box and nearly dropped it in shock.

It was a scarf. Black with thin red and white vertical lines.

"How did you know I wanted this?" he gaped at Blaine.

Blaine shrugged happily. "You picked it up three times last week at the mall. So I crossed my fingers that you wanted it."

"Are you kidding?" Kurt said dreamily as he set the box down and pulled out the scarf. He wrapped it around his neck and looked up at Blaine with a huge smile. "Thank you!"

Blaine jumped up from his bed and threw his arms around Kurt. Kurt's eyes widened and his chest clenched with delight as the other boy squeezed him tightly. After a moment, Blaine stepped back, and both boys laughed nervously. Kurt knew his face was bright red.

Blaine turned to pick up one of his new tins of coffee, and he shook it in Kurt's direction. "Just because I have these doesn't mean I don't want to see you at the Lima Bean at least a few times over the break," he pretended to scold.

"I think that could be arranged," Kurt said happily. He scooped up the box and the silver wrapping paper, and he could feel Blaine watching him as he skipped out the door.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know, I know, the presents are cliché. The challenge was to think of something that was appropriate but also not <strong>_**too**_** adorable... they're not a couple yet (season 3 Christmas, come to me. I want adorable holiday Klaine)! I liked the idea of Blaine noticing something that Kurt had shown interest in from a previous outing and going back for it (because usually he's so oblivious!), while Kurt knows how much Blaine loves coffee (and Kurt loves their coffee dates so much). I like to imagine that the lady at the store asked Kurt if the coffee was for his girlfriend, and Kurt took secret pleasure in telling her no. ;) Also, the scarf is supposed to be the one Kurt wears quite a bit over the next few episodes... I'll post a screen cap of it on my Tumblr (functionaloptimist (dot) tumblr (dot) com)!**_

_**This one was short, but don't worry... starting with Silly Love Songs (to be posted on Sunday – The Sue Sylvester Shuffle tomorrow), they'll get long(er)! That's when Kurt and Blaine's relationship really starts to pick up! :D**_


	6. 2x11: The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

_**It's the Superbowl episode! I still can't believe they put 'Bills, Bills, Bills' in this episode... it's so random! But I LOVE it. Sassy Blaine at his best. ;) But that's just the beginning... there was plenty of room for elaboration about what happened to Kurt and Blaine in this episode!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt studied his music sheet, mentally reminding himself that he _did_, in fact, know this song. He was still adjusting to the vocal style of the Warblers, but with every number they practiced he felt more confident. As the song began, he turned to watch as two of the Warblers opened the large double doors and Blaine sauntered in, straightening his tie. Kurt's heart fluttered as it always did when he saw Blaine.

_At first we started out real cool_

_Taking me places I ain't never been_

_But now you're getting comfortable_

_Ain't doing those things you did no more_

_You're slowly making me pay for things_

_Your money should be handling_

_And now you ask to use my car_

Blaine jumped onto the arm of the couch where Kurt was sitting, and Kurt laughed up at him. Blaine strolled down the length of the couch and stepped off without skipping a beat.

_Drive it all day and don't fill up the tank_

_And you have the audacity_

_To even come and step to me_

_Ask to hold some money from me_

_Until you get your check next week_

_You trifling, good-for-nothing type of brother_

_Silly me_

_Why haven't I found another_

Blaine leaned against the couch to interact with Kurt as he sang, and Kurt danced along from his seat. He relished the flirty moment with Blaine – the young man flirted with everyone and everything when he performed, but when Blaine focused on Kurt, he allowed himself to feel that Blaine had eyes only for him.

_A baller_

_When times get hard I need someone to help me out_

_Instead of a scrub like you who don't know what a man's about_

_Can you pay my bills?_

_Can you pay my telephone bills?_

_Do you pay my automo' bills?_

_If you did then maybe we could chill_

_I don't think you do_

_So you and me are through_

As Kurt had learned more about the Warblers, he had come to understand that they were not actually as uptight as he had assumed at his first Warblers meeting. They really did just want to work together as seamlessly as possible to create the best performance. They didn't tolerate any of the drama that Kurt had been used to as a member of New Directions, but when they rehearsed in a casual setting like this, most of the boys were willing to dance and have a good time. Kurt was starting to enjoy their company and their energy.

_You trifling, good-for-nothing type of brother_

_Silly me_

_Why haven't I found another_

_A baller_

_When times get hard I need someone to help me out_

_Instead of a scrub like you who don't know what a man's about_

Kurt got up to sit on the edge of the couch as a few of the Warblers' decided to show off their athleticism. He didn't want to be a stationary target for any missteps. He rolled his eyes internally as Blaine rushed over to jump on one of the coffee tables. All of this was an accident waiting to happen, but he was enjoying it.

_Can you pay my bills?_

_Can you pay my telephone bills?_

_Do you pay my automo' bills?_

_If you did then maybe we could chill_

_I don't think you do_

_So you and me are through_

_You trifling, good-for-nothing type of brother_

Blaine jumped down from the coffee table, and more of the boys started to flip and dance in the middle of the room. Kurt thought of Mike and Brittany.

_Silly me_

_Why haven't I found another_

_You trifling, good-for-nothing type of brother_

_Oh silly me_

_Why haven't I found another_

_Can you pay my bills?_

_Can you pay my telephone bills?_

_Do you pay my automo' bills?_

_If you did then maybe we could chill_

_I don't think you do_

_So you and me are through_

_Can you pay my bills?_

_Can you pay my telephone bills?_

_Do you pay my automo' bills?_

_If you did then maybe we could chill_

_I don't think you do_

_So you and me are through_

"Guys," Blaine said as the song ended, "I'd say we're ready for Regionals!" He laughed excitedly, and the other Warblers agreed. After the traditional group congratulations, everyone moved to gather their bags and started to leave the room.

"Hey," Blaine stepped over to Kurt, who was still perched on the end of the couch. "How was that?"

Kurt smiled broadly at the dark-haired boy. "That was probably the most fun I've had doing a number here... but for Regionals?" Kurt scrunched his face. "I think that might be a little too gay, even for us."

Blaine's eyes widened briefly, and then he stepped past Kurt and collapsed onto the couch laughing. Kurt couldn't stop himself from laughing too. By the time they managed to regain some composure, everyone else had departed.

"Oh my god," Blaine stretched out on the couch, breathing heavily.

"You know it's true, though," Kurt gasped through his giggles. "The judges would take one look at all the sass you just exhibited and come to the conclusion that we're all gay."

"Well," Blaine said, his eyes sparkling, "let them think what they will. I love that song."

Kurt rolled his eyes. He bent down to pick up something metal from where it had fallen on the ground.

"What's with the pocket watch?" he asked.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine sat up and Kurt dropped the watch into his palm.

"It was my grandfather's," Blaine said, flipping the cover open to look at the timepiece inside. "My dad's father. He was amazing." Blaine sighed and ran his thumb across the smooth glass covering the clock.

Kurt moved to sit beside him. "He gave it to you?"

"Yeah," Blaine answered, and he was surprised when he felt tears in his eyes. He blinked them away before Kurt noticed.

"It's beautiful," Kurt said, holding out his hand. "May I?"

Blaine gave it to him.

"I was fourteen," Blaine explained quietly, not sure if Kurt wanted to hear the story. "It was near the end of my freshman year." Kurt was looking closely at the pattern of the engraving on the outside of the watch as Blaine spoke, but he remained silent. So, Blaine continued. "I had struggled a lot with my sexuality. Went on a few dates with girls. Tried to pretend it wasn't happening. But I knew."

Kurt closed the pocket watch and looked up at Blaine with a gentle smile, encouraging him to continue. Blaine felt warm with gratitude at the seriousness he saw in Kurt's eyes.

"I just woke up one day and decided that I wasn't going to spend my life hiding part of me. So I put on my favorite outfit – I guess you would've been proud of me," he winked at Kurt, "and I marched downstairs and told my parents over breakfast." Blaine sighed. "They... I don't know, I think they just weren't sure how to feel. My mom cried." He avoided Kurt's eyes.

"And your grandfather...?" Kurt furrowed his brow slightly, trying to make the connection.

"I went to school, and I told everyone. I was overly eager, I guess." Blaine saw the corners of Kurt's mouth twitch upward. "Some people cared, some people didn't. But overall it wasn't a particularly fun day."

Blaine shifted and loosened his tie. "I was surprised when my grandfather was there to pick me up from school. He and my grandmother lived in Indiana – my grandmother still does. I guess my dad must have called him, and he made the drive while I was at school."

"We went to a park near my school. And we talked." Blaine felt the tears returning, and his voice cracked slightly. He paused to compose himself.

"And he didn't care." Kurt concluded.

Blaine nodded and blinked a few times to keep the tears back. "He told me that I was still the same Blaine, and that as long as I found love with someone who would love me for me, nothing else mattered." He smiled sadly as he took the pocket watch back from Kurt. "He told me to remember every time I looked at this. That every time I opened it I should remember to be open to love."

He couldn't tell if the extra moisture in Kurt's eyes was fresh or left over from their laughter a few minutes before.

Blaine shrugged. "He died about a year later."

He was surprised when Kurt reached out and rubbed his arm briefly. "Thanks for telling me," Kurt said sincerely.

Blaine let out a long breath and fell back onto the couch. "Wow," he said quietly. "I've never told anyone that story before."

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded. "It was nice to talk about it." He flipped the watch open one more time. "But wait, aren't we supposed to meet Mercedes and... what's her name?"

"Rachel," Kurt supplied. "Right. Do you want to go?"

"Oh yeah," Blaine stood up. "I'm fine. Let's go hear about things significantly less serious!"

Kurt laughed. "Just a warning... Rachel takes everything seriously." He turned to lead the way out into the parking lot, and Blaine smiled as he saw that Kurt had the scarf Blaine had given him for Christmas in his hands.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hi!" Kurt skipped over to hug Rachel and Mercedes, who were waiting for the boys outside the Lima Bean. He held onto them tightly for a moment before letting go and turning around to face Blaine.

"Blaine," he said, "this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Blaine. And you both know Mercedes."

"Nice to meet you," Blaine reached out and shook Rachel's hand. Kurt narrowed his eyes as Rachel was silent. Her eyes lingered on Blaine's face, and Kurt cleared his throat.

"Well then," he said cheerfully, opening the door so they could all go inside. "Shall we?"

They ordered and waited in comfortable silence for their drinks. When the drinks were ready, Kurt reached out to grab his and Blaine's.

"Medium drip?" Kurt said, holding out the coffee cup for Blaine.

"That would be me, thank you very much," Blaine said, taking his coffee.

"Now, I don't want to sound cocky or anything," Blaine said to the girls as he moved to sit down, "but you guys better be pulling out all the stops for Regionals because the number we just rehearsed is _so_ off-the-hook, it's dangerous."

"Seriously, people should wear protective headgear when they're watching it," Kurt quipped, thinking about Blaine jumping all over the furniture and the other Warblers' acrobatics during practice.

Rachel and Mercedes exchanged a distraught look.

"Guys, we're kidding," Kurt stated the obvious.

"Yeah, well it's just hard to laugh right now with everything going on at McKinley," Rachel said dramatically. Kurt resisted the urge to give Blaine an "I told you so" glance.

Mercedes seemed to agree. "I mean, look at us. The stars of two rival show choirs sitting down to coffee... our school is so messed up we can't even keep our own football team together."

"It's so sad, you guys," Rachel elaborated, "Coach Bieste and Mr. Schu were so close at getting everyone at the school together."

Kurt knew the story from his frequent chats with Mercedes (and Blaine knew the story because Kurt had told him in the car on the way), but he was confused that he had not heard anything from Finn over the weekend. Usually they talked about glee club at least once when Kurt was home. Sometimes Kurt would sit in Finn's room while his stepbrother played video games and catch up on what he was missing at McKinley.

"Why hasn't Finn told me anything about this?" Kurt voiced his internal dialogue. "I mean, we live together. I bring him a glass of warm milk every night just in hopes that we'll have a little lady chat."

Everyone turned to look at him. Blaine furrowed his brow. "Warm milk, really?"

"It's delicious," Kurt confirmed.

"Finn's too proud to complain," Rachel said, "He feels like he has to be strong for everyone. But I know it's just killing him inside." She shook her head and focused on Blaine across the table. "I hope he realizes that, you know, if he and I were still together I could make him feel a lot better, you know?"

"Let it go, Rachel," Kurt chided. Blaine looked from Kurt to Rachel with a sympathetic scrunch of his face.

"I just wish that there was a way we could help, that's all." Rachel said.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Yeah, and the worst part is how bummed the guys are," Mercedes added. "They already suffered enough abuse just being in Glee. I really think winning the game could have eased some of the pressure. At least for a little while."

"Wait, so the whole team quit?" Blaine asked, trying to remember what Kurt had told him in the car.

"Everybody not in glee," Mercedes confirmed, "I mean, you can't play football with five guys. And one of them is in a wheelchair."

"Yeah, Coach Bieste put up a sign-up sheet for people to join. I think they'll take anyone at this point," Rachel added.

"Well, the good news is you actually only need four more guys," Blaine offered. "High school regulations actually let you play a couple guys short if you want to."

Rachel exchanged an excited glance with Mercedes, and Blaine continued. "If they find a way to make it work, you can bet that we'll definitely be there to cheer 'em on!" He motioned at himself and Kurt.

"Oh, totally," Kurt agreed. "Blaine and I love football. Well, Blaine loves football. I love scarves."

Blaine laughed quietly at Kurt's assessment of their interests.

"So what about you guys?" Mercedes asked. "How's life in Westerville?"

Blaine smiled. "Mostly just prepping for Regionals. Nothing as exciting as what you've got going on."

"It's true," Kurt said, "we lead a dignified yet tragically undramatic existence."

"Your vocals at Sectionals were commendable," Rachel said seriously, "but I hope you know that we plan to win. I fully intend on having a solo, and possibly a duet with Finn, and the judges will be unable to resist our raw talent and chemistry."

Blaine smiled into his coffee as Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel," Mercedes chided gently, "we are here to have a pleasant chat with our friends."

Rachel sighed dramatically. "I just want to win _so badly_," she said.

"That makes two of us," Kurt said competitively.

Blaine and Mercedes shared a glance across the table, and Blaine had to excuse himself to the restroom to keep from laughing at the expense of his friend. By the time he returned to the table, the discussion had shifted into safer territory, and the rest of the visit was dominated by topics not relating to school or glee club.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"So this guy... he's just a friend, right?" Burt asked, looking directly at Kurt.

"Dad! For the thousandth time, _yes_!" Kurt scolded. "And his name is Blaine."

"Just making sure," Burt shrugged, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of Blaine," Carole said happily, putting on her coat, "I think I just saw his headlights turning into the driveway."

Moments later, they heard the sound of a car door slamming, and they all remained silent until there was a knock on the front door.

"I'll get it," Burt said gruffly, but Kurt hurried in front of him with a little squeak. "No, I've got it!" he cried as he rushed down the hallway to grab the doorknob.

"Hey," Blaine smiled when Kurt opened the door. Kurt felt like he was having a heat stroke as Blaine stepped into the house. He was relieved when he turned to see that Carole had made it to the hallway before his father.

"I'm Carole, honey," she said warmly, reaching out to shake Blaine's hand. "We're so happy to finally meet you!" Blaine smiled, and Kurt felt a surge of relief that there was no awkwardness between them. He peered nervously over Carole's shoulder as Blaine spoke up.

"Thank you for having me along," Blaine said sincerely.

"Well," Burt said, finally coming in to the hallway, "as much as Kurt talks about you, I think it's gonna be nice to have a face to put with all the words."

Kurt smashed his face into one of his hands with a groan, but Blaine just smiled and stepped forward to shake Burt's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

To Kurt's surprise, Burt didn't say anything else or ask Blaine any questions. He just twirled the car keys around on his finger. "Ready?" he asked the other three.

"Yes!" Kurt squeaked, and he made a point to get between Blaine, who was first out the door, and his father.

The ride to McKinley was mostly quiet, but comfortably so. It wasn't until they parked and got out of the car that Burt spoke again.

"You boys want anything?" he motioned to the concession stand.

"Coffee?" Kurt suggested to Blaine, who smiled.

"Yes, coffee would be wonderful, thank you," Blaine said to Burt.

"Me too," Kurt said. "Thanks, dad."

"Don't sweat it," Burt said. "We'll bring it up; you two go on ahead."

Kurt didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the sleeve of Blaine's coat and pulled him off in the direction of the grandstand.

"They're lovely," Blaine said with a laugh, "why are you so nervous?"

"My dad's still kinda... he might think..." Kurt stammered. He took a deep breath as they climbed the bleachers to find a good seat. "I just want them to like you as much as I do," he finally managed.

Blaine smiled brightly. "Well, _I_ like _them_, so that's a start, right?"

"Just let me stand between you and them, okay?" Kurt said desperately.

As they sat down, Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "Are you nervous being here?" he asked.

"A little," Kurt admitted. Karofsky was on the football team. "But I'm looking forward to watching everyone perform."

"Be honest," Blaine teased, nudging Kurt's shoulder with his own, "you're even a little excited to watch the football game."

"Let's not get carried away," Kurt said skeptically.

"Hey boys," Carole said, carrying a cup of coffee in each hand. "Here you go..." she doled out the drinks. Burt was behind her, and they all settled in to watch the game.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"So," Blaine said to Kurt, "who'd they manage to find to sign up?"

Kurt shrugged. "I have no idea. Mercedes just said they had worked it out."

They were silent for a moment as the players started to appear on the field to prepare for the game. Blaine was startled when Kurt let out a squeal of surprise, clasping one hand over his mouth to keep from making more noise and pointing wildly with the other.

Blaine laughed at the sight of the four girls marching onto the field in full football gear. "I guess that's our answer," he said brightly to Kurt, who was completely speechless.

"Hey Kurt," Burt leaned over to shout at his son. "Brings back memories, huh?"

Kurt flailed an arm in his father's direction and said nothing.

"Memories?" Blaine asked.

"Nothing!" Kurt sang out. Blaine narrowed his eyes.

"Just, you know, McKinley school pride and all that," Kurt elaborated breathlessly. "Oh, look! They're starting."

The game began, and as the time ticked by, Blaine found himself torn between watching the game and watching Kurt. Despite his assurance that he did not enjoy the sport, Kurt was animated and focused intently on the field. Blaine smiled to himself as he watched Kurt jump up and down during a particularly intense play.

"I daresay you're enjoying yourself," he teased as New Directions and the football team were setting up for the halftime show.

Kurt adjusted his scarf and tried to stifle a smile. "Maybe."

As they danced along to the halftime show, Blaine thought about the dynamic of New Directions. He had not been part of the glee club at his first high school, mostly because he had allowed himself to do the school musical and, until the end of his first year when he had decided to come out, he hadn't wanted to draw questions about his sexuality. He wondered what it was like to be part of a glee club like New Directions.

He and Kurt laughed together at the end of the number. "That was incredible!" Kurt sighed. There was pride in his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I'll just be a minute!" Kurt called into the house as he shut the door to have a moment alone with Blaine on the front porch after the game.

"Verdict on the sport of football?" Blaine queried.

"Acceptable," Kurt answered.

"Thanks a lot for bringing me along," Blaine said quietly.

"You had a good time?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding?" Blaine smiled, "I always have fun with you. And it was great to meet your dad and Carole."

Kurt wanted to jump up and down, but instead he just nodded in agreement.

"So I'll see you on Monday?" Blaine asked, half as a question and half as a statement of fact. He reached out to adjust Kurt's scarf, and Kurt hoped that Blaine would think his flushed cheeks were from the cold wind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Blaine meets the parents! It wasn't too bad for him, right? :) I think Blaine and Carole are going to get along famously.<strong>_

_**I know there's a lot of speculation that Blaine's father is a horrible guy who basically hates Blaine for being gay, but I don't know. Blaine and his father don't have a close relationship – he says as much – but I haven't gotten the impression so far (as of the end of season 2) that Mr. Anderson is actually vindictive. He just struggles with Blaine being gay, as many parents do for various reasons. And I see Blaine as being very tenderhearted, which is why I had him get a little bit teary while he was talking about his grandfather's acceptance. I didn't want him bawling his eyes out – he generally guards his emotions more than Kurt (who cries on the show quite a bit!) – but I thought it would be appropriate for the situation for him to be a little bit emotional. And I hope it also expresses that he's getting more and more comfortable with Kurt.**_

_**And now we know where the pocket watch came from! :)**_

_**Tomorrow... Silly Love Songs! Thanks so much for reading, everyone! LOVE.**_


	7. 2x12: Silly Love Songs

_**I'm so sorry that this wasn't up yesterday... I didn't realize how long it would take me! Now that I know, I need to get moving! There are still quite a few episodes to go, and I have a feeling they're going to get even longer as our boys officially get together! I have quite a few little scenes planned for them once they're boyfriends. It's what made me want to write this in the first place! (Also, don't forget to submit ideas if you have any! You can PM me here, or send me a message on Tumblr - same username as here. Whatever you want, really!)  
><strong>_

_**This episode is a huge turning point for Kurt and Blaine! By the end, Blaine knows that Kurt has feelings for him, and they both know that singing a sexually suggestive song to your crush at their place of employment can only lead to disappointment. ;)**_

_**Most of this is from Kurt's point-of-view, because Blaine is just being his adorable, innocent self for most of this episode. It's Kurt who has to be emotionally tormented the whole time!**_

_**Oh, and relating to the previous chapter/episode... if you didn't catch Blaine's pocket watch on the show, don't worry. It's only in the shot for a moment during 'Never Been Kissed'. When Kurt and Blaine first meet and Blaine turns around at the bottom of the stairs, he's got a pocket watch in his hand. :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

In line at the Lima Bean, Kurt caught sight of one particularly tacky Valentine's Day-themed plush toy. He stepped forward to pick it up and turned back to Blaine.

"Okay, I'm all for flair, but these Valentine's Day decorations are just tacky," he said, "I mean, what the hell is this supposed to be?"

To his surprise, Blaine's face softened. "It's clearly puppy love," Blaine answered, "It's cute, come on."

Kurt rolled his eyes, and as he moved to put the plush back on the shelf it emitted the sound of a kiss and a high-pitched "I love you!". "Oh, okay... that's creepy," Kurt quickly put it down.

"Adorable," Blaine assessed.

"It's a simple excuse to sell candy and greeting cards on a holiday," Kurt said skeptically as he moved to stand beside Blaine.

"Not true," Blaine countered. "People have been celebrating Valentine's Day for centuries. And call me a hopeless romantic, but it's my favorite holiday."

"Really?" Kurt furrowed his brow at his friend, but he felt butterflies in his stomach as Blaine declared himself a hopeless romantic.

"I think there's something really great about a day where you're encouraged to just lay it all on the line and say to somebody 'I'm in love with you'," Blaine said sincerely.

Kurt's heart flipped as Blaine looked directly at him and said those words. He just stared at Blaine for a moment until the other boy continued.

"You know?" Blaine reinforced his statement, "And this year I want to do something really radical, so I need your opinion on this." He took a deep breath. "There's this guy that I sort of... like. And I've only known him for a little while, but I want to tell him that I think my feelings are starting to change into something... deeper. So, I have to ask. Do you think it's too much to sing to somebody on Valentine's Day?"

Kurt hoped that his knees would continue to hold him up. "Not at all," he managed to answer.

Blaine, oblivious to Kurt's rapidly pounding heart and runaway imagination, stepped up to the counter to order.

"Uh, a medium drip and a grande nonfat mocha for this guy. And maybe I can get him to split one of those cupid cookies."

Kurt decided that this was quite possibly the best day of his entire existence. He fluttered his eyes as he turned to gape at Blaine. "You know my coffee order?"

"Of course I do," Blaine scolded.

Kurt started to dig through his bag for money to pay for his drink, but Blaine stopped him. "Don't even bother, dummy. It's on me."

Blaine gave him a flirty glance, and Kurt felt an intense urge to jump up and down. Instead, he stepped forward. "I do believe I have a new favorite holiday," he said to the woman at the register, unable to contain himself. He giggled, and hurried after Blaine.

"I've still got to think about the whole song thing," Blaine said as they sat down, "So for now..." he shook his head playfully at Kurt, "you'll have to wait and see."

Kurt nodded, trying to contain his excitement.

"So what about you?" Blaine asked. "Do you have special plans for Valentine's Day?"

"No," Kurt squeaked. Blaine looked satisfied, and Kurt felt like he was going to explode all over the shop. He kept his hands clasped around his coffee cup to keep from fidgeting.

"I can't believe you don't like Valentine's Day," Blaine scolded gently. "I mean, you love musicals, and they're very grandiose. You mean to tell me that you wouldn't swoon to the floor if you were serenaded at like Christian serenades Satine in _Moulin Rouge_?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "There is a difference between a grand romantic gesture – _yes I would_, by the way – and a grand romantic gesture brought on by some arbitrary societal holiday designed to make you feel guilty if you _don't_."

Blaine smiled. "I see. So, in order to romance Kurt Hummel you have to serenade him by sneak attack."

A small, slightly hysterical giggle escaped Kurt's lips. "I am a glutton for unexpected public embarrassment, what can I say?" he answered, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Huh," Blaine answered vaguely, sipping his coffee.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" Kurt asked, attempting to remain calm. "Restroom."

"I'll be here when you get back!" Blaine said dramatically. Kurt laughed, and had to force himself not to sprint away. Once the door slammed behind him and he made sure there were no other people in the restroom, he let out a squeal of happiness and jumped up and down, quietly clapping his hands.

He turned to look at his flushed reflection in the mirror over the sink.

"Kurt Hummel's going to have a date for Valentine's Day," he announced.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt had been attempting to complete his homework in the comfortable chair in the hallway of Dalton's music building all afternoon, but he couldn't focus. All he could think about was Blaine, and their conversation in line at the Lima Bean. He had given up on academics, opting instead to draw a heart pierced by Cupid's arrow with his name and Blaine's inside.

"Hey, whatcha doing?"

At the sound of Blaine's voice, Kurt's heart lurched. He slammed his notebook shut, panicking inside at the thought of Blaine seeing the doodle.

"Nothin'," Kurt said breathlessly, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Just, ah, daydreamin'. Plotting weekend outfits."

"Well, come on," Blaine said, also a little breathless, "You're gonna want to see this. I've called an emergency meeting of the Warblers council."

Kurt tried to slow his racing heart as he stood up. "Sounds serious," he commented on Blaine's demeanor and term "emergency meeting".

"Let's hope not," Blaine said, reaching out to hang on Kurt's shoulders as they walked, "Just need to ask them a tiny little favor."

They walked in comfortable silence to the room where the Warblers' were waiting.

"Hey guys," Blaine greeted everyone as they entered. He smiled at Kurt, who moved to sit down on one of the couches in the room. Blaine sat in a chair against the wall. Everyone turned to look at Wes.

"This emergency meeting is called to order," Wes announced. "Junior member Blaine Anderson, the floor is yours."

Blaine stood up. He looked nervous. Kurt didn't know how to feel. He applauded momentarily before realizing that nobody else was doing so.

"Esteemed council," Blaine said formally, "I'll be brief. Simply put, I'm in love."

There was a murmur of approval in the room, and Kurt could not hold back his excitement. Blaine was looking right at him.

"I'm not really good at talking about my feelings," Blaine continued. "I'm much better at singing them. But still, I could use a little help. Which is why I'm asking to enlist the Warblers to help serenade this individual, in song." He paused briefly. "Off campus."

As the Warblers voiced their displeasure, Kurt felt like he was going to have a heart attack. A million different fantasy scenarios raced through his mind, and it took all of his self-control not to leap off the couch.

"I know what I'm asking is slightly unusual..." Blaine attempted to justify his request, but the Warblers were not convinced.

"The Warblers haven't performed in an informal setting since 1927, when the Spirit of St. Louis overshot the tarmac and plowed through seven Warblers during an impromptu rendition of _Welcome to Ohio, Lucky Lindy_," Wes informed the group.

"Why would we even consider what you're asking?" David challenged.

Blaine looked exasperated. "I firmly believe that our reticence to perform in public nearly cost us a trip to Regionals," Kurt nodded his encouragement as Blaine continued. "We're becoming privileged porcelain birds–"

The Warblers did not appreciate that assessment. "You mock us, sir!" Thad's voice rose above the others. Kurt looked around excitedly. This was the most animated he had seen the group, and it added to the energy he was already feeling about Blaine's proposition and what it might mean for their relationship.

"Thad, David... I will have order!" Wes demanded.

Kurt could not resist joining the conversation. "May I please say something?" he begged, raising his hand high in the air. Everyone turned to look at him, and he took their silence as permission. He stood up. "With respect, I believe Blaine has a point," he said, "The Warblers are so concerned with image and tradition that sometimes I feel like we miss out on opportunities to step outside our comfort zones. When I was on New Directions, we performed in front of hostile crowds pretty much anywhere we went. I mean, mattress stores, shopping malls... I had a cat thrown at me in a nursing home once." The Warblers laughed lightly at the anecdote, and Kurt hoped that he would inspire them to help Blaine. "But it gave us confidence. It kept us loose," he finished. Blaine nodded in appreciation.

"And where would this performance take place?" Wes asked. Kurt felt his heart flutter as he realized that they were considering Blaine's request. Everyone turned to Blaine for the answer.

"The GAP. At the North Hills mall," Blaine said. "I'd like to call it... The Warblers' GAP Attack."

Kurt racked his brain for the significance of the GAP. He was sure that he had never been in that store with Blaine before.

"Why the GAP?" He asked excitedly.

"The guy that I like is a junior manager," Blaine said happily.

Kurt felt devastation crushing every inch of his body. He could vaguely hear someone asking who was in favor of aiding Blaine in the GAP Attack. He couldn't move.

Wes slammed his gavel on the table, ripping Kurt out of his internal angst, "Okay then, it's decided."

The room erupted with voices; everyone wanted to comment on the new plan. Kurt let his head fall forward into his hands in despair.

"Kurt," Blaine's alarmed voice was suddenly loud and close, "are you okay?"

Kurt let out a loud groan as he sat up. Blaine was crouched in front of him, his face scrunched with concern.

"Yes," Kurt said sharply, straightening his tie.

"Good," Blaine said happily. He stood up. "Because I definitely need you for this."

Kurt wanted to sink into the floor and die.

"Hey man," Jeff spoke up, raising his voice so he could be heard above the sea of voices, "what song?"

Blaine sighed, his eyes unfocused for a moment, and Kurt wanted to rip the wistful expression off his face.

"He loves Robin Thicke, so I was thinking... _When I Get You Alone_?" Blaine announced after his moment of contemplation.

Kurt's mouth dropped open before he could stop himself. "But–" he squeaked. Blaine looked down at him with a questioning glance, and Kurt just shook his head noncommittally.

The other Warblers were divided. A few of them were exchanging suggestive glances and high fives, while others looked dubious.

"I don't know," Wes spoke for the skeptics.

To Kurt's surprise, Thad laughed. "Let's vote on it," he offered with a smirk.

Wes had no argument against the other council member's logic. He sighed. "All in favor of Warbler Blaine's choice of Robin Thicke's _When I Get You Alone_ for our off-campus performance?"

More than half of the boys in the room raised their hands immediately. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Juveniles," he muttered under his breath.

Thad looked smug as Wes was forced to acquiesce. "It's settled, then," he said with a crack of his gavel.

Blaine looked absolutely delighted. Kurt felt nauseated. He jumped up and headed for the door.

"Hey Kurt, wait!" Blaine's voice stopped him as he was reaching for the doorknob. Kurt closed his eyes briefly in desolation before he turned around to face Blaine.

"Wanna help me with the arrangement?" Blaine literally twirled in a circle as he strolled over, a huge smile on his face.

Kurt attempted to smile in return. "Sadly, no," he answered, "I've got a girls' night and I really must be going."

Blaine nodded. "Okay, well, have fun!" he stepped up to Kurt and clasped a hand on one of Kurt's shoulders. "Thanks for all of your help today."

"See you tomorrow," Kurt managed.

"Bye!" Blaine said brightly, turning away to consult with some of the other Warblers.

Kurt turned and rushed into the hallway, and he was on the phone before he reached the stairs.

"Mercedes," Kurt said gravely, "I need estrogen in my life. _Tonight_."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Okay, guys," Blaine reminded the group before they reached the door to the GAP. "Just pretend like you're looking around at first. Let me make sure he's there."

Everyone voiced their understanding, and Kurt couldn't believe he had agreed to do this.

They received a few strange looks as they entered the store, all dressed the same. Blaine feigned nonchalance, moving to the side of the store to pretend to look at a rack of jackets. Kurt followed him.

"That's him," Blaine said almost immediately. "The blond one folding sweaters."

Kurt scrutinized the young man's appearance. He wasn't unattractive, and Kurt felt a surge of nearly uncontrollable jealousy.

"Hm, I can see the appeal... quite a head of hair." He attempted to sound encouraging.

"His name is Jeremiah. If he and I got married, the GAP would give me a 50% discount," Blaine said dreamily, and Kurt wondered why he was in love with Blaine in the first place.

After a moment, Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "This is insane. I don't know what I'm doing. We haven't even really gone out on a date. We shouldn't do this," he concluded, and he turned to leave.

Despite a strong urge to agree and skip out of the store with Blaine, Kurt knew that he had to go through with this. He would never be able to live with himself if he had to tell Blaine later that he had allowed the dark-haired boy to leave because he was insane with jealousy. Kurt grabbed Blaine's shoulders.

"Okay, come on, come on," he attempted a pep talk, "Man up. You're amazing. He's gonna love you."

_I love you_, Kurt thought desperately.

He pushed Blaine forward and moved to take his position. He watched Blaine signal the start of the song, and Kurt knew they had reached the point of no return. Blaine moved to follow Jeremiah as he began to sing.

_Baby girl, where ya at?_

_Got no strings, got men attached_

Jeremiah turned to look at Blaine, and, despite all of his jealousy, Kurt felt a surge of secondhand embarrassment. Jeremiah did not look impressed.

_Can't stop that feeling for long, no_

_Mmmmmm_

_You're making dogs wanna beg_

_Breaking them off your fancy legs_

_But they make you feel right at home, now_

Kurt saw that Blaine was slipping into performance mode. A few of the store's patrons were smiling, and Kurt hoped that was a good sign.

_Oooohhhh_

_See, all these illusions just take us too long_

_And I want it bad_

_Because you walk pretty_

_Because you talk pretty_

_Because you make me sick_

_And I'm not leavin', till you're leavin'_

Blaine was following Jeremiah around the store, now very much into the song. Jeremiah looked incredibly uncertain.

_Oh I swear there's something when she's pumping_

_Asking for a raise_

Blaine grabbed some pink sunglasses off the rack and put them on for a moment. Kurt shook his head, and secretly hoped that Blaine wouldn't break them in his excitement.

_Well does she want me to carry her home now?_

_So does she want me to buy her things?_

Blaine threw the sunglasses behind him to Jeff, who caught them and put them back on the rack. Kurt rolled his eyes at their theatrics.

_On my house, on my job  
><em>

_On my loot, shoes, my shirt  
><em>

_My crew, my mind, my father's last name?_

_When I get you alone  
><em>

_When I get you you'll know babe_

Blaine and Jeremiah were now face-to-face, and any shred of hope Kurt had retained regarding this performance vanished. He wondered if someone would call the police._  
><em>

_When I get you alone  
><em>

_When I get you alone_

_Come on... yeah-yeah_

Blaine rushed over and jumped onto a spinning display table to start the next verse of the song._  
><em>

_Baby girl you da shhhhh  
><em>

_That makes you my equivalent_

Kurt had to stop singing to gape at the boy who he was hopelessly in love with. He felt an crushing mix of attraction and horror at the suggestive expression on Blaine's face._  
><em>

_You can keep your toys in the drawer tonight  
><em>

_All right  
><em>

_All my dawgs talkin' fast-  
><em>

_Aint you got some photographs?  
><em>

_'Cause you shook that room like a star, now  
><em>

_Yes you did, yes you did  
><em>

_All these intrusions just take us too long  
><em>

_And I want you so bad_

Kurt leaned on a mannequin, feeling desperate. He had let himself believe that Blaine was going to all this effort for him, and watching it happen for another boy – who clearly didn't appreciate it – was horribly frustrating._  
><em>

_Because you walk city,  
><em>

_Because you talk city,  
><em>

_'Cause you make me sick  
><em>

_And I'm not leavin', till you're leavin'  
><em>

_So I pray to something she aint bluffin',  
><em>

_Rubbin' up on me  
><em>

_Well does she want me to make a vow?  
><em>

_Check it  
><em>

_Well does she want me to make it now?  
><em>

_On my house, on my job  
><em>

_On my loot, shoes, my voice,  
><em>

_My crew, my mind, my father's last name?_

Blaine jumped onto a large display table in the center of the store, and the Warblers gathered around him. Kurt stood off to the side and thought for a moment about their demeanor; even the boys who had been skeptical of this plan seemed to be enjoying it. Kurt hoped that their enthusiasm would save Blaine from what Kurt imagined was an inevitable rough landing._  
><em>

_When I get you alone  
><em>

_When I get you you'll know babe  
><em>

_When I get you alone  
><em>

_When I get you alone_

_Oooohhhh_

Blaine jumped down from the table, grabbed some socks off a rack, and slid across the floor on his knees to where Jeremiah was standing behind the register. With a twirl, Blaine ended the song.

_When I get you alone_

The shoppers in the store applauded happily, but before Blaine or Jeremiah could say anything, a mall security guard approached the dark-haired Warbler.

"Young man," the security guard said sternly, "you and your friends need to leave."

Blaine looked surprised, and Jeremiah took the opportunity to disappear to the staff-only area.

"Seriously," the guard said with a roll of his eyes. "I don't wanna call the cops on you kids... that was cute and all, and I don't see anything broken or damaged, so let's just settle with a stern warning, okay?"

Kurt hurried over and grabbed Blaine's arm. He nodded solemnly at the security guard. "I'll talk care of it, sir," he said crisply. Blaine seemed to be in a trance as Kurt pulled him away through the door to the sidewalk outside. The rest of the Warblers followed.

"Great job, man!" Jeff said excitedly, forcing Blaine into a high five. The rest of the Warblers seemed equally energized, and Kurt wanted to strangle them all.

"You guys go on," Kurt said authoritatively. "I think we're going to wait... but it's probably best if it's not a crowd."

Wes understood. "Kurt's right," he said, "See you back at Dalton." He nodded at Kurt, and Kurt could see the silent "I'm sorry" in the other boy's eyes. Kurt couldn't resist a wink in return.

As the rest of the Warblers departed, Kurt forced Blaine to put on his jacket, hat, and scarf. They couldn't wait inside – the result of being banished by the security guard – and Blaine looked like he might freeze to death if someone didn't remind him to bundle up.

Once they were both in warmer layers, Kurt steered Blaine over to a bench. They sat down together, and the silence was deafening.

"Was it too much?" Blaine finally asked, despair in his voice. Kurt gave him a meaningful look, and Blaine answered his own question. "It was too much."

Kurt was prepared to wait for a while for Jeremiah to emerge from the store, so he was surprised when the young man suddenly appeared, already bundled into his jacket. Kurt felt his heart clench for Blaine. He hoped that Jeremiah would let him down gently.

Blaine jumped up. "Jeremiah, hey."

"What the hell were you doing?" the blond boy asked, but it was more of an accusation than a question.

"What?" Blaine said innocently. Kurt couldn't see his face.

"I just got fired," Jeremiah revealed, "You can't just bust a groove in the middle of someone else's workplace."

"But they loved it," Blaine tried to argue.

"Well my boss didn't. And neither did I." Jeremiah lowered his voice. "No one here knows I'm gay."

Kurt felt smug, and he couldn't hold it in any longer. He leaned forward to interrupt. "Can I be honest? Just with the hair... I think they do."

Jeremiah did not respond. He turned back to Blaine.

"Blaine, let's just be clear here. You and I got coffee twice. We're not dating. And if we were I'd get arrested because you're underage." He reached out to pat Blaine's arm, and then he was gone.

Blaine turned slightly so Kurt could see his face as Jeremiah walked away, and Kurt had to smother the surge of victory he felt at the removal of the young man as a rival for Blaine's affection. He would call Mercedes and gloat about it later, but he could see that the rejection had crushed Blaine.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt for help, and Kurt scrunched his face sympathetically.

"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine said suddenly. Kurt raised his eyebrows as Blaine's face transitioned from sad to upset. "Let's just go," Blaine huffed dramatically, and he turned and marched off in the direction of the car. Kurt leapt up to chase after him.

They rode in silence back to Dalton. Kurt was glad that he was driving, because Blaine kept sighing heavily and fidgeting in his seat, and Kurt imagined that he wouldn't be able to concentrate particularly well.

They did not live on the same floor, so there came a point when Kurt had to leave Blaine to go on to his room alone. They stopped briefly at the doorway to Blaine's floor, and Kurt chewed on his lip for a moment as he decided what to say. Blaine looked terrible.

"Want to get coffee tomorrow and, maybe, talk about it?" Kurt asked gently. He reached out to adjust a curl of Blaine's hair that had escaped the gel when Blaine had removed his hat.

"Yeah, whatever," Blaine grumbled, but then he sighed. "Thanks for helping me do that," he finally made eye contact.

"What are friends for?" Kurt said with a wink.

"Coffee tomorrow, yeah." Blaine confirmed. "Maybe I'll be better company after a night of restless sleep." A small smile crept onto his face.

Kurt nodded. "See you tomorrow," he said.

"Thanks, Kurt," Blaine said, and he left Kurt to continue up the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt didn't see Blaine again until they met at the coffee shop the next day. They had been forced to drive separately because Kurt was going to return to Burt and Carole's place for the weekend after their coffee date.

Blaine's face gave his mood away. He was irritable.

"So," Kurt said as they entered the shop, "how do you feel about it today?"

Blaine shook his head in frustration. "You mean it wasn't a dream?"

Kurt stifled a giggle. Blaine looked around at all the pink and red decorations with a scoff. "Ugh, don't they have anything here that isn't covered with stupid little hearts? Gross."

"Well you've certainly changed your tune," Kurt said, remembering their visit earlier in the week.

"I don't think I've ever made that big a fool of myself," Blaine said unhappily, "which is really saying something because I've performed at theme parks!" He sighed heavily. "I just– I can't believe I made it all up in my head."

Kurt hesitated briefly, but he remembered Blaine's words from their previous coffee date. _I think there's something really great about a day where you're encouraged to just lay it all on the line and say to somebody 'I'm in love with you'._

"Okay, can I ask you something?" Kurt said carefully, "Because we've always been completely honest with each other..." Blaine turned to look at him, and Kurt knew that this could change everything. He pushed away his anxiety and continued. "You and I. We hang out. We sing flirty duets together. You know my coffee order... Was I supposed to think that was nothing?"

Blaine did not understand. "What do you mean?"

Kurt couldn't decide if he wanted to roll his eyes at Blaine's complete lack of observation or lean over and kiss him for being so adorably innocent. "I thought the guy that you wanted to ask out on Valentine's Day... was me," he confessed.

Blaine was speechless for a moment, and Kurt steeled himself for rejection.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine felt like someone had reached inside his skull and shaken his brain. Kurt was his friend. Blaine had made a promise to himself the day he met the slim young man that he would take him under his wing. Help him to find his way. The thought of the two of them in a romantic relationship had never crossed his mind.

"Wow, I really am clueless," he concluded. He felt like his entire life needed to be pieced together again.

"Look, Kurt," Blaine continued in an attempt to explain to Kurt the emotions he was feeling, "I don't know what I'm doing. I pretend like I do. And I know how to act it out in song. But the truth is... I've never really been anyone's boyfriend."

"Me neither," Kurt admitted.

Blaine thought for a moment about how much Kurt meant to him. "Let me be really clear about something," he said to the other boy. "I really, really care about you. But as you and about twenty mortified shoppers saw... I'm not very good at romance." Blaine paused briefly. "I don't want to screw this up," he finished. He didn't want to lose Kurt as a friend over something like this.

"So it's just like _When Harry Met Sally_," Kurt said playfully. "But I get to play Meg Ryan."

"Deal," Blaine agreed, feeling a surge of affection for Kurt. He was going to have to examine what Kurt's feelings for him meant for their friendship, but this was Kurt's way of letting him know that they could continue as friends if Blaine didn't want something more. The two looked at each other for a minute, and Blaine thought about the film.

"Don't they, uh, get together in the end?" He asked, and Kurt just smiled cryptically and stepped forward to order.

"Could I get a nonfat mocha and a medium drip for my friend Billy Crystal."

Blaine knew that their friendship was as strong as ever. Kurt always made him feel better. When he was around Kurt, he felt like _everything_ was better. "Ah, you know my coffee order," he teased.

Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know what?" he said, turning to look at Blaine, "I think I've got something for us to do on Valentine's Day."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I'm so excited!" Kurt said nervously so only Blaine could hear him, pushing the other boy forward a little. "Now go, go! Get in your places, everyone!" He hurried over to the microphone.

"Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. So, happy Valentine's Day everybody! For those of you Breadstix patrons who don't know who I am... I am Kurt Hummel, and welcome to my first ever Lonely Hearts Club dinner. Whether you are single with hope or madly in love and are here because I forced you to come out and support me, sit back and enjoy. And to all the singles out there: this is our year."

The Warblers began the song, and Kurt moved to stand behind Blaine before the soloist stepped forward to sing the song.

_You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs_

_But I look around me and I see that isn't so_

_Oh no_

Kurt felt happy as Blaine moved around the room, interacting with Kurt's friends from New Directions. The idea that Blaine could be friends with them too made Kurt feel like he could have it all; his old friends, his new friends, and a safe school environment. He thought for a moment about the day when he had first gone to Dalton, and how tormented he had felt. He could never have known that in the following months he would find all of this.

_Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs_

_And what's wrong with that_

_I'd like to know_

'_Cause here I go again_

_I love you_

Blaine smiled at Kurt as he sang. Kurt was grateful that Blaine had not rejected him outright after his admission in the coffee shop. Blaine had not expressed similar feelings, but he had not slammed the proverbial door in Kurt's face, either. Kurt was attempting to keep his expectations for their future low, but when Blaine looked at him he still felt his heart accelerate.

_I love you_

_Love doesn't come in a minute_

_Sometimes it doesn't come at all_

_I only know that when I'm in it_

_It isn't silly_

_No it isn't silly_

_Love isn't silly at all_

Kurt smiled, pleased that this public performance was going much more smoothly than the GAP Attack. He could tell that the members of New Directions and the other patrons of the restaurant were enjoying the show, and Kurt was especially glad for Blaine that there was no awkwardness.

_Not at all_

_I love you_

_I love you_

_I can't explain the feeling's plain to me_

_Say can't you see_

_Ah, she gave me more_

_She gave it all to me_

_Now can't you see_

The small audience cheered as the song ended, and Kurt caught a look of satisfaction from Blaine.

"So," Kurt slid over to speak in Blaine's ear, "I'm guessing that felt better than other performances that shall not be named?"

Blaine laughed. "You can say that again."

"Come on," Kurt grabbed his arm, "we're squeezing in at the table with Mercedes..." The other Warblers were already finding chairs and space at the small tables with various members of New Directions, but Kurt knew that Mercedes was saving space for him and Blaine.

"Great job, you guys!" Tina exclaimed as they pulled up chairs to join the table.

"Yeah," Mercedes said, leaning over to kiss Kurt's cheek, "you guys are all just adorable."

"Those uniforms..." Mike winked at Blaine, "Sexy." Everyone laughed.

"This is Mike and Tina," Kurt introduced the pair to Blaine. "And guys, this is Blaine."

"It's so nice to get to know all of you," Blaine said, "Kurt talks about you all the time."

There was a collective "awwww" from the members of New Directions at the table, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"We love you, Kurt!" Brittany shouted from across the room. And suddenly everyone was shouting their love at him from all over the restaurant. He pretended to be embarrassed, hiding his face in his hands. When he peeked through his fingers, everyone laughed, and Kurt smiled widely. He couldn't bring himself to look at Blaine, but he could tell by the boy's body language beside him that he was smiling too.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So... how does everyone feel about this episode? I swear, when Blaine catches Kurt drawing that heart (or almost catches him, I guess!), I just want to die of an adorable overload. I love how Kurt drops the end of his words because he's so flustered!<br>**_

_**I tried to address the whole "BLAINE, HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW HOW MUCH KURT LIKES YOU?" thing a little bit... I think it has to do with the circumstances of Kurt and Blaine's first meeting. Blaine took it upon himself to help guide Kurt through being bullied at his school, and that put Kurt firmly in the friend category in Blaine's mind. If you are sort of mentoring someone, you're probably going to be very focused on being their friend and you're not going to see them as a potential romantic relationship. I think at this point, Blaine's hasn't even considered the possibility of being with Kurt... until Kurt admits his feelings in the coffee shop. At that point, Blaine has to think about it, and I think it's the start of him realizing that he actually likes Kurt too. It just takes him a few more episodes to really embrace it. ;)**_

_**Up next... the only episode of the season without Blaine OR Kurt! Oh my gosh. I'll make something up for them to do, don't worry!**_

_**LOVE.**_


	8. 2x13: Comeback

_**Two updates in one day, whoo! I shouldn't be celebrating, I know, because the first chapter today **_**should**_** have been posted yesterday, but whatever. I can still feel accomplished, right? Thanks for putting up with my weird posting schedule. I still HOPE to finish by the season 3 premiere. That means I'll have to double up at least one more time, but I'll just surprise you with when that might be.**_

_**Okay, you guys... neither Kurt nor Blaine is in this episode! I think Glee has this problem with Kurt and Blaine... when they're in one episode a lot, they are hardly in the next episode at all (NIGHT OF NEGLECT and FUNERAL, I am looking at you). It's like the writers get Klaine overload and have to rest or something. ;) Or, maybe they're just attempting to juggle all the characters on the show and I'm so biased toward Kurt and Blaine that I want Klaine all the time. You can decide.  
><strong>_

_**So, since there's really nothing to go on, I made this all up. It's short, but I can pretty much guarantee that tomorrow's episode will be significantly longer than this.**_

_**Oh, and also? I just realized that I can reply to reviews! (I KNOW, I FAIL. I blame my newbie-ness.) So, once this is posted my plan is to respond to all of the reviews so far... be on the lookout! ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Someone please explain to me one more time why we pay to attend this school?" Kurt gestured to his blazer.

"Would you _actually_ rather be in class?" Nick asked incredulously.

"I feel like we're in kindergarten," Kurt whined.

As their biology teacher called them over for a primary headcount, Blaine smiled at Kurt's reluctance.

"Oh, come on," Blaine said, "you may have your moments of cynicism, but even you cannot deny... a fluffy koala is adorable."

"If I want to see koalas, I'll go to Australia," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that would be inexpensive," Jeff chimed in. Kurt ignored him.

Blaine narrowed his eyes. "Okay," he said, grabbing Kurt by the shoulders and forcing the young man to turn and face him, "you need to get a grip. It's the zoo. It's _fun_."

"Yeah, when you're _five_," Kurt studied Blaine's face for a moment, and Blaine had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the other boy's expression. Finally, Kurt sighed. "Okay, _fine_," he said.

"Would it make you feel more like an adult if we all held hands?" Nick teased, and Kurt held up a finger to stop the other boy as he reached to grab Kurt's hand. Everyone laughed, and Blaine saw the corners of Kurt's mouth twitch upward.

"Alright," Blaine said as their teacher informed them of the time when they would reconvene near the entrance and return to Dalton, "where first? Kurt?"

Kurt sighed. "Let's go find those koalas."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Eventually, as the boys' individual interests and varying excitement levels got the better of them, Kurt and Blaine found themselves wandering the zoo alone. It was a sunny weekday in late winter, so there weren't many people around.

"Hey, Kurt..." Blaine asked suddenly, his face serious, "...what happened to your mom?"

The question caught Kurt off guard. He sighed, knowing that he probably should have told Blaine the story already; Blaine knew that his mother had died, but Kurt had not been forthcoming with the details. He found that he could talk about it without crying most of the time now, and he didn't really mind people asking, but he had resisted telling the story because it always made people sad. He hadn't wanted to bring it up.

"No," Blaine backtracked, misunderstanding Kurt's momentary silence, "I'm sorry. Never mind."

"It's okay," Kurt reassured. "She died in a car accident when I was eight."

It was not new information for the other boy. "I'm really sorry," Blaine said.

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "She was perfect. Well, in my mind, anyway." He stuffed his hand into his jacket pocket and retrieved his wallet. "Want to see a picture of her?" he asked.

Blaine nodded, so Kurt pulled out the small photograph he had carried in his wallet since the week after his mother had died. He had been too young to really need a wallet then, but he had discovered Burt's wallet with a photo of his mother in it the day after the funeral. He had cried about it for an entire afternoon, feeling like he should have some way to carry around a photograph too. Burt had taken him out that weekend to buy a wallet of his own, and had spent countless hours helping Kurt cut out and color pretend IDs, credit cards, and business cards to fill the empty slots.

"Her name was Elizabeth," Kurt said as he handed the small photo to Blaine.

It was actually a photograph of Elizabeth and Kurt together. They were both dressed very well, and Elizabeth was crouched behind Kurt with her chin on his shoulder so that their faces were at the same height. Her arms were snug around Kurt's waist. They were both smiling widely.

"We didn't know it at the time, of course," Kurt said sadly, watching Blaine as he studied the image, "but that was the last photograph of her. About two weeks before the accident. That's exactly how I remember her."

They had stopped wandering around the zoo, choosing instead to sit down on a bench beside the path.

Blaine looked at Kurt, and then back at the photograph. "She was beautiful," he said with a smile. "You look like her."

"Thanks," Kurt blushed slightly at the secondhand compliment.

"She was coming home from the grocery store," Kurt continued, assuming that Blaine wanted to hear the details of the accident. "And some guy ran a red light. He hadn't been drinking or anything; he just wasn't concentrating. He slammed into the driver's side door. It's possible she didn't even know it happened."

"Kurt," Blaine said, reaching out to hold his hand. "I'm so sorry."

Kurt nodded, "The guy in the other car broke one of his legs, and he was bruised and scraped, but he survived." Kurt lowered his head. "I think he moved away a few years later. He couldn't handle being in the area, I guess."

"What was she like?" Blaine asked, and Kurt was grateful for the opportunity to shift the conversation away from the moment of her death. Blaine released Kurt's hand so Kurt could slide the small photograph back into its place in his wallet.

"She was so... bright," Kurt remembered fondly. "She and I used to do everything together. She worked part-time at a small shop in town, but only while I was at school. She wanted to be there for everything." Kurt suddenly felt tears in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away.

"Thanks for telling me about her," Blaine said, rubbing Kurt's arm for a moment while Kurt collected himself. After a moment, Blaine stood up. "Want to keep going?"

Kurt nodded. "Contrary to what this," he motioned to the tears in his eyes, "might suggest, I really do like talking about her. It makes me feel like a little piece of her is still here."

Blaine smiled. "And, in some ways, she is. Because there's you."

Kurt had never thought of it that way before. He adjusted his scarf for a moment, unable to speak. "Thank you for saying that," he said quietly after the moment of silence.

Blaine smiled at him, and Kurt wondered what his mother would have thought of the trim young man.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Okay, okay," Kurt giggled as he and Blaine returned to the Hummel-Hudson house with coffee the following day. "Maybe it was a little bit fun."

"I thought so," Blaine winked.

"Not quite an 'I told you so'," Kurt assessed Blaine's tone, "but yes, you were right. The zoo was better than I expected. I especially liked the underwater area... all the joys of being in the ocean without the fear of skin cancer or sharks."

Blaine laughed.

"Hey dudes," Finn greeted them. "Wanna play?" He motioned at the video game he was playing on the family's large television.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, who hesitated for a moment. He loved the game Finn was playing, but he knew Kurt didn't want to play.

"Oh god," Kurt groaned, "the hesitation means you want to."

"No!" Blaine tried to argue. "It's fine, Kurt."

Kurt rolled his eyes and reached out to take Blaine's coffee out of his hand. "Yes," he said, "it _is_ fine. Just play with him." He walked over and placed Blaine's drink on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Hi boys," Carole came into the room as Blaine settled down on the couch to join Finn's game. "Kurt, can I steal you away for a minute for some fashion advice?"

Kurt, who had perched himself on the edge of the couch, jumped up. "Be right back!" He said happily, and he skipped out of the room after Carole.

As Finn restarted the game to set it up for two players, Blaine realized that it was the first time they'd ever been alone together. He smiled at the tall young man.

"Thanks for letting me join in," he said.

"Oh, it's no problem, man," Finn said offhandedly. "You're, like, Kurt's best friend or something. And you're super laid back, which is refreshing."

Blaine smiled contentedly at Finn's assessment.

The game was a racing game. As they started, the conversation faded in favor of comfortable silence and the occasional groan of defeat or cry of celebration.

"So..." Kurt sang happily as he returned to the living room, "who's winning?"

"Dude, this guy is killing it!" Finn said dejectedly.

"Want to join in?" Blaine asked Kurt.

"I think I'll pass," Kurt said. He stepped over Finn's legs, which were propped on the coffee table, and squeezed in between the two boys with a laugh. "But I will happily sit and watch you dominate Finn."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In the first bit they were supposed to be at the Columbus Zoo... it's well-known as a really quality zoo, so I thought maybe it would be a fun field trip for the boys to take with their biology class (it's only about 25 minutes from Westerville). Hey, even teachers like to get out and do things, right? Just go with it. ;)<strong>_

_**Blaine is always asking somewhat inappropriate questions and saying somewhat inappropriate things... I think it's because he's so open and eager about everything (well, mostly everything. He hasn't been particularly forthcoming with details of his former school or his family at this point). He just says what he's thinking. So, of course he would ask about Kurt's mom. And anyway, I think they're close enough at this point that it's an appropriate thing for him to ask. I made up all the details except that she died when Kurt was eight years old (we learn that in 'Grilled Cheesus', I believe). So who knows, maybe Glee will discuss it more in the future and all of this will be completely wrong. But for now, this can be Kurt's mother's story.**_

_**Up next... Blame It On The Alcohol!**_


	9. 2x14: Blame It On The Alcohol

_**Here it is... 'Blame It On The Alcohol'! (Which I often accidentally type as 'Blaine It On The Alcohol'... is it sad that my muscle memory wants to type 'Blaine'? Don't answer that.)**_

_**For once, I think I'm just going to say nothing about it and let you carry on and just read it! I hope you like it! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Welcome," Blaine heard Rachel's voice as he followed Kurt down the stairs into Rachel's basement, "Kurt, Blaine... wasn't expecting you guys."

Blaine stifled a smile as he recalled Kurt's phone conversation with Finn the day before. Blaine had only heard Kurt's side of the conversation, but it had been quite a spectacular show.

"Kurt's been blackmailing me ever since he saw my browser history," Finn admitted quietly, "He kind of insisted on coming."

"I'm totally off the clock right now, Rachel," Blaine attempted to reassure their host, "I'm not a Warbler – I'm just Blaine. I'm not even wearing my uniform."

As Kurt asked about the function of the large room and Rachel took their jackets, Blaine took a moment to silently berate himself. He had intended for his final point to be a reinforcement to the idea of him being "just Blaine", but as soon as the sentence had escaped from his lips he wished he could take it back. Of course he wasn't wearing his uniform to a party.

He looked around the large room, and his eyes fell on a small raised platform near one of the walls.

"Is that a stage?" He asked incredulously.

"I like to give impromptu performances for our neighbors sometimes," Rachel said proudly.

Rachel turned to speak to Quinn for a moment, and Kurt leaned over to whisper in Blaine's ear. "She'll be singing on that stage before the night is over. If there's one thing Rachel Berry cannot resist, it's an audience."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Can we suggest songs?" he smirked.

"I wouldn't," Kurt said, wringing his hands for a moment, "Don't encourage her."

"Okay, let's go over the rules," Rachel said, turning her attention back to Kurt and Blaine, "Everybody gets two drink tickets to keep things from getting out of hand. We are serving wine coolers today; that is our specialty drink." She looked uncertain. "It's actually all we have."

Blaine and Kurt took their drink tickets and walked over to stand near the room's bar. Blaine slipped the drink tickets into his pocket.

"I can't believe this room," Blaine laughed, gesturing with his arms. "All this for a once-a-year party?"

"A _fabulous_ once-a-year party," Kurt amended.

Blaine shook his head.

"The real question," Kurt said critically, "is what possessed Rachel to wear... that. What is she trying to do, avoid the arduous task of changing into pajamas later?"

Blaine felt terrible for laughing, but he couldn't stop himself. He pulled himself together as Puck approached.

"Breaking into the liquor cabinet," Puck answered their unspoken question as he knelt down to examine the lock. "Nobody's going to have a good time drinking that stuff." He motioned behind him at the small box of wine coolers.

"I like wine coolers," Blaine shrugged.

"Yeah," Puck retorted, "if you're having a tea party."

"Oh god," Kurt mumbled, pulling Blaine away from Puck and his lock-picking skills, "Let's just pretend we're not witnessing this."

"Come on, it'll be fun," Blaine said lightly. "We're in a safe environment, and Finn's our designated driver, so why not?"

"Maybe because it's illegal?" Kurt suggested, matching Blaine's light tone.

They were interrupted by Puck's cry of triumph as he managed to open the lock to the Berry family liquor cabinet. A few minutes later, Puck had gathered everything necessary for consuming the alcoholic beverages, and he lined it all up on the bar.

"Alright," Puck said, sweeping his arms out to indicate the drinks. "This is a party."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt watched as Puck lined up some shot glasses on the counter and poured some kind of clear liquor. "Come and get it," Puck smirked at the group.

Kurt rolled his eyes as the drinking began. Blaine stepped up to the bar, picked up two shots, and turned back to Kurt.

"Want one?" He asked with a smile, offering one of the small glasses to Kurt.

"No," Kurt said casually, "I'm gonna start with something else. You go ahead, though." He nodded encouragingly.

Blaine smiled and took the first shot. Before he could drink the second, Santana stepped over and snatched it out of his hand.

"No sir," she said seductively, "if you want two in a row you have to pay."

Kurt's jaw would have hit the floor if it wasn't attached to the rest of his skull. "Santana!" He scolded.

Blaine laughed, and Kurt wondered if it was possible to be drunk five seconds after ingesting your first shot. "I didn't bring any money," Blaine teased.

"I can't believe this is happening," Kurt groaned.

"Yeah," Santana scrutinized Blaine's appearance, "probably because you spent it all on that gel in your–" she stopped abruptly, and Kurt shook his head quickly at the look in her eyes.

"Santana, I–" he started to object, but she turned on him.

"I'm not asking for your permission, sweetie," she snapped, "Last time I checked, you don't own this pretty boy."

Kurt had to sit down. He took a few steps back and sank into a chair. The drinking had hardly begun, and he already felt like things were out of control.

"Your payment," Santana turned back to Blaine, "will be taken right over here..." she grabbed Blaine's arm and dragged him behind the bar.

"Hey," Brittany walked behind the bar to join them. She reached out and brushed a stray bit of hair out of Santana's face. "What's going on?"

"I'm washing the grease out of Mr. Warbler's hair," Santana said, pushing Blaine against the counter with one hand as she turned on the sink with the other.

"Santana, don't be mean!" Brittany said in a loud whisper. "Maybe he just can't afford shampoo or something... you're going to make him feel bad!"

Santana opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it again.

"It's alright, Brittany," Blaine said with a smile. The blonde girl nodded, still skeptical, and walked away.

"Alright, let's do this," Santana said. She waved the full shot glass in Blaine's face with one hand and gestured to the sink with the other.

Blaine turned to face the sink, and Kurt met his eyes momentarily. Blaine winked, and then his head disappeared from view as he leaned over to put his head under the running water.

"I can't watch this," Kurt groaned. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you okay man?" Puck's voice asked. "You haven't passed out already, have you?"

"No, _Puck_," Kurt snapped. "I'm pretending all of this isn't happening, and you're not helping."

"Just checking," Puck's voice was indifferent, and when Kurt opened his eyes again, Puck had moved to sit beside Lauren on the other side of the room.

He glanced back in Blaine's direction just in time to watch Santana hand him the second shot so he could drink it while she finished drying off his hair with a hand towel. Kurt was distracted from his anxiety for a moment by the state of Blaine's hair. Free of the gel, it was curly and thick.

"Hey!" Blaine said as he swiped a red cup containing an unknown beverage from the bar and walked over to where Kurt was sitting.

"I like the hair," Kurt couldn't help but admit. Blaine smiled and used his free hand to mess up his hair even more.

"Yeah?" He asked.

Kurt nodded.

Someone turned the music up, and Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand, pulling him up. "Come on," he said, dragging Kurt over to where the members of New Directions were already dancing.

Kurt sighed, but allowed himself to relax a little. It was clear from the amount of alcohol being passed around that most of his friends probably wouldn't have clear memories of this night in the morning, so maybe he could dance a little.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Later that evening, Kurt spotted Finn looking critically at some of his stumbling classmates. He danced over to his step-brother.

"Are you not drinking?" He asked, mentally noting Blaine's location behind them.

"No," Finn reminded him, "Designated driver. What about you?"

"I'm still trying to impress Blaine," Kurt admitted, "Can't get too sloppy."

Kurt and Finn turned to look at Blaine, and Kurt wasn't sure how to feel as the other boy danced wildly. "Clearly he doesn't have the same concern," he said unnecessarily.

As if he could tell that they were talking about him, Blaine came over and threw an arm around Finn's shoulders.

"Hey, it is so cool that you and Kurt are brothers," he said, and Finn laughed, "Right? Like, brothers! Wow! So... tall..."

Kurt leaned forward to make eye contact with the intoxicated young man. He felt affection for the other boy as he realized that, even if he wasn't impressed by anything Kurt was or was not doing, Blaine was enjoying himself. "You having fun, Blaine?"

"Yeah!" Blaine said, as if it was the most obvious answer of all time. "This is the best party ever!"

Some of the other people in the room cheered at his assessment, and Kurt walked over to stand next to him. Blaine threw his arm around Kurt's shoulders, and he tripped as they stepped down off the stage.

"Want to sit down for a minute?" Kurt suggested.

"Sure!" Blaine agreed.

Kurt let them over to the stairs, and they sat down on the bottom step.

"Where's your drink?" Blaine asked, motioning at Kurt's empty hands.

"Oh, I just finished one. Pacing myself," Kurt lied. Blaine nodded seriously.

"You feeling okay?" Kurt asked, biting his lip.

"Oh, Kurt, don't worry so much," Blaine said pleasantly.

Suddenly, Rachel's voice interrupted everything else that was happening in the room.

"Let's play spin the bottle! Who wants to play spin the bottle?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Once the game of spin the bottle began, Kurt admitted to himself that, despite the stress in the back of his mind regarding the state of his relationship with Blaine, he was having a good time. It was nice to be among his old friends, even if they were acting crazy.

As Sam and Brittany finished a kiss and Kurt finished laughing at Santana's possessiveness, he suddenly realized that it was Rachel's turn.

"Whoo, party!" She said happily, "My turn!"

She started the bottle spinning. Kurt watched it spin around. He was not going to kiss Rachel Berry, no matter what a random bottle dictated, so he didn't really care where the bottle ended up.

His opinion changed immediately when the bottle pointed to Blaine.

"Ohhhh, this is outstanding!" Kurt cried, feeling desperate. He didn't want Blaine kissing anyone. Unless maybe that someone was him.

"Blaine Warbler," Rachel said playfully, pointing at Blaine, "I'm gonna rock your world."

Rachel and Blaine leaned forward into the middle of the circle for the kiss. They both laughed after the initial kiss, but then Kurt saw Blaine's face relax into a more serious expression. Blaine reached up to grab the side of Rachel's face, and the kiss was suddenly intense.

"Okay, I think we've had enough of that!" Kurt shouted, clapping his hands.

"Your face," Rachel teased as she and Blaine leaned back from the kiss, "tastes awesome."

Rachel grabbed the collar of Blaine's shirt and turned to shout at the group. "I think I just found a new duet partner!" Kurt felt an intense surge of jealousy and heartbreak as Blaine cheered in agreement. Rachel laughed drunkenly and leaned into Kurt for a moment. He laughed nervously and hoped that neither of the two would remember any of this in the morning.

Rachel used Kurt's shoulders to help her climb to her feet, and she grabbed Blaine, dragging him to the stage. Kurt didn't notice who put the music track on, but he recognized the song immediately. Part of him wanted to leave the room, but a small part of him couldn't look away. He moved to sit on the piano bench beside the stage to watch as Blaine began the song.

_You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar_

_When I met you_

_I picked you out_

_I shook you up_

_And turned you around_

_Turned you into someone new_

Kurt couldn't see Blaine's face, but he could see Rachel's. And he felt sick with envy at the look in her eyes.

_Don't_

_Don't you want me_

_You know I can't believe it_

_When I hear that you won't see me_

_Don't_

_Don't you want me_

_You know I don't believe it_

_When you say that you don't need me_

_It's much too late to find_

_You think you've changed your mind_

_You better change it back_

_Or we will both be sorry_

_Don't you want me baby_

_Don't you want me_

_Ohhhh_

_Don't you want me baby_

Kurt knew that his heartbreak was probably written all over his face, but he didn't care. He hated that they sounded great singing together. He hated the way Blaine was looking at Rachel. He hated Rachel. He loved Blaine.

_Don't you want me_

_Ohhhh_

_I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar_

_That much is true_

_But even then I knew I'd find a much better place_

Kurt had to look away for a moment as Rachel and Blaine danced together. He made eye contact with Finn briefly, and his step-brother attempted a sympathetic smile. It just made Kurt feel worse.

_Either with or without you_

_Don't – Don't_

_Don't you want me – Don't you want me_

_You know I can't believe it_

_When I hear that you won't see me_

_It's much too late to find_

_You think you've changed your mind_

_You better change it back_

_Or we will both be sorry_

_Don't you want me baby_

_Don't you want me_

_Ohhhh_

_Don't you want me baby_

Kurt could see the affection on Rachel's face as she looked at Blaine, and he wanted the floor to swallow him and let him die. True, he and Blaine had sung a flirty duet together at Christmas, but that was before Kurt had admitted his feelings for the dark-haired young man. He had hoped that Blaine would take some time and realize that he had similar feelings for Kurt. But, even in this uninhibited state, Blaine was choosing to flirt with a girl over him.

_Don't you want me_

_Ohhhh_

_Don't you want me baby_

As soon as the song ended, Kurt jumped up and rushed over to Finn.

"We need to leave," he said sternly as he glanced back at Blaine and Rachel. Blaine was laughing, and Rachel reached up to run her hand through his hair. Kurt jumped up and hurried over to the pair on the stage.

"We're leaving," he said to Blaine.

"Awww, Kurt..." Blaine whined, but Kurt gave him the sternest face he could mange and Blaine gave in.

Rachel tugged on Kurt's sleeve. "You guys can stay the night if you want."

"No!" Kurt cried, "We're going, bye!" He dragged Blaine off the stage and past Finn on the way to the stairs.

Blaine chattered excitedly as the three boys climbed into Finn's truck and started the drive home, but after a few minutes his words started to slur more and more severely.

"Sleepy?" Kurt asked sharply, still upset.

"Yeah," Blaine said quietly. After a moment of silence, Blaine leaned over and rested his head gently on Kurt's shoulder.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked, clearly almost asleep.

"Yes?" Kurt acknowledged him.

"You're the best ever," Blaine said sweetly.

Finn couldn't hold back a quiet laugh at the sincerity in Blaine's voice, and Kurt turned to glare at him before he reached out and took one of Blaine's hands in his. He felt Blaine relax at his touch, and he could feel the jealousy and anger from the party melting away as he realized that Blaine would be back to his normal self in the morning.

Blaine was soundly asleep by the time they arrived home, and Kurt and Finn exchanged an uncertain glance.

"You're going to have to carry him," Kurt said after a moment.

"Dude, no!" Finn protested loudly.

"Shhhhhh!" Kurt hissed.

"I am _not_ carrying him," Finn whispered with finality.

"He's _unconscious_," Kurt scolded.

"He's sleeping," Finn argued. "There's a difference."

"Finn," Kurt said seriously, "you _are_ going to carry him to my room, and you're going to do it right now."

"You are not the boss of me dude," Finn hissed, but he stuffed his keys into his pocket and got out of the car to walk around to the passenger's side door.

Blaine stirred as Finn opened the door next to him, but he didn't wake up. Kurt glared at Finn over the top of Blaine's head.

"No," Finn said.

"Browser history," Kurt said gravely.

Finn threw his hands in the air, and Kurt knew he had won the argument. He gently unbuckled Blaine's seatbelt and sat him up to make it easier for Finn to pick him up.

Kurt's heart pounded as they made their way into the house and up the stairs. He breathed a small sigh of relief when they made it to his bedroom and closed the door behind them.

When Blaine was safely settled on Kurt's bed, Finn turned around and looked at Kurt.

"I don't even care about my browser history," he said, "If you tell anyone about this, I am going to secretly replace all of your face cream stuff with... something disgusting."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Finn."

Finn left the room without another word.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, who was sprawled out on the bed, fully clothed. Kurt felt his heart clench at the sight of Blaine's peaceful expression. He moved over to the bed and managed to remove Blaine's shoes without waking him up. He frowned as he tried to decide how to get Blaine's head on a pillow and the rest of him under the blankets.

He pulled the blankets back on one side of the bed.

"Blaine?" he asked quietly, "Blaine, wake up. Blaine!" He raised his voice as much as he dared, and Blaine stirred. His eyes fluttered open, but he was still half asleep.

"Scoot over here," Kurt said gently, reaching out to pull Blaine in the right direction. Blaine obeyed, and as soon as he was situated properly on the bed, he took a deep breath and fell back asleep. Kurt drew the blankets up to his chin and stepped back with a long sigh. Blaine looked so innocent. Kurt's heart fluttered.

Kurt gathered his skincare routine and his pajamas and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he came back into his room, he saw that Blaine had rolled onto his side and was still sleeping peacefully. Kurt hesitated for a moment, but he knew that he wasn't going to disturb Blaine as long as he moved quietly. He climbed onto the bed as far away from Blaine as possible. He didn't get under the blankets.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt got up early the next morning. He hadn't slept much anyway. So, as soon as heard someone moving around downstairs, he jumped out of bed. He was sitting at his vanity working on his morning skincare routine when he heard his father's voice calling to him from downstairs.

"Hey Kurt! Come give me a hand with these eggs!"

Kurt grimaced, glancing at Blaine's sleeping figure. He hoped shouting back to his father wasn't going to wake up the sleeping boy. "I'll be down in a minute!" He called.

"What the hell is a shirred egg? Is that the same thing as a scrambled egg?" Kurt could hear his father's voice getting louder, and he knew Burt was coming to get him. He leaped up, threw a pillow over Blaine's head, and practically dove back to his seat at the vanity as his father opened the door.

"Hey, what's this?" Burt said, surprised. "Today was the day you were going to teach me all about brunch."

"I'll be down in a sec," Kurt said innocently, leaning over so he could see his father standing by the door with a cookbook in his hands.

Blaine chose that moment to wake up. He sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Ugh, where am I?"

"Oh, uhhh, I'm sorry. My bad." Kurt wasn't sure what to make of the look on his father's face as he quickly retreated.

As soon as Burt was out of sight, Kurt got up and hurried over to close the door. He turned back to Blaine, who had his face buried in the pillow.

"Good morning?" he asked quietly.

Blaine groaned in disagreement, but he rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes.

"Here's what we're going to do," Kurt said. "You're going to get up and wash your face or something, we're going to go and get a _large_ medium drip, and then we'll see if you're up to driving yourself home."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I didn't drink _that_ much," Blaine argued when Kurt brought up the party the following day at the Lima Bean.

"Are you kidding? You spent the entire night sucking Rachel Berry's face. That, sir, is what we call rock bottom." Kurt scolded.

Blaine's phone vibrated as Kurt finished his sentence, and Blaine opened it to see Rachel's name. "Oh my god," he mumbled, "speak of the devil."

"Two medium drips?" the barista confirmed as Blaine answered his phone. She set the drinks on the counter and departed.

"Hi Rachel, Kurt and I were just talking about you," Blaine said cheerfully as he and Kurt picked up their drinks.

"You're such a cutie pie with your blazer and your pants." Rachel said, "So, I have a question for you. I wanted to know..."

"Is she drunk?" Kurt asked. Blaine shushed him quickly so he could hear Rachel.

"...if you wanted to go out tomorrow?"

"Um, yeah." Blaine approved, feeling a bit of excited nervousness in his stomach at the idea.

"Five o'clock, details to be decided?" Rachel asked.

"Uh-huh," Blaine agreed.

"Great!" Rachel giggled.

"Alright, I'll see you then," Blaine confirmed, "Okay, bye."

As they sat down at their normal table, Blaine hung up the phone and looked up at Kurt. "Rachel just asked me out," he laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Oh, that's amazing," Kurt joined in on the laughter, feeling slightly embarrassed on Rachel's behalf, "She's got a girl crush on you."

Blaine got up to grab something for his coffee, and Kurt thought about Blaine's end of the phone conversation for a moment. "Wait a second, why'd you say yes?" he asked as Blaine returned to the table. "You can't lead her on!"

"Who says I'm leading her on?" Blaine said.

Kurt felt like he had been hit by an emotional truck. "You can't be serious," he said as Blaine sat down.

"When we kissed... it felt good!" Blaine shrugged.

"It felt good because you were _drunk_," Kurt said pointedly.

"What's the harm in going out on one crummy little date?" Blaine asked.

"You're _gay_, Blaine," Kurt leaned forward, trying to figure out what was going on in his friend's mind.

"I thought I was," Blaine admitted, "but I've never even had a boyfriend before. Isn't this the time you're supposed to figure stuff out?"

Kurt blinked rapidly. "I can't believe that I'm hearing this right now."

"Maybe I'm bi, I don't know," Blaine suggested.

"Bisexual is a term that gay guys in high school use when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change," Kurt snapped.

"Wait, wait, wait... why are you so angry?" Blaine's voice took on a more defensive tone.

"Because I look up to you!" Kurt admitted fervently. "I admire how proud you are of who you are. I know what it's like to be in the closet, and here you are about to tip-toe back in!"

"I'm really sorry if this hurts your feelings or your pride or whatever. But, however confusing it might be for you, it's actually a lot more confusing for me," Blaine said seriously, "You're 100% sure who you are. Fantastic! Well, maybe we all can't be so lucky."

Kurt felt anger and hurt building in his chest. "Yeah, I've had a lot of luck, Blaine," he retorted, "I was lucky to be chased out of high school by a bully who threatened to kill me."

"And why did he do that?" Blaine asked.

"Because he didn't like who I was," Kurt said contemptuously.

"Sort of exactly what you're saying to me right now, isn't it?" Blaine accused.

Kurt couldn't believe that this was happening.

"I am... searching, okay?" Blaine said emotionally, "I'm honestly just trying to figure out who I am. And for you, of all people, to get down on me for that? I didn't think that's who you were."

Kurt felt so much pain in his chest that he couldn't speak. He just stared at Blaine, wishing desperately that he had never blackmailed Finn into taking them along to Rachel's party.

Blaine stood up and picked up his coffee. "I'll see ya," he said, "I'd, uh, I'd say 'bye'... but I wouldn't want to make you angry." He turned and walked quickly to the door.

Kurt stared after him, feeling numb. After a few minutes of sitting at the table to make sure that Blaine was gone, he got up and went to his car. When he got home, he went straight to his room. He turned off his phone and did nothing but read fashion magazines and sleep until morning.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I can't believe you're doing this," Kurt said judgmentally.

"We have a connection," Rachel said superiorly. She looked around, and as Kurt reassured her that Blaine would be coming by any minute, he thought about the dark-haired young man.

Since their argument more than twenty-four hours before, they hadn't communicated. They had avoided each other at Warblers practice earlier in the afternoon.

Kurt missed him terribly.

"I just can't wait to lay one on him," Rachel's voice brought him back to the present.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Rachel," he said, feeling no need to censor himself, "I mean, I don't mean to be so cold, but I don't want you to get hurt either. There's no victory for me in this either way."

"Who cares about you, buddy?" Rachel said excitedly, "I may get a new boyfriend out of this who can keep up with me vocally and, in the future, give me vaguely Eurasian-looking children."

Kurt couldn't bring himself to come up with a clever comeback. Before either of them could think of anything else to say, Kurt caught sight of Blaine by the door.

"There he is," he said to Rachel, "Dreamy as ever."

"Okay, wish me luck," Rachel said. She jumped up, turned around, and hurried in Blaine's direction.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine couldn't help but think of Kurt as he stood in line at the Lima Bean. He was lost in his mind when a flash of red to his right caught his attention. He turned to see Rachel Berry walking in his direction.

"Hey Rachel, what's going on?" He said brightly, "What–"

Rachel interrupted him with a sudden kiss. Blaine was surprised, but he didn't push her away. As the kiss ended, Blaine had a moment of clarity unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

"Huh," he said. He felt a surge of self-confidence. "Yep," he voiced his realization, "I'm gay. 100% gay." He looked down at Rachel, "Thank you so much for clearing that up for me, Rachel."

He thought of Kurt. "Listen, save my space in line, will ya?" he asked Rachel, "I've gotta go hit the restroom."

He turned immediately and walked away in the direction of the shop's restrooms. But as soon as he was around the corner, out of Rachel's line of sight, he stopped and leaned against the wall. He pulled out his phone.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Blaine announced that he was definitely gay, Kurt felt a surge of relief. He watched happily as Blaine excused himself and walked away from Rachel before he jumped up and strolled over to the young woman.

"That was hard, wasn't it?" He asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

Rachel whirled around to face him. "Are you kidding?" Rachel said breathlessly, "That was amazing. I am speechless."

_She's officially gone crazy_, Kurt thought. He felt an urge to back up slightly. Rachel looked overjoyed. "I just had a relationship with a guy who turned out to be gay! That is songwriting gold!" she exclaimed. She stepped forward to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Okay, I have to go compose," she said ecstatically, "but thank you, thank you!"

She ran away, and Kurt considered the events of the past few days. He felt like maybe it had been a dream, but the pain that lingered in his chest from his argument with Blaine was definitely real.

His phone vibrated, and he was surprised to see Blaine's name. He glanced up in the direction of the restroom in confusion before he read the text message.

_I'm sorry. Can we talk? Where are you?_

Kurt felt weak as he saw the simple text apology. Instead of replying, he stepped out of the line and rushed around the corner toward the restroom. He nearly collided with Blaine, who was still in the hallway, leaning with his back against the wall.

Blaine clutched at his chest for a second, startled, but the smile on his face took Kurt's breath away.

"I'm sorry too," Kurt managed to gasp. He looked around, feeling lighter and lighter every second. "But let's not talk in the hallway to the restroom," he concluded. He looked at Blaine. "Coffee?"

Blaine nodded. They returned to the main area of the shop to order their drinks, and Kurt was happy to see that their regular table was free. As soon as they sat down, Blaine was talking.

"I'm so sorry for disappointing you, Kurt," he said. "I know I'm gay. I'm definitely gay."

Kurt sighed. "I was blindsided, it's true. But I'm sorry I freaked out."

"I shouldn't have used your situation at your old school against you," Blaine added. "I knew it was mean, even when I said it. I was upset."

"That makes two of us," Kurt said. "And really... you had a point. I shouldn't have just dismissed what you were feeling. Even if I was right all along." He winked.

"You know me so well," Blaine said playfully. But then his face turned serious again. "I really am sorry, Kurt."

"I really am sorry too," Kurt said. "I've missed you." He felt his face burning as he admitted the ache that had been in his chest since the argument.

Blaine smiled. "So we're okay?" The affection in Blaine's amber eyes made Kurt want to jump across the table and hug – or possibly kiss – him, but instead he nodded and returned the smile.

"We're perfect." He concluded.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Awww, so sappy at the end! I COULD NOT RESIST.<strong>_

_**So... was Finn carrying Blaine upstairs too much? :D I was thinking about the finale when Kurt quipped to Rachel that Finn would be good to have around if you need to move something heavy... and I couldn't resist!**_

_**We're closing in on 'Original Song'! Only one episode in-between... 'Sexy', which I will do my best to have up tomorrow!**_

_**Love to you all! (NEW GLEE IN ONE WEEK, YAY!)**_


	10. 2x15: Sexy

_**Here we are – one episode away from Original Song! At this point, I feel like Blaine is more in denial about how he feels about Kurt than anything. Not consciously, maybe, but the look on his face when Kurt tells him about watching porn... yeah. I think he's still trying to be the good friend rather than the boyfriend, but deep down I think he's definitely starting to develop feelings for Kurt.**_

_**There's actually not a huge amount of Klaine in this episode. There's quite a bit of Klaine-**_**related**_** stuff happening to Kurt and Blaine individually (Blaine going to see Burt at work – DID YOU LEARN NOTHING FROM THE GAP ATTACK, BLAINE? – and Kurt's subsequent sex chat with his father), but none of that stuff is actually Klaine interaction, so I'm not going to cover it here.**_

_**Thank you all a thousand times for your sweet reviews and your comments on Tumblr so far! Don't forget that you can suggest ideas if you have them... vague or specific, either way! Send me a PM here or a message on Tumblr (you can do an anonymous message on Tumblr if you're feeling shy!).**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Don't you think it's time for the Warblers to do a Joan Armatrading medley?" Kurt asked Blaine as they stood in line for their coffee in the Lima Bean.

"I'm not so sure people know who that is," Blaine rejected the idea with a smile.

Suddenly, a new voice behind them interrupted their conversation, "Well, well, if it isn't my sweet, sweet Porcelain."

Kurt was immediately suspicious. "Coach Sylvester. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just picking up some coffee," Sue answered, "I like my enemas pipin' hot."

Kurt saw Blaine's facial expression and knew that he would have some explaining to do later.

"Actually boys," Sue continued, "I heard that this was a Dalton Academy hangout and I come in a spirit of fellowship. As you no doubt have heard, I have taken over for the coach of Aural Intensity."

"We heard you pushed him down the stairs," Kurt said disapprovingly.

"Well, you can't prove that," Sue said vaguely. Kurt saw Blaine's face scrunch in confusion again.

"This is just sort of how she talks," Kurt tried to explain.

"So, I happen to have some top-secret intel," Sue said seriously. "Will Schuester has finally realized that his team's Achilles heel is their utter lack of sex appeal." She started pouring things into her drink, dumping the wrappers in too, and Kurt couldn't bring himself to look at Blaine. "New Directions are getting sexy. And the key to Regionals is out-sexing them," Sue declared, "And I suspect that the judges are scoring extra for it this year."

The whole conversation was confirming for Kurt that he did not miss this particular individual from his old school. Sue looked up from her drink. "So, Porcelain, quid pro quo. What do you have for me?"

"I'm sorry coach, but you and I are not in cahoots," Kurt informed her.

"Probably should have nailed that down before I gave you my top-secret intel," Sue realized. "Porcelain," she said, putting a lid on her coffee cup, "you just made a powerful enema."

She walked away, and Kurt decided that she was even crazier than he remembered.

He was trying to think of how to explain Sue to Blaine when the other boy spoke up. "We've got to hold an emergency meeting."

"Why?" Kurt asked, surprised that Blaine's first words hadn't been an immediate inquiry into Sue's behavior.

"Weren't you listening?" Blaine said, "The judges at Regionals have an eye out for something new. Which means... the Warblers gotta do something sexified."

Kurt shook his head. "Blaine, weren't _you_ listening? She's _insane_."

"Yeah, did she say 'enema'...?" Blaine remembered with a frown.

"Let me explain something about Sue Sylvester," Kurt said as they found a table, "She is always plotting against you. I don't even know _what_ that was."

Blaine nodded. "But it couldn't hurt, right?" he said thoughtfully.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Think about it!" Blaine said. "I mean, if New Directions is working on their sex appeal, it would only be prudent for us to do the same."

Kurt could see that Blaine was already plotting, so he gave in. "Okay, fine," he grumbled. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"We've got to find some way to get objective feedback," Blaine mused.

"So you mean find a bunch of girls and ask them if we're sexy?" Kurt joked.

"Perfect!" Blaine said eagerly, and Kurt gave him a judgmental look. "I think Jeff has a sister at Crawford Country Day..."

"Are you just looking for an excuse to flirt with some girls again?" Kurt teased. Blaine winked at him.

"Okay," Kurt said after a moment of silence, "so we get a bunch of girls and they watch us perform to evaluate our sex appeal. No problem! Now we've just got the little details... like where we could do such a thing and what song we should sing."

"That's what the emergency meeting is for," Blaine said cheerfully. He pulled out his phone to send a mass text message. "Let's go," he suggested as he sent the message, "maybe everyone will be available this afternoon to figure it out."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Let's do _Do Ya Think I'm Sexy_," someone suggested.

"Too obvious," Kurt said. "Can we please be a _little_ more creative?"

The room was noisy with side conversations as the Warblers tried to think of a song to demonstrate their sex appeal for the girls of Crawford Country Day.

"Where are we doing this, anyway?" David asked Blaine. "The mall?"

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I have an idea," Jeff spoke up, "There's a warehouse over near the Crawford Country Day campus. It's been empty for years. It's pretty awesome."

"We can't just go breaking into rundown buildings," Kurt scolded.

"We don't have to," Jeff said, "That's the best part. The construction company my dad works for owns it. It's pretty much empty, except for some scaffolding. I'll just tell him we're going to do a group photoshoot or something, and he'll give us permission. I've done all kinds of crazy stuff in there before."

Everyone turned to look at him, but he just shrugged noncommittally.

"Why does this not surprise me," Blaine heard Kurt mumble. He laughed. "Okay, then." Blaine grinned at Kurt, "The warehouse it is."

Kurt shook his head, but he looked amused.

"And the song?" Wes reminded them.

"What about _Animal_ by Neon Trees?" Blaine suggested.

Kurt nodded cautiously. "I suppose that would be appropriate."

"You two should make it a duet," Nick said, motioning at Kurt and Blaine.

"What?" Kurt said suspiciously, "Why?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. It would sound better?"

"You two came up with the idea," Jeff encouraged.

Kurt turned to look at the three members of the council, so Blaine looked at them too.

"I don't see why not," Wes said. "Any objections?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Blaine stepped forward to explain the Warblers' forthcoming performance to the girls of Crawford Country Day, and Kurt watched a few of the girls nudge each other excitedly.

"Subtle," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I would like to welcome the ladies of our sister school, Crawford Country Day," Blaine said, acknowledging the line of girls in front of him, "As you know, the Warblers are competing in our show choir's Regionals competition next week."

The girls nodded. Kurt wondered if any of them were in their school's glee club. He didn't know any of them; the only one who had been pointed out to him was Jeff's sister, who was easily recognizable as the only girl with blonde hair.

"So," Blaine explained, "what we're going for here today, ladies, is something a little... a little sexy. But we need your input. Are we scream-worthy? Do we make your knees turn to jelly?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. Blaine was enjoying this.

"So, without further ado, hang on to your bobby socks girls, 'cause we're about to rock your world." Blaine finished.

The girls giggled as the Warblers started the song, and Kurt wondered if the Dalton administration would be upset if someone got hurt falling off the scaffolding during this unsanctioned number.

_Here we are again_

_I feel the chemicals kicking in_

_It's getting heavy and I want to run and hide_

_I want to run and hide_

Kurt was excited about the chance to duet with Blaine with the Warblers for the first time, and he decided to go all out. This was a trial-run for Regionals, and the girls had promised to be honest, so he needed to hold nothing back.

_I do it every time_

_You're killing me now_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

_And I won't be denied by you_

_The animal inside of you_

Blaine was confused as he watched Kurt perform the song. Kurt was singing well, but his face was... off. Blaine shrugged, sure that if someone was wrong, Kurt would say something.

_Oh, oh, I want some more_

_Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?_

_Take a bite of my heart tonight_

_Oh, oh, I want some more_

_Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?_

Blaine winked at the girls, and took not-so-secret pleasure in watching them react. The girls were definitely enjoying the performance.

_What are you waiting for?_

_Say goodbye to my heart tonight_

_Hush, hush, the world is quiet_

_Hush, hush, we both can't fight it_

_It's us that made this mess_

_Why can't you understand?_

_Woah, I won't sleep tonight_

The other Warblers had gathered the young women, and were ready under the foam machine. Blaine flipped the switch, and suddenly there were bubbles everywhere.

_Oh, oh, I want some more_

_Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?_

_Take a bite of my heart tonight_

Blaine chased playfully after Kurt as they jumped down the various levels of the scaffolding to the ground to join the others in the mess of bubbles and inflatable balls that they had brought along.

_Oh, oh, I want some more_

_Oh, oh, what are you waiting for?_

_What are you waiting for?_

_What are you waiting_

_Here we go again, oh, oh_

_Here we go again, oh, oh_

_Say goodbye to my heart tonight_

Everyone cheered as the song ended and the bubbles started to settle. Blaine grabbed the stack of towels they had brought along and started handing them out.

When everyone was dried off, the girls started to leave a few at a time. Two of the young women came up to Blaine before they departed.

"Call us." One of them suggested as they both offered their phone numbers.

Blaine smiled. "Sweet, but... not on your team," he tried to let them down gently. He felt flattered as he saw how disappointed they looked.

Feeling a little smug, he noticed Kurt sitting on the scaffolding, fixing his hair. He walked over.

"Are you okay?" he asked Kurt, "You kept making those weird faces the whole song."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Those weren't weird faces," Kurt corrected, "Those were my sexy faces."

Blaine looked unconvinced. "It just looked like you were having gas pains or something," he admitted.

Kurt felt a rush of embarrassment and frustration. "Great," he said, "How are we supposed to get up on the stage at Regionals and sell sexy to the judges when I have as much sexual appeal and knowledge as a baby penguin?"

"We'll figure something out," Blaine said, and Kurt tried to convince himself that the other boy's suggestive tone was unintentional. He swallowed nervously.

"You know, nobody gets good at anything without some practice," Blaine pondered kindly, completely unaware that he had just placed a thousand fantasy scenarios in Kurt's mind. "We're still on for studying at your house tonight, right? We can work on it then."

Kurt could only nod in agreement.

"Great," Blaine smiled. He turned to look behind him at the mess of bubbles on the ground. "Now, let's grab the others and clean this up."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"So," Blaine said happily as they entered Kurt's room, "let's see if we can work on those sexy faces."

_I would rather die_, Kurt thought. "Sure," he agreed, "I'll be seducing those judges in no time."

Blaine put his coat and scarf down, and moved over to sit on a bench in front of the mirror. "Come over here," he said, patting the bench beside him.

Kurt sat down. Their shoulders were touching. Kurt took a deep breath. He felt like the air was thicker than normal.

"Okay," Blaine said. "Let's practice. Try... seductive," he gestured at the mirror.

"Oh god," Kurt groaned. He closed his eyes for a moment before obliging and trying not to look at Blaine's reflection as he attempted a seductive expression.

"Don't think so much," Blaine said, "Just... feel the emotion you're trying to convey and let it show on your face."

"This is so easy for you, isn't it?" Kurt rolled his eyes.

"And hitting a high F is easy for you," Blaine scolded gently.

"Yeah, well, you can have the high F," Kurt said, frustrated. He paused for a moment. "No, actually, I need the high F. You know what I mean!" He couldn't look at Blaine in the mirror.

"I know," Blaine said sincerely. "Alright, so give me... sensual. But don't make fun of it! Like, really try," Blaine encouraged.

Kurt attempted a sensual face, but all he could think about was how close he was sitting to Blaine.

"Okay," Blaine said gently, "Now give me... sultry."

Kurt humored the other boy.

Blaine tried to stifle a laugh, and was only partially successful. "Uh, Kurt, they're all sort of looking the same," he admitted.

"That's because the face I'm actually doing is 'uncomfortable'," Kurt said pointedly. He got up and walked across the room. "This is pointless, Blaine. I don't know how to be sexy because I don't know the first thing about sex."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Kurt, you're blushing!" Blaine was amused by Kurt's reaction to the topic.

"I've tried watching _those_ movies," Kurt admitted, and Blaine felt unhinged as he thought about Kurt watching porn, "but I just get horribly depressed and I think about how they were all kids once and they all have mothers. And god, what would their mothers think? And why would you get that tattoo there?"

Blaine knew that Kurt probably hadn't had any kind of sexual education at McKinley, and there were no sex-ed classes at Dalton. "Well, maybe we should have a conversation about it," he suggested, "I'll tell you what I know."

Kurt was shaking his head before Blaine was finished speaking. "No, I don't want to know the graphic details," he said nervously. "I like romance. That's why I like Broadway musicals. Because the touch of the fingertips is as sexy as it gets."

"Kurt, you're gonna have to learn about it someday," Blaine admonished gently.

"Well, not today. I think I've learned quite enough for today, thank you. I think you should leave."

Blaine knew not to take it personally. Clearly, Kurt was uneasy with the entire topic. He stood up and moved to the door.

"Thanks for all your help with the number today," Blaine said gently, and he closed the bedroom door behind him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Where did they get that bubble machine for 'Animal'? I couldn't even touch that.<strong>_

_**Blaine, those are clearly Kurt's sexy faces, okay? How did that shimmy not convince you? But, at the same time, somehow you manage to make the ridiculous things you say and do so adorable. I can't handle it.**_

_**But really, I think it's actually kind of a good thing in terms of Kurt and Blaine's relationship that Blaine does not censor himself. You want the one you're with to **_**actually **_**tell you if you're doing something ridiculous or that you look silly or whatever, right? Blaine can be blunt, but he means well and he almost always says his ridiculous things because he cares so much.**_

_**Up next... Original Song! I'm panicking about it a little bit, I'll admit. But I will do my very best to write it so that it lives up to your expectations! (It's going to be long, I can tell!)  
><strong>_


	11. 2x16: Original Song

_**Oh my gosh, you guys, today is the six-month anniversary of this episode! I did not plan this at all, but I love that I'm posting this episode today... happy six-month anniversary, Kurt and Blaine! XD**_

_**I think you all know what's going to happen in this episode. I hope you enjoy my little extras and insights into what Kurt and Blaine were thinking!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt sat at a table, rewriting the same line of his homework over and over, unable to focus but unwilling to just give up. Warbler practice was about to begin. He could tell that Nick, who was sitting beside him at the table, was equally restless.

Everyone turned as the double doors to the room opened and Blaine stepped in. He started the song they had been rehearsing without an introduction, throwing a bunch of papers into the air. Kurt rolled his eyes. For someone so reserved in his everyday life, Blaine was a little crazy when her performed.

_Oh yeah_

The rest of the Warblers immediately joined in with the background vocals, and Kurt sighed. Since the previous week's lesson in sex appeal, he had been especially irritable. Instead of making him feel energized, the flutter in his chest every time he looked at Blaine had started to annoy him a little. He knew that Blaine hadn't meant to make him feel insecure about his lack of sexual experience and knowledge, but that had been the result of the lesson. Kurt was having a crisis of confidence, and watching Blaine dance around singing yet another solo was not helping.

_Oh yeah  
><em>

_So scared of breaking it  
><em>

_That you won't let it bend  
><em>

_And I wrote two hundred letters  
><em>

_I will never send_

Blaine grabbed Kurt's arm, and Kurt managed to get a hand on his bag as Blaine pulled him up and into the hallway._  
><em>

_Sometimes these cuts are so much  
><em>

_Deeper then they seem  
><em>

_You'd rather cover up  
><em>

_I'd rather let them be_

Kurt skipped along with Blaine, feigning enthusiasm. But once Blaine turned away, he didn't care to keep up the charade. He sat down by the wall, unwilling to join in the dancing. He knew the choreography, and the other boys were never really practicing properly during an informal rehearsal like this one, anyway.

_So let me be  
><em>

_And I'll set you free  
><em>

_I am in misery  
><em>

_There ain't nobody  
><em>

_Who can comfort me_

_Oh yeah_

Blaine sat down beside Kurt and playfully leaned his head over onto Kurt's shoulder, and Kurt was reminded of Rachel Berry's party. He wished that he didn't care about Blaine so much, because it made the jealousy even worse._  
><em>

_Why won't you answer me?  
><em>

_Your silence is slowly killing me_

_Oh yeah  
><em>

_Girl you really got me bad  
><em>

_You really got me bad  
><em>

_Now I'm gonna get you back  
><em>

_I'm gonna get you back  
><em>

_You say your faith is shaken  
><em>

_And you may be mistaken_

Kurt decided to get up and attempt a little dancing, but he couldn't get into it. He settled for halfheartedly dancing in the crowd. He didn't even sing the whole time. He couldn't bring himself to care enough to exert himself for this casual practice._  
><em>

_You keep me wide awake and  
><em>

_Waiting for the sun  
><em>

_I'm desperate and confused  
><em>

_So far away from you  
><em>

_I'm getting there  
><em>

_Don't care where I have to go  
><em>

_Why do you do what you do to me, yeah_

Kurt admitted to himself that he was still impressed whenever he considered the Warblers' vocal talents, but even as the other boys danced and sang with enthusiasm, he didn't share their excitement. He faked it a little in an attempt to be a team player, but he could feel the homesickness for New Directions gnawing gently at his chest for the first time in recent weeks._  
><em>

_Why won't you answer me, answer me yeah  
><em>

_I am in misery  
><em>

_There ain't nobody  
><em>

_Who can comfort me_

_Oh yeah  
><em>

_Girl you really got me bad  
><em>

_You really got me bad  
><em>

_Now I'm gonna get you back  
><em>

_I'm gonna get you back_

"Hey Regionals," Blaine shouted as the song ended, "You've just met our opening number!"

The rest of the Warblers cheered, and Kurt pretended to be excited with them. He started to gather his things to leave, but Blaine approached, cheerful as ever.

"How did you manage to find a Burbury-esque canary cage cover?" Blaine asked with an affectionate smile.

"Canaries don't like cold weather," Kurt informed him, "Especially Pavarotti."

"So what'd you think of the song?" Blaine asked eagerly.

Kurt decided to try Blaine's approach of constant openness. "Can I be really honest with you?" he asked, "Because it comes from a place of caring."

Blaine nodded, and Kurt tried not to sound _too_ superior. "Been there, done that," he analyzed.

Blaine's face fell slightly, and Kurt decided to elaborate quickly before Blaine thought it was meant as an insult to his talent. "Look, you're amazing, Blaine. Your solos are breathtaking... they're also numerous."

He turned to walk away down the hall, and Blaine followed him. "Kurt, the council decides who gets the solos," Blaine reminded him, and Kurt rolled his eyes, grateful that his back was turned to the other boy.

"Do I detect a little jealousy?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, you detect a lot of jealousy," Kurt admitted, surprised at how calm he felt admitting it. He looked at the other boy and reminded himself that Blaine really was his friend. He didn't want to hurt the other boy's feelings, but he was at the end of his patience with the way things were going with the Warblers. "Look, Blaine," he tried to clarify, "sometimes I don't feel like we're the Warblers. I feel like we're Blaine and the Pips."

Blaine looked blindsided. Kurt felt a twinge of guilt for his choice of words, but it was the truth as he saw it. He smiled halfheartedly at the dark-haired boy, and walked away without another word.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt sat at his vanity, whistling happily. He had returned home the night before, despite the long drive, just to get away. He had hoped that a night in his bed at home would cheer him up. To his relief, it had. To an extent. He still wanted more opportunities to audition for a solo, but he didn't feel as much personal angst about Blaine.

He filed down one of his fingernails mindlessly, whistling back-and-forth with Pavarotti. After a few exchanges, the bird did not respond to one of Kurt's whistles, and he glanced over at the yellow bird.

He was lying at the bottom of the cage.

"Pavarotti?" Kurt tried to elicit a response from the bird. A sinking feeling settled into his chest.

The bird was completely still. Kurt jumped up and sat down on the edge of his bed to lean over and look into the cage. "Pavarotti?" he asked again.

Kurt felt tears in his eyes as he realized the bird was dead. He fell back onto his bed

The bird's sudden death pushed him over the emotional edge, and let himself cry out all of the stress and jealousy and hurt feelings of the past week. He felt strange crying about the death of a bird, but he couldn't stop. When the Warblers had first presented him with Pavarotti, he had been terribly resistant to being in charge of the little bird. But over time, he had learned that the warbler actually cheered him up when he was having a bad day. He had grown attached to his first pet, and he felt overwhelmed at his sudden death.

His phone vibrated, and he got up to walk over and grab it from its position on his vanity table. It was a text message from Blaine.

_Hope your night at home was relaxing! See you at Warbler practice this afternoon!_

Kurt didn't bother to respond. Instead, he tossed the phone onto his bed and walked over to his closet to find an appropriately mournful outfit for the occasion.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Warblers, Warblers! I am merely suggesting that instead of wearing blue ties with red piping, we wear jackets with red ties and blue piping for the competition," Blaine argued. The Warblers were unhappy with his opinion on changing their traditional look for the competition.

"This is a kangaroo court!" Trent shouted, and the others seemed to agree. Blaine, usually unaffected by the strong sense of tradition held by the Warblers, felt horribly frustrated at their lack of openness to any kind of change.

They were all mildly startled when the doors to the room creaked opened and Kurt strode into the room. He was dressed all in black. Blaine frowned. The uniform rules at Dalton were strict; Blaine hadn't seen Kurt in regular clothes on campus since the day they met.

Kurt's facial expression and body language, along with his dark clothing, made Blaine's heart clench with concern. "Kurt, what's wrong?" he asked. Everyone else in the room had fallen silent.

"It's Pavarotti. Pavarotti is dead," Kurt announced wearily. Blaine felt a rush of sadness. He felt sad for the little bird, but mostly for Kurt, who looked devastated. "I suspect a stroke," Kurt diagnosed.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Blaine consoled.

"I know it's really stupid to be upset about a bird," Kurt said, "but he inspired me with his optimism. And his love of song. He was my friend."

Blaine knew how much Kurt loved his friends. He felt a surge of pain for the other boy, and he wanted to rush over and hug him. But, knowing Kurt's hesitancy regarding physical contact and the fact that they were in a room full of people, Blaine chose to stay where he was.

"Now, I know today we need to practice doo-wopping behind Blaine while he sings every solo in the medley of Pink songs," Kurt said, a slight amount of bitterness in his voice, "but I'd like to sing a song for Pavarotti today."

Everyone could tell that it wasn't a question. Kurt provided a cassette tape. As the music began, Blaine sat down.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
><em>

_Take these broken wings and __learn to fly_

Kurt was standing near the open doors, hands clasped gently in front of him. The song was beautiful, and Blaine knew that Kurt had probably spent a significant amount of time thinking of a song that he wanted to sing to honor the little yellow bird. Blaine knew that it was appropriate to feel sad, but he couldn't figure out why there was a suddenly an intense tightness in his chest._  
><em>

_All your life  
><em>

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_

As Blaine listened to Kurt's voice, he thought about what Kurt had said to him after practice the previous day, and what he had alluded to before starting this performance. He felt an abrupt desire to sing backup for Kurt for once. His heart pounded as he added his voice to the music on the cassette. The other Warblers joined in as Kurt continued to sing._  
><em>

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night  
><em>

_Take these sunken eyes and learn to see  
><em>

_All your life  
><em>

_You were only waiting for this moment to be free  
><em>

_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly  
><em>

_Into the light of the dark black night_

Blaine's thoughts shifted from Kurt's sadness to Kurt as a person. He thought about the first time he had turned and seen Kurt's face on the staircase. As Kurt walked around the council table, dressed in his regular clothes as he had been that day, Blaine thought about how he had felt at that moment. Before he had known Kurt, before he had known the compassionate, moral young man who sang so emotionally in front of Blaine now, the first thing he had noticed about Kurt was his expressive blue eyes. His heart ached at the sadness in Kurt's eyes now.

Blaine blinked a few times and shifted on the couch. He and Kurt had become dear friends since that day. He loved having the other boy around. He loved the Kurt's dramatics, his voice, and his style. He loved their coffee dates._  
><em>

_Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly  
><em>

_Into the light of the dark black night_

Blaine thought his moment of clarity a few weeks prior regarding his sexuality had been intense, but it was nothing like this. He felt warmth spread through his entire body as he looked at Kurt and actually _saw_ him. He felt a flood of the most extreme affection he had ever experienced.

He had not ever allowed himself to consider it, but deep down he had known it all along.

He loved Kurt. Not just as a friend, but as something more._  
><em>

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise  
><em>

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise_

The song ended, and Blaine felt like he was seeing everything for the first time as he looked at Kurt from across the room.

"Thank you," Kurt said quietly, tears still in his eyes.

"Thank _you_, Kurt," Wes said kindly. "Warblers, we will reconvene tomorrow."

Blaine felt light, as if a weight he didn't know he had been carrying around had floated away with his denial about his feelings for Kurt. An immeasurable number of images flashed through his mind; some of the past, a few of the present, and many of potential futures involving Kurt. He closed his eyes for a moment, soaking in the deluge of emotion.

He felt the couch move slightly, and he opened his eyes to find Kurt sitting next to him. Blaine's heart fluttered wildly.

"Hey," he breathed.

"Hey," Kurt repeated sadly.

Blaine looked at every detail on Kurt's face, soaking it all in. He reached up and wiped the tears from Kurt's face, feeling his stomach flip as he did so. Kurt just looked devastated.

"I'm really sorry, Kurt," Blaine said softly.

"Me too," Kurt muttered.

Blaine scooted over so that he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the other boy, and he pulled Kurt into a gentle hug. He expected Kurt to resist, but Kurt surprised him by leaning completely into the embrace. Blaine heard him start to cry.

"It's okay, Kurt," he soothed. He felt tears in his own eyes – the result of the emotional overload he was feeling from his epiphany about Kurt – but he did not allow them to fall. He rubbed Kurt's back as he held the other boy for a moment and let him release his sorrow. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day, the Warblers' after-school meeting had only one purpose: to finalize their set list for Regionals. Kurt was trying hard not to fall asleep. He didn't have the energy to give any input. Mostly, he was preoccupied thinking about Pavarotti's death and feeling annoyed that some of his homesickness for McKinley had resurfaced. As he started paying attention again, the Warblers were talking about one of Blaine's potential numbers.

"You know, I think Blaine's version of the song is actually better than the original," Thad assessed.

"But it's not in his natural key, so–" David attempted to argue.

"How dare you?" Thad shot back. Kurt hoped that Blaine was enjoying this, because Kurt certainly wasn't.

As if Blaine could read his mind, the dark-haired young man spoke up, his tone sharp. "Enough!" he said, "I'm tired of this."

"I agree. I think we should just let you pick the song that you want to sing," Thad announced. Kurt could feel his mind beginning to wander again.

"No," Blaine corrected quickly, "I'm tired of the Warblers being all about me."

That woke Kurt up. He looked at Blaine, surprised, as the other boy continued.

"David, please make sure everything I'm about to say goes down in the official minutes," Blaine demanded. He leaned forward. "We are going to lose at Regionals."

The room erupted in disagreement. Kurt couldn't take his eyes off Blaine.

"I am incredibly grateful for the belief you've all given me as a junior member to lead you all in these wonderful songs this year," Blaine spoke above the others, "But, from what Kurt has told me about New Directions, I just know I can't beat them on my own."

Kurt was confused at his friend's sudden change of opinion. Suddenly, Blaine was directly reinforcing Kurt's point that he got most of the solos for their competitions, perhaps at the expense of the group's other strong singers.

"Which is why," Blaine continued, "I propose that we rearrange our eleven o'clock number... and turn it into a duet." As the other Warblers again voiced their disapproval, Blaine tried to elaborate. "To showcase other talent in this group!" he cried, clearly frustrated.

"Why don't we just play it on kazoos?" David scoffed, and Kurt rolled his eyes at the overly-dramatic comeback.

"Point of order! Point of order!" Blaine stood up to demand everyone's attention. The others quieted down and looked at him.

"Now, we all lost one of our own this week," Blaine said, "Pavarotti's voice was silenced by death and I don't want to silence anyone else's voices in this group. I think Pavarotti would roll over in his tiny, tiny little grave."

"The placement of which has yet to be determined," Kurt added quickly.

"Alright, a vote," Wes said, and Kurt thought he was probably trying to avoid any more outbursts. "Who's in favor of Warbler Blaine's proposal for a dual lead at Regionals?"

To Kurt's surprise, most of the boys in the room raised their hands. He shook his head at the discrepancy between their flair for overly-dramatic statements and their logical decisions.

"Oh, put my name on that audition list," He leaned forward to look at Wes.

"No," Blaine said sharply. "No auditions." Kurt looked up at him, confused. All of this was very strange.

"I want to sing the duet with Kurt," Blaine said firmly, looking down at him with kind eyes.

Kurt felt the atmosphere of the room change. Abruptly, the rest of the Warblers were silent and attentive. Kurt felt a rush of self-consciousness. "That's ridiculous," he scolded, "I mean, there're so many great voices." He felt flustered. "I mean, everyone deserves a shot at that honor."

"All in favor of Kurt being my duet partner at Regionals?" Blaine asked confidently.

Everyone in the room agreed. Kurt felt numb.

"Decided," Wes announced.

"Congratulations, Kurt," Thad confirmed, and some of the Warblers standing around him patted his back and arms approvingly while everyone applauded.

Kurt felt a surge of excitement as he considered the sudden change of events. He was going to sing a solo at Regionals. He looked at Blaine, who had masterminded the whole thing. Blaine looked happy, but Kurt saw another emotion in his eyes too. He wanted to ask Blaine about it, but by the time Kurt escaped the mass of boys who stopped by to congratulate him on their way out, Blaine was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As soon as Blaine caught sight of Kurt, sitting at a table working intently on something with his hands, his heart lurched into overdrive. He stopped for a moment to glance at himself in a mirror on the wall. His tie was straight. His hair was properly styled. He took a deep breath and continued down the hall and into the room with Kurt.

"What's that?" he tried to sound casual as he took in the mess on the table, but his voice shook.

"I'm decorating Pavarotti's casket," Kurt answered without looking up.

"Well, finish up," Blaine said, "I have the perfect song for our number and we should practice."

Kurt looked up. "Do tell," he encouraged. Blaine wasn't sure how he was going to be able to sing at all. Every time he looked at Kurt now, he felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. He wondered for a moment if Kurt had ever felt this strongly about him.

"_Candles_ by Hey Monday," he suggested.

Kurt looked surprised. "I'm impressed," he said pleasantly. "You're usually so Top 40."

"Well," he explained, hoping to gauge Kurt's feelings with a sliver of honesty, "I just wanted something a little more... emotional." He moved to sit in the chair beside Kurt, avoiding his eyes.

He could tell that Kurt was looking at him, and the silence was deafening. Blaine couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Why did you pick me to sing that song with?" Kurt asked suddenly. Blaine looked up to meet Kurt's curious eyes, and he knew that this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Kurt," he said, his hands shaking with nervous energy, "there is a moment when you say to yourself 'oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever'."

Kurt's expression changed. Where there had been only curiosity, now there was anticipation and a hint of nervousness on his face. Blaine shifted in his chair and reached up to place his hand over Kurt's on the table. It was the point of no return.

"Watching you do Blackbird this week," Blaine continued, "That was a moment for me. About you."

Kurt's eyelids fluttered, and Blaine felt encouraged. The look on Kurt's face told Blaine that he didn't need to doubt Kurt's feelings for him. They were still there. Blaine took a deep breath, and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"You move me, Kurt," he admitted. He hoped that the sentiment would convey everything that he felt.

"And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you," he answered Kurt's earlier question.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt couldn't decide if he wanted to smile or cry or explode, so he opted to just stare at the emotional boy sitting beside him. But for the first time, instead of butterflies in his stomach, he felt a wave of calm and clarity.

The feeling of calm was disrupted slightly as he saw Blaine's eyes flicker to his lips. Kurt's heart felt like it was going to stop completely as Blaine leaned forward to kiss him.

It was gentle and warm, and it felt perfect. Like the fairy tale version of a kiss that he had always imagined in his mind. He reached up to cup Blaine's face in his left hand, breathing in everything about the other boy. He had imagined so many times what it would be like to kiss Blaine, and he was delighted to taste a hint of coffee on Blaine's lips.

When Blaine pulled away, Kurt had to remind himself to breathe.

Blaine looked happier than Kurt had ever seen him, and it made his stomach clench as he realized that he had put that smile on Blaine's face.

Blaine rubbed his face. He looked like he was in shock. "We should... we should practice," he said halfheartedly.

Kurt felt a surge of desire for the other boy. "I thought we were," he quipped.

Blaine looked into his eyes, and it was like looking into a golden mirror. Blaine jumped off his chair to kiss Kurt again.

This time it was different. More physical.

Blaine grabbed the front of Kurt's sweater and pulled him to his feet, and Kurt secured a hand in Blaine's gelled hair to keep Blaine from pulling away. Kurt felt desperate, like he needed to kiss Blaine enough in this moment to make up for all the time he had wanted to kiss him but couldn't.

"Wait," Blaine gasped, releasing Kurt's shirt and pulling away a little. Kurt reluctantly released him, and Blaine tripped over the chair he had previously been sitting in on his way to the door. He reached out for the doorknob and slammed the door closed. A hysterical giggle escaped Kurt's lips, and he bend over slightly to lean on the table. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath.

Blaine took his tie all the way off as he strolled back over to Kurt. He tossed it on the table and walked around behind Kurt to kiss his neck below his ear. Kurt shivered happily and stood up, turning to face Blaine.

Blaine smiled broadly, "I'm sorry it took me so long."

"It was worth the wait," Kurt giggled. The other boy's lips were red and slightly swollen, and Kurt licked his own lips unconsciously.

"So," Kurt said playfully, "what does this mean?"

Blaine suddenly looked serious, and Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Kurt," Blaine said, reaching out to grab both of Kurt's hands, "There is nothing in the entire world that would make me happier than if you would agree to be my boyfriend."

Kurt's knees failed him. Fortunately, he managed to fall into his chair. Blaine laughed merrily as he stumbled forward, unable to catch himself because his hands were trapped in Kurt's. Blaine landed with his hands on Kurt's knees, and he leaned forward the extra few inches to brush a kiss against Kurt's lips.

"Is that a yes?" Blaine whispered, and Kurt inhaled the warm scent of his breath.

Kurt couldn't speak, so he hoped that nodding vigorously would get the point across. He closed his eyes for a moment as Blaine released his hands and stood up. He sighed, feeling absolutely content.

"I've never felt as comfortable around anyone as I feel around you," he admitted as he opened his eyes.

The desperate glint had returned to Blaine's eyes. Kurt jumped up, grabbed the front of Blaine's blazer, and pushed him back a few steps until he hit the wall.

"Ouch," Blaine teased, but he grasped at Kurt's shirt and kissed him urgently.

Kurt didn't know how much time passed before they made a silent and mutual decision that they had to stop. Kurt leaned forward and rested his forehead on Blaine's, breathing heavily.

"What're your plans for the afternoon?" He asked.

He felt Blaine's forehead scrunch in confusion. "I don't know," Blaine answered. "Why?"

"Well," Kurt stepped back and surveyed Blaine's disheveled hair and crooked blazer, "I was kind of hoping to grab some coffee with my boyfriend."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Has anyone ever literally died on stage?" Kurt asked as they prepared to go on stage for their performance at Regionals.

Blaine scrutinized the other boy's expression. "Are you nervous?" he asked, surprised.

"Please don't judge me," Kurt sounded a little hysterical, "This is the first time I've had a solo in front of a competition audience. I have this nightmare that I'm going to forget the lyrics or I'm going to sing and nothing is going to come out."

Blaine felt happiness fill his entire chest as he realized that he was going to get to duet with Kurt in front of everyone in the audience.

"Okay, you can judge me," Kurt said, realizing that he was being overly paranoid.

"I think it's adorable," Blaine admitted with as much affection as he could mange, "I think _you're_ adorable. And the only people that are going to be dying tonight," he squeezed his hands on Kurt's shoulders, "are the people in that audience because you and I are gonna kill this thing."

"Come on, let's go," he whispered in Kurt's ear, and the group walked onto the stage to get in position.

"And now, from Westerville, Ohio... the Dalton Academy Warblers!" the announcer informed the audience that they were up next.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As the curtain rose and the Warblers began the music of the song, Kurt closed his eyes. He didn't seek out New Directions in the crowd. He wanted to focus on the song, and on Blaine. He took a deep breath, and stepped off the riser to sing.

_The power lines went out  
><em>

_And I am all alone  
><em>

_But I don't really care at all  
><em>

_Not answering my phone_

Blaine stepped out of the group to sing his part, and Kurt felt a surge of adrenaline as Blaine didn't even look at the audience. He just looked at Kurt. _  
><em>

_All the games you played_

_The promises you made  
><em>

_Couldn't finish what you started_

_Only darkness still remains_

Kurt wondered why he had been nervous about this. Looking at Blaine, he felt like nothing else mattered. The way that Blaine was looking at him destroyed every piece of his anxiety._  
><em>

_Lost sight, couldn't see  
><em>

_When it was you and me  
><em>

_Blow the candles out_

_Looks like a solo tonight_

They finally turned to face the audience as they sang together. Kurt couldn't help but search the crowd for his friends, and he was immediately concerned when he noticed that Puck looked like he was crying. He looked away, making a mental note to text Mercedes immediately after the performance to inquire about the potential drama._  
><em>

_I'm beginning to see the light  
><em>

_Blow the candles out_

_Looks like a solo tonight  
><em>

_But I think I'll be alright  
><em>

_One day  
><em>

_You will wake up  
><em>

_With nothing but 'you're sorry's  
><em>

_And someday  
><em>

_You will get back  
><em>

_Everything you gave me_

Kurt thought about how he had felt the week before. Jealous of Blaine getting all the solos. Homesick for McKinley. Now all he felt was contentment. The solo helped, but it was the affection of the boy beside him that really made him feel that his life was heading in the right direction.

_Blow the candles out_

_Looks like a solo tonight  
><em>

_I'm beginning to see the light  
><em>

_Blow the candles out_

_Looks like a solo tonight  
><em>

_But I think I'll be alright_

The crowd cheered, and Kurt and Blaine bowed. Blaine rushed over to pull Kurt to the center of the stage for an extra round of applause. Kurt absorbed the attention with a smile, happy to see Mercedes waving at him.

After an appropriate amount of time, Kurt turned and hurried to find his spot for the second song. He was glad it was an upbeat song, because he needed some way to release the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins.

_Right, right, turn off the lights  
><em>

_We're gonna lose our minds tonight  
><em>

_What's the dealeo?  
><em>

_I love when it's all too much  
><em>

_5am turn the radio up  
><em>

_Where's the rock and roll?_

Kurt had always enjoyed watching Blaine perform, but now he felt a new emotion in addition to the amusement. He felt an intense rush of pride as he watched Blaine entertain the crowd.

_Party crasher  
><em>

_Panty snatcher  
><em>

_Call me up if you are gangsta  
><em>

_Don't be fancy_

_Just get dancy  
><em>

_Why so serious?  
><em>

_So raise your glass if you are wrong_

The crowd cheered wildly at the song's upbeat tempo and message, and Kurt felt the kind of energy that he had been used to when he was on New Directions. He saw Rachel jump to her feet.

_In all the right ways  
><em>

_All my underdogs  
><em>

_We will never be (never be)_

_Anything but loud  
><em>

_And nitty gritty_

_Dirty little freaks  
><em>

_Won't you come on (and come on) and_

_Raise your glass  
><em>

_Just come on (and come on) and_

_Raise your glass  
><em>

_So if you're too school for cool  
><em>

_And you're treated like a fool  
><em>

_You can choose to let it go  
><em>

_We can always (we can always)  
><em>

_Party on our own_

Kurt knew that this was Blaine's favorite part of the song. He got to tease the audience for a moment, jumping in and out of the line.

_(So raise your) So raise your glass if you are wrong  
><em>

_In all the right ways  
><em>

_All my underdogs  
><em>

_We will never be (never be)_

_Anything but loud  
><em>

_And nitty gritty_

_Dirty little freaks_

_Won't you come on (and come on) and_

_Raise your glass for me_

_Just come on (and come on) and_

_Raise your glass for me_

The crowd cheered for them, and the group bowed before constricting into a large group to celebrate the successful performance. Kurt ran across the stage and into Blaine's embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I can't believe she punched the Lieutenant Governor's wife like that," Blaine shook his head as he dug a small hole that would serve as Pavarotti's grave. Burt and Carole had agreed that the little bird could be buried in their backyard, so Kurt had created a little marker for the grave.

"I can," Kurt said, holding Pavarotti's small casket. "I told you, she's insane."

"Okay," Blaine said, motioning to the hole. "How's that?"

"It's perfect, thanks." Blaine leaned into Kurt as the other boy kissed him gently on the cheek.

Kurt knelt down and placed Pavarotti's casket in the shallow grave. He sighed and grabbed a fistful of dirt, tossing it on the tiny casket. He used the shovel to cover the small bejeweled box completely.

"Farewell, sweet prince," he said sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine stared down at the new grave. "I know this is really upsetting for you. Reminds you of your mom's funeral, doesn't it?"

"The casket was bigger," Kurt said, "but yes."

"It's not just that, though," Kurt admitted, "Honestly, I'm upset that we lost at Regionals."

"The competition season's over," Blaine said, trying to lighten the mood, "but we'll still get to perform. We do nursing home shows all the time." He turned to look at Kurt, "And do you know how many GAPs there are in Ohio? Tons."

"Yeah, I just really, really wanted to win," Kurt admitted.

Blaine had wanted to win too, but he thought about how he felt in the present moment. "You did win," he determined. "So did I. We got each other out of all this. That beats a lousy trophy, don't you think?"

That elicited a smile from Kurt. Blaine held out his hand, and he felt a swell of satisfaction as he felt Kurt's hand slip into his.

They walked in comfortable silence back to Blaine's car. Blaine turned to look at Kurt when they were both settled.

"I'm proud of you," he admitted.

"What?" Kurt turned to look at him, perplexed.

Blaine shrugged shyly.

Kurt beamed at him.

Blaine started the car and turned left out of the driveway. "Uh..." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt turn and look at him, "Wrong way."

"Nope," Blaine said vaguely.

Kurt knew immediately that something was going on. "You tell me what is going on, right now," he demanded.

Blaine fluttered his eyelashes innocently and remained silent. Kurt interrogated him the entire way to their destination, but Blaine did not say a word.

"What the hell is this, Blaine Anderson?" Kurt squealed as they pulled into the parking lot at William McKinley High School. Blaine tried unsuccessfully not to laugh at the slightly hysterical tone of Kurt's voice.

Blaine parked and jumped out of the car. Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and stayed in his seat. Blaine walked around to open his door.

"Let's go," Blaine said playfully.

"No," Kurt closed his eyes.

Blaine reached across Kurt's lap and unbuckled his seatbelt. Kurt kept his eyes closed, but he uncrossed his arms to allow the seatbelt to retract. Blaine took the opportunity to grab one of Kurt's hands and drag him out of the car. Kurt, unprepared for the movement, nearly fell to the ground, but Blaine managed to keep him mostly upright.

"Now close your eyes," Blaine instructed once Kurt was out of the car.

"You're kidding, right?" Kurt said, raising an eyebrow.

Blaine put one hand on his hip and just stared at Kurt for a moment. Kurt rolled his eyes before closing them.

"Absolutely no peeking," Blaine said sternly. He knew Kurt wasn't going to look. Despite his pretend resistance, Kurt loved attention. And he was clearly intrigued.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt closed his eyes, feeling both anxious and excited. He smiled as he felt Blaine's lips touch his for a brief kiss as the other boy grasped his hand. "Okay," Blaine said, and he pulled Kurt away from the car. They walked in silence – Kurt was concentrating, straining to hear any hint of what was going on, and Blaine was only giving occasional directions to keep Kurt from falling.

Finally, they reached their destination, and Kurt could people breathing and shushing each other. He knew where they were.

"Okay," Blaine said excitedly, "open your eyes."

Kurt took a deep breath, and opened his eyes just a little.

"_Surprise!_" The volume of the exclamation startled him, and he was glad to feel Blaine's arm wrap around his waist to hold him up.

They were in the choir room. The members of New Directions were there, as well as Mr. Schu and Kurt's father.

"What _is_ this?" Kurt squeaked, delighted.

Burt stepped forward, and Blaine released Kurt so his father could engulf him in a tight hug.

"Congratulations, kid," he said. "Your first solo in front of an audience. One day those people are going to be glad they got to witness it, mark my words."

Kurt felt tears in his eyes as his father released him. He couldn't speak.

"We miss you, Kurt," Rachel said, skipping forward to kiss him on the cheek. "But just because you don't go to school here doesn't mean we can't be proud of you." She stood up straight. "This was my idea, by the–"

"Thanks, Rachel," Blaine interrupted gently.

Rachel straightened her jacket. Kurt laughed.

As everyone started to talk at once, Kurt turned around to look at Blaine, who was standing quietly by the piano watching the rest of the group. He walked over to the other boy and threw his arms around his neck for a hug. As the rest of the room awwwww'd at the sweet gesture, Kurt felt Blaine's arms tighten around his waist. He buried his face in Blaine's neck.

"I still want the trophy," he murmured so only Blaine could hear, and he felt Blaine's chest vibrating with silent laughter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>BOYFRIENDS! I can't even describe the amount of flailing I did when I first saw this episode. Oh my gosh.<strong>_

_**I hope this has been kind of obvious so far, but I try to write the little scenes as if you were watching it on the show. So that's why sometimes they end like this one – I imagine that shot of Kurt hugging Blaine as the final shot of the episode, so to speak.**_

_**Thank you so much for reading! Up next... Night of Neglect!**_


	12. 2x17: A Night Of Neglect

_**Especially coming immediately after Original Song, this one is incredibly short. Remember when this episode aired and we were all like WHERE ARE KURT AND BLAINE? I've added in a little scene at the end that I hope you'll enjoy. :)**_

_**Someone asked how I know all the dialogue from the show word for word... I go through every episode and transcribe it all (all the Klaine stuff, I mean)! Generally, I have to watch each scene three or four times to make sure that everything is correct. First time so I can type out the dialogue. Second time so I can read what I just typed with the voices to make sure I got it right. Third time to watch their body language and imagine what they might be thinking. And a fourth time (and sometimes fifth, and sixth, and etc.) to look for little details or continuity issues. For example, I THOUGHT that Blaine left his little boom box behind after he and Kurt sang 'Baby It's Cold Outside', so my original plan was to have Blaine return for it after Mr. Schu left (an opportunity for more Klaine!), but when I watched it to make sure, I noticed that he actually did pick it up and take it with him when he left. So, that killed that idea. XD But yeah, I don't have it all memorized or anything! The transcription is DEFINITELY the most time-consuming part of writing this, but I really want it to be correct.**_

_**You guys, new Glee is so close... WHO IS EXCITED? ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"We've got a little time," Blaine noticed as he put his phone on silent in anticipation of the upcoming performances.

"Want a tour?" Kurt teased.

"Sure!" Blaine said happily. Kurt shook his head.

"I've been inside that dumpster many times," he said offhandedly, gesturing at the large blue container in the McKinley parking lot.

"I can't believe this school is even still open," Blaine mumbled.

Kurt shrugged. As they entered the building, he wanted to hold Blaine's hand. But he knew better.

"And that was the Spanish classroom," Kurt said, gesturing into the room where Mr. Schu taught Spanish classes, "And, of course, you know the choir room."

"Hey, you guys, you better get in the auditorium!" Brittany suddenly appeared, pushing Artie, "The show's about to start!"

"It's gonna be a full house, y'all!" Artie added enthusiastically, "Gotta get there early to get a good seat."

Kurt and Blaine turned to watch the other two move away. "We'll be there in a minute," Kurt smiled, motioning subtly at his companion, "I'm just showing Blaine around."

"Thanks for coming and supporting us, guys. It's really cool," Artie said as he and Brittany disappeared through the door to the choir room.

Kurt's heart clenched slightly as he watched them leave. Although the past month had been his best yet at Dalton – primarily due to his new relationship with Blaine – he still felt like he would never quite fit in with the Warblers as well as he had fit in as a member of New Directions.

He didn't realize that Blaine was looking at him until the other boy spoke. "Aww," Blaine said sympathetically, "you miss them."

Kurt turned, opening his mouth to confirm the assessment, but they were interrupted by a harsh voice from behind.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

The sound of Karofsky's voice brought Kurt's fond memories of McKinley crashing down. But, to his surprise, he didn't feel the fear that he had felt every second when he had last been a student at McKinley. He felt uneasy, but not afraid.

"We're here for the benefit," Kurt informed him, "Don't tell me _you're_ going."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I wouldn't be caught dead," Karofsky scoffed, "I was pumping iron in the gym and one of the guys told me you two were here spreading your fairy dust all over the place."

Blaine was surprised to see the football player. He wondered why the other boy had come across campus just to taunt them. Blaine had a suspicion that Karofsky wanted to see them. Karofsky had, no doubt, heard about their relationship, and perhaps he was curious to see how Kurt and Blaine interacted. He had probably never laid eyes on a gay couple before.

Blaine also knew he was not interested in letting Karofsky bring all of the pain of being bullied back to the surface for Kurt.

"Would you just give it up?" Blaine challenged, "You can live whatever lie you want, but don't pretend that the three of us don't know what's really going on here."

"You don't know squat, buck boy!" Karofsky snapped.

The insult pushed Blaine to the end of his patience. He was done letting Karofsky talk down to him and to Kurt. He stepped forward and shoved the larger boy. They never quite managed to get into a proper fight, though, because suddenly Santana was between them.

"Hey! Hey! No, stop!" She demanded. Blaine reigned in his rage for a moment and backed away. He noticed that Kurt was standing off to the side, his hands behind his back.

"Real brave with your fists but you're a coward when it comes to the truth," Kurt said harshly, glaring at Karofsky.

"Truth about what?" Santana asked, confused.

Blaine noticed a flash of panic on Karofsky's face, but the football player quickly compensated with an insult. "It's none of your business, J-Lo," Karofsky dismissed Santana.

"First of all," Santana said, stepping forward, "_anything_ you do became my business when you decided to toss that slushie up in my grill."

"I think I can take a couple of queers and a girl," Karofsky said offhandedly. The adrenaline pumping through Blaine's veins wanted to find out, but before he could say anything Santana took over.

"Okay, see, here's what's gonna go down," she said gravely, "Two choices. You stay here and I crack one of your nuts – right or left, that's your choice – or you walk away and live to be a douche bag another day."

She leaned forward to make her final point, "Oh, and also? I have razor blades hidden in my hair. Tons. Just all up in there." She motioned to her head, waving her hand around to illustrate her statement.

Karofsky backed down. With a grunt of rage, he turned around and stormed away.

"We could've handled that," Blaine suggested.

Santana surprised him with her answer. "It was more fun doing it together," she said with a smile.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. "Oh crap," she exclaimed as she read the text message. She hurried off without another word.

Blaine could feel Kurt looking at him. He stood motionless, breathing heavily. He still felt a little out of control.

"You okay?" Kurt asked after a moment.

Blaine nodded, turning to look into Kurt's worried eyes.

Kurt chewed his lip, his hands still clasped behind his back. "I can't deny it; the protectiveness is flattering..."

"...but I shouldn't have provoked him," Blaine completed the sentence for the other boy, "I know." He sighed and rubbed his face in frustration.

"I think I'm finding my peace about it," Kurt said gently, "You don't have to protect me all the time."

Blaine glanced around to make sure they were alone, and he leaned forward to kiss Kurt softly on the lips. "I don't want him, or anyone, to ever hurt you again," he admitted.

Kurt straightened Blaine's jacket. "We can handle it together," he paraphrased Santana's earlier statement.

Blaine smiled, starting to calm down.

"Okay," Kurt said, glancing at the time on his phone, "we have _got_ to get into the auditorium. If we miss some of the show, I'll never live it down."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I mean, what _is_ this?" Blaine said incredulously, walking quickly to vent his frustration. "We should kick them out. And I'm calling the Warblers to come and watch."

Kurt giggled at Blaine's distress. "I'm pretty sure it will be over by the time they could get here from Westerville."

"Ugh," Blaine scoffed as they reentered the auditorium.

"Where is everybody? Let's get on with it!" Sandy shouted at the empty stage.

"You're a really horrible person, you know that?" Blaine scowled at him as they walked by.

"Don't bother," Kurt chided, putting a hand on Blaine's arm to keep him moving, "Let's go over there." He motioned to the opposite end of the auditorium.

Blaine was still pouting when they sat down.

"Not the most upbeat day of your life, huh?" Kurt assessed.

Blaine rolled his eyes. Kurt smiled and nudged Blaine's foot with his own. Blaine nudged him back, and Kurt was pleased to see a tiny smile on his face.

"At least we can hang out at your house for a little while before I have to go home," Blaine mumbled.

"That's the spirit!" Kurt teased, reaching down to squeeze Blaine's knee. Blaine brushed his fingers across the back of Kurt's hand.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Holly Holliday," Sam announced.

Kurt leaned over to whisper in Blaine's ear. "She's the awesome substitute." Blaine quickly nuzzled his nose on Kurt's cheek before he sat back so they could watch the performance.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Can you pass me..." Kurt leaned back in his vanity chair and groaned as he looked around for a moment, "...that little black notebook on your way out?" He pointed at a stack of books on the floor by the doorway.

Blaine bounced up and grabbed the little notebook. "See you tomorrow?" he asked as he walked over to hand it to Kurt.

Kurt nodded, and giggled as he felt Blaine's breath on the side of his neck. "Bye," Blaine breathed into Kurt's ear. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

Kurt sighed and thumbed through his notebook, searching for the notes that he needed to study. As he flipped past one page in particular, he slammed his hand down to keep the pages from turning further.

It was a drawing, done with a red pen. A red heart, pierced by Cupid's arrow. With Kurt and Blaine's names inside. It was exactly as Kurt remembered.

Except that someone had taken a blue pen and drawn a tree trunk so that the red heart looked like it was carved into a tree. At the bottom, in Blaine's elegant handwriting, was a little sentence.

_Don't they get together in the end?_

"Blaine!" Kurt shrieked the other boy's name at the top of his lungs as he snatched the notebook off the table and bolted out the door. Blaine wasn't in the hallway, so Kurt ran down the stairs. Finn was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His eyes were wide. Kurt just waved him off with a wild flail of his arm as he rushed out the front door.

Blaine was climbing into his car, and Kurt rushed across the driveway as the other boy shut the driver's door and started the car.

"Stop!" Kurt cried as he passed through the beams of the car's headlights. He realized that he had no shoes on as he skidded to a stop beside Blaine's window and flattened the notebook against the glass. Blaine looked up, noticed the page of that was plastered on his window, and burst into laughter.

"Get _out_!" Kurt squealed. He opened Blaine's door and dragged him out of the car by his forearm, not even giving Blaine time to turn off the car. Blaine was laughing so hard that his legs did not cooperate, and he fell to his knees on the driveway. Kurt hauled him up, and Blaine had to lean on the car to stand upright.

Kurt shook the notebook in Blaine's face, unable to speak.

"Are you mad?" Blaine managed to gasp.

"Am I–" Kurt stepped closer and leaned in until their faces were almost touching. The shock was wearing off, and he could feel Blaine's joyful expression crushing his resolve. The other boy's golden eyes shone with tears of laughter. "When did you do this?" Kurt demanded.

Blaine shrugged and his breath hitched as he tried to stop laughing, "You loaned the notebook to me last week, remember? I needed your chemistry notes."

"Oh my god," Kurt groaned, leaning his forehead against Blaine's in a mixture of embarrassment and delight.

Blaine smiled wildly and closed the small gap between them to kiss the flustered young man. Kurt couldn't help but smile too as he felt Blaine's grin against his lips. He stepped forward, pressing Blaine fully against the car, and kissed him back with enthusiasm. Their breathing sped up as they kissed, and Kurt dropped the notebook and reached up to grasp Blaine's face in his hands.

"Are you guys okay?" Finn called from the house, "Kurt?"

Kurt jumped back from Blaine so fast that he stumbled as he twirled around to glare through the darkness at his step-brother, who was squinting into the darkness. He heaved a giant sigh of frustration. "Yes, _Finn_," he growled, "we are perfectly fine."

"Just making sure, dude! You seemed a little crazy before!" Finn called back cheerfully, and he went back inside and closed the door.

"I'll show you crazy," Kurt grumbled as he turned back to Blaine, whose face was soft with affection. Kurt skipped the few steps back to Blaine. "Do I amuse you, Blaine Warbler?"

"Something like that," Blaine teased. He opened the door to his car and bent down to pick up Kurt's notebook. "See you tomorrow?" he asked for the second time that evening.

"As long as I'm not in jail for killing Finn," Kurt said cheerfully. He took his notebook from Blaine.

Blaine grinned. "Goodnight, Kurt." He climbed into his car and closed the door, and Kurt did not go back inside until Blaine's car disappeared from sight.

* * *

><p><em><strong>See, they had to have that little party for Kurt at the end of Original Song so that "of course" Blaine knew the choir room. That line doesn't make ANY sense on the show... Blaine had never been in there before (that we know of!). COME ON, GLEE. CONTINUITY IS YOUR FRIEND. I wish. I love you anyway.<strong>_

_**Blaine is really moody in this episode! It's kind of cute, though, don't you think?**_

_**Sometimes people carve hearts with their names inside on trees, right? Yeah. I like to imagine that Blaine was pretty pleased with himself when he did that. ;) If I was an okay artist I'd try to draw it for you guys, but since I'm not I hope I described it enough for you to have a mental image!  
><strong>_

_**Up next... Kurt transfers back to McKinley! Does anyone have an opinion on what Blaine's Born This Way shirt would say if he had been part of that number?  
><strong>_


	13. 2x18: Born This Way

_**Another episode of big change for Kurt and Blaine... Kurt's headed back to McKinley!  
><strong>_

_**Thank you all so much for all of your comments and reviews and just everything. I wasn't even sure that this was a good idea when I started, and as long as even one of you is enjoying it I am glad I decided to go for it! It's really been fun revisiting Kurt and Blaine's story from season two as we approach season three!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I know you miss them, but you cannot go back to school there," Blaine scolded gently into the phone.

"I can handle it now," Kurt retorted.

"Mentally, maybe," Blaine allowed. "But not physically."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kurt snapped. Blaine rolled his eyes.

"You _know_ what I mean, Kurt," Blaine said.

Kurt sighed heavily.

"It's just Karofsky," Blaine said. "You _know_ it's not safe for you at McKinley with him around."

"I'm sick of other people dictating what I do," Kurt huffed.

"I know," Blaine said sympathetically. He thought about his own experience leaving his first high school to come to Dalton. Unlike Kurt, he didn't miss anything from his old school, but he still felt the regret that he had allowed bullies to chase him away. He still hadn't told Kurt anything about the incident that had been the catalyst that forced him to transfer. He couldn't bring himself to do it; he didn't want to see pity in Kurt's eyes.

"I hate emotions," Kurt mumbled. Blaine smiled at the other boy's dramatic tone.

"Me too," he teased. He could tell from Kurt's silence that he was probably fighting a smile.

Someone knocked on Blaine's door, startling him.

"I've gotta go," he said to Kurt. "See you this afternoon!" They had plans to meet some of Kurt's friends from New Directions at the Lima Bean after school.

"You're turning me into a coffee addict," Kurt said playfully, and he ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"You haven't asked us anything about our New York trip," Mercedes chided gently.

"Is it because it's too painful?" Tina guessed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Kurt said sourly. "But while the New Directions are preparing to perform at Nationals, the Warblers are preparing to perform at a nursing home in a strip mall next to a national bank." He felt selfish admitting it, but he wanted to go to New York so badly that he could hardly think about the fact that they were going without him. "But I'm so proud of you guys!" he attempted to redeem himself.

"We miss you so much," Tina declared.

"Isn't there any way you could come back to McKinley?" Mercedes asked. Kurt felt his heart clench at the request. He thought of his conversation with Blaine earlier in the day.

"I told him, I would be all for it if it wasn't for Karofsky," Blaine spoke up.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Santana chimed in for the first time.

"Kurt needs to be safe," Blaine clarified.

"Okay, can we please change the subject?" Kurt begged.

"I'm just saying that it's not safe for you at McKinley while he's there, and you know it," Blaine said.

"I hate logic," Kurt mumbled.

Blaine kicked him gently under the table, and Kurt resorted to full-out foot warfare for a moment. He wanted Blaine to break his relaxed façade, but was disappointed when the other boy managed to keep a straight face.

"I've gotta gay," Santana said suddenly, standing up. "Go!" she corrected herself quickly, "Go. I've gotta go."

Kurt watched her leave. "What's up with her?" he asked once she was out of earshot. He was intrigued at her slipup.

"Who knows?" Mercedes rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe Rachel is planning to have a nose job," Kurt said dramatically, hoping to steer the conversation away from his desire to transfer back to McKinley, "She is bringing shame upon Barbara Streisand."

"Well _I_ can't believe that anyone ever gave her a hard time about her nose in the first place," Blaine said. "I think she's beautiful."

Kurt turned to glare at him, and he shrugged innocently.

"I think you're _all_ beautiful," he amended with a laugh.

"That's better," Kurt nodded.

The conversation about body image and societal pressures continued, and Kurt reached out to hold Blaine's hand under the table.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"So," Blaine asked hopefully as he closed Kurt's dorm room door behind him, "how did it go yesterday?"

Kurt turned from where he had been planning the best way to pack his closet to smile a greeting at Blaine.

"I'm transferring back!" Kurt exclaimed, unable to reign in his enthusiasm.

"Kurt, that's great!" Blaine said earnestly. He moved to sit down on Kurt's bed, reaching out to brush his hand across Kurt's Dalton blazer, which was folded neatly with the rest of his uniform.

As Kurt started to fold his clothes and pack them gently into a suitcase, he explained the meeting he and his father had attended with Karfosky. And his private conversation with the other boy that had sealed the deal.

"And you think Karofsky is serious?" Blaine asked when Kurt finished the story.

"I guess," Kurt shrugged. "He seemed really calm about it."

Blaine looked at him for a moment, and Kurt suddenly felt a surge of guilt about leaving Blaine at Dalton for his friends at McKinley. He stopped packing to walk over and sit on the edge of his bed beside Blaine.

"Are you upset?" he asked shyly.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"I'm not leaving because I don't want to be with you," Kurt fumbled over his words.

He saw a hint of sadness in Blaine's eyes, but the other boy nodded. "I know," he said.

"I'm sorry," Kurt added.

The sadness in Blaine's eyes turned to seriousness. "No, Kurt," he said, shaking his head, "you have no reason to be sorry. Dalton's not the environment that is best for you. It's okay."

"But _you're_ best for me," Kurt said. "I wish I didn't have to leave you behind."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?" Blaine attempted to lighten the mood.

"I'm serious," Kurt scolded.

"Me too," Blaine said. "I'm not going to lie; I'm going to miss you like crazy. But I know you," he reached out and briefly caressed Kurt's face, "and we both know that this is what is best for you."

Kurt was silent. He wanted to allow himself to feel nothing but happiness about returning to McKinley, but it was hard to imagine how this was doing the right thing in terms of his relationship with Blaine.

"You don't have to choose between your dreams and me, Kurt," Blaine said, understanding Kurt's silence. "We will make it work. Whatever 'it' is."

Kurt felt so much affection for the other boy that he felt like he was going to explode. He thought about what words to say to explain to Blaine how much he had changed Kurt's life. Kurt thought about how he had felt inside the day thay had met. He hadn't really known that people like Blaine existed. It had been like opening a door to a whole new view of the world.

He couldn't think of words to say, but he could think of an appropriate song.

"_Before you met me, I was alright_," Kurt sang quietly, "_but things were kinda heavy. You brought me to life..._"

The smile on Blaine's face made Kurt's chest constrict involuntarily, and he had to stop.

"That was unusually nostalgic," Blaine commented.

"I can't believe that was only six months ago," Kurt said softly.

They were both silent for a moment, lost in thought about everything had happened since the day Kurt took Puck's dismissal to heart and skipped school to spy on the Warblers.

"Do you want help packing?" Blaine offered after a moment.

"Sure," Kurt said.

They chatted about frivolous things as they packed up all of the things in Kurt's room. Their favorite songs of the moment, dream roles they wanted to play, random stories from the news.

When the room was nearly all the way packed into various boxes and suitcases, Blaine reached over and picked up a framed photo on Kurt's desk.

"Remember your first day?" Blaine smiled at the self-portrait he had taken of the two of them before Kurt's first Warblers meeting.

"I miss Pavarotti," Kurt whined.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine wrapped the photo frame in one of Kurt's towels and placed it gently into a box. He stood up and walked over to grab Kurt's shoulders. He shook Kurt playfully.

"No more of this gloominess," Blaine said with mock sternness. "You are transferring back to where you belong. Let yourself feel happy about it."

Kurt smiled hesitantly.

"I've got to think of a song," he admitted.

"A song?" Blaine released him and returned to helping Kurt pack.

"I guess it's a New Directions thing," Kurt said, and Blaine could hear the other boy's enthusiasm bubbling back to the surface. "It's kind of a challenge... find a song that expresses what you're feeling."

An idea sprang into Blaine's mind. A song. He made a mental note to call an emergency meeting of the Warblers later in the afternoon.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Kurt Hummel's back at McKinley!" Kurt threw his arms in the air in triumph. He felt a surge of familiarity as he hurried down the concrete steps of the courtyard and into the arms of his friends.

"Let me breathe, let me breathe!" He demanded happily as the members of New Directions swarmed to welcome him back. He felt Mercedes remove his hat.

"Let's get ready for Nationals!" He said, feeling as if he had never left.

"Not yet," Mercedes said, still holding Kurt's hat, "See, there's a reason we're meeting here today. There's some people who want to say goodbye to you, Kurt."

Confused, Kurt glanced up to see Blaine, Wes, and David coming down the concrete stairs. He felt his heart flutter wildly. He and Blaine hadn't said any goodbyes the night before; they had agreed that it was unnecessary. They would still see each other multiple times a week, and they could text and call each other in between visits. The sight of Blaine here to say goodbye with the Warblers was completely unexpected.

"Kurt, Dalton's going to miss you," Blaine spoke for the group, "You were a great addition to the Warblers and you made us a better team." Kurt thought about his first days and weeks at Dalton, and how difficult that mentality had been for him to embrace.

"I'm sad to see you go, but we all know this is something that you really want," Blaine continued, "And I'll still have you after school and on the weekends. But these guys won't, so they wanted to say goodbye."

"And thank you, Kurt," Wes said sincerely.

Kurt felt pain in his chest as he thought about everything that had happened to him while he had been at Dalton. It had changed his entire life.

He was surprised again when the rest of the Warblers arrived and began a song. This time, Kurt was nothing but glad that it was Blaine who was singing the solo.

_I walked across an empty land  
><em>

_I knew the pathway like the back of my hand_

Kurt thought for a moment about what was happening. While the song was meant to be from all of the Warblers, he had eyes only for Blaine. He was being serenaded by the boy he loved. In public. He didn't know how to feel, but all the emotions that were battling for his attention were good ones._  
><em>

_I felt the earth beneath my feet  
><em>

_Sat by the river and it made me complete_

_Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
><em>

_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
><em>

_So tell me when you're gonna let me in_

To Kurt's surprise, he could see tears in Blaine's eyes. Blaine had been so supportive of the transfer, and Kurt realized with a twinge in his chest that maybe Blaine had secretly hoped that Kurt would decide to stay at Dalton with him._  
><em>

_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

Blaine rushed past Kurt to the piano and began to play along with the Warblers' background vocals. Blaine looked at Kurt as he played, and Kurt thought about their duet at Christmas.

_And if you have a minute why don't we go  
><em>

_Talk about it somewhere only we know  
><em>

_This could be the end of everything  
><em>

_So why don't we go_

_Somewhere only we know_

Kurt took a deep breath. He knew that Blaine had chosen this song on purpose; from now on, Dalton would be a place that he and Blaine had experienced together. An experience that none of his friends at McKinley would completely understand. Five months of memories that only they knew.

_Somewhere only we know_

Blaine walked over and took both of Kurt's hands in his, pulling him gently down the few stairs to the bottom level of the courtyard. Kurt was glad he wasn't supposed to be singing along, because there was suddenly a giant lump in his throat as he looked at the emotion on Blaine's face. He thought about the first time they had eaten lunch together in this courtyard after Blaine had come to help him confront Karofsky. Their relationship had evolved so much since that day.

_And if you have a minute why don't we go  
><em>

_Talk about it somewhere only we know  
><em>

_This could be the end of everything_

The other Warblers started to pat Kurt's back and say their goodbyes, and Kurt couldn't keep a few tears from falling. He realized that he was going to miss them. He still felt that he was making the right decision to return to McKinley, but he had grown fond of the trim young men of Dalton Academy. They had helped to reassure him that life didn't always have to be a fight for acceptance.

Suddenly, Finn stepped in, and Kurt was surprised when he found himself wrapped in his step-brother's arms. Kurt thought briefly about how far he and Finn had come. He wondered what his younger self, still pining after Finn, would have said if someone had told him he would experience this moment in the not-so-distant future.

_So why don't we go somewhere only we know_

Kurt hugged Mercedes and turned to look at Blaine, who was finishing the song. He looked heartbroken, and Kurt missed him terribly, even though he was still standing right in front of him.

_Somewhere only we know  
><em>

_Somewhere only we know_

Blaine took a shaky breath as the song ended, and Kurt's heart clenched with such intensity that he had to do something physical to distract himself. He rushed forward to embrace Blaine, hoping that the hug would convey the flood of emotion that he was feeling.

The strength of Blaine's hug in return told Kurt that the other boy was feeling the same kind of emotional overload, and Kurt never wanted to let go.

"I'll never say goodbye to you," he said so only Blaine could hear.

He released the other boy, and he could tell that Blaine felt overwhelmed. The dark-haired young man looked at Kurt with an expression that said that he couldn't hold himself together enough to speak, and Kurt wanted to chase after him as he turned to walk away. But he resisted. He had to stay. They had to learn to be together while living apart for now. A few of the other Warblers consoled Blaine with friendly pats on the back as he climbed the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

After climbing a few of the stairs, Blaine turned around to see Kurt surrounded by the rest of New Directions. They were embracing him and rubbing his arms and back lovingly. Mercedes put his hat back on.

Blaine felt a swell of satisfaction. On a personal level, the prospect of not seeing Kurt every day at school made his heart ache. But, as he looked at Kurt's interaction with his friends, Blaine knew that it was the right thing for Kurt to come back to this school. He and Kurt had started out as friends at different schools, and Blaine knew that they could make it work as boyfriends the same way. It helped to know that the members of New Directions would be looking out for Kurt when Blaine couldn't be there to do so.

Feeing a mixture of satisfaction and heartbreak, Blaine turned to leave. This time he didn't look back.

"Great job, man," David said as they walked back to the parking lot.

Blaine rubbed his eyes, a little embarrassed about his tears. He hadn't expected to feel so emotional during the song.

"Thanks for coming to help me out," he managed.

"Blaine, hey, wait up!" A voice from behind them stopped the boys before they reached their vehicles.

Mercedes hurried over, smiling brightly.

"Thanks for doing that," she said sincerely. She grabbed Blaine's face and kissed him on the cheek. "I know you didn't know him then, but there was a time when what just happened would have seemed completely impossible to Kurt."

Blaine had to wipe his eyes again. Mercedes pointed a finger at him.

"You're good for him," she said, "Now get going!" She laughed. "I want Mr. Hummel all to myself for once!"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"You're certainly lively today," Blaine noted as he hugged Kurt in front of the Lima Bean. They generally resisted kissing in public, still wary of how the people in the community would react. Blaine tapped Kurt's red hat with the end of his finger. "I like the hat. How was the intervention?"

"_Barbara-_vention," Kurt winked. "It was perfection!"

As they got in line to order their coffee, Kurt chatted animatedly about the flash mob he and Puck had organized for Rachel earlier in the afternoon, and Blaine knew for sure that transferring back to McKinley had been the right decision for Kurt. In the days since the transfer, Kurt had been more enthusiastic and driven than ever.

Once they had their drinks and were settled at their regular table, Kurt finally stopped talking.

"I'm overly excited," he admitted, blushing slightly.

Blaine smiled. "You're adorable." He took a drink of his coffee. "How's it going being back in New Directions?"

"Great," Kurt beamed, and he launched straight into the story of the week's lesson.

"Wanna see my shirt?" Kurt asked after he finished the back story. Blaine nodded, unable to stop himself from grinning at Kurt's attitude. Blaine hadn't said five sentences the entire time.

Kurt dug into his bag for a moment, and pulled out the shirt. He picked up his coffee with one hand and draped the shirt over most of the table with his other hand.

Blaine felt warm as he saw the words printed on the shirt. "I love it," he said.

"So, what would yours say?" Kurt asked as he put the shirt away.

"I don't know," Blaine said shyly.

"It's because you're perfect, isn't it?" Kurt pretended to whine, dropping his head onto the table for a moment.

Blaine laughed. "I've always felt kinda self-conscious about my curly hair," he admitted, gesturing at his head.

Kurt leaned forward. "You should come."

"What?" Blaine furrowed his brow.

"We're doing a dress rehearsal tomorrow after school. You should come. I'll make you a shirt," Kurt said eagerly.

Blaine smiled, but shook his head. "I don't know..."

Kurt pouted.

"I'll think about it," Blaine acquiesced.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine slipped into the auditorium at McKinley as Mr. Schu and the members of New Directions were setting up for the performance. He sat on the floor near the doorway at the back of the auditorium where he could blend into the darkness. He wanted to watch Kurt and the other members of New Directions perform the song without knowing that he was there.

He was right on time. Kurt walked alone to the center of the stage, and the music started.

_It doesn't matter if you love him_

_Or capital H. i. m._

_Just put your paws up_

'_Cause you were born this way, baby_

Blaine couldn't concentrate on the rest of the song. He just watched Kurt. His demeanor was completely different than Blaine had ever seen him during a performance. He was confident and animated; he looked like he had been born to be on the stage. Blaine rubbed his neck, feeling unhinged.

When the song ended, the members of New Directions celebrated the successful run-through, and Blaine leaned back against the wall for a moment to watch the group. They had a very different dynamic than what he was used to.

As a few of the students started to walk off the stage, Blaine decided that it was probably time to show himself. He hopped up and walked down the stairs. Santana and Karofsky looked at him emotionlessly as he passed, and he nodded a silent greeting. Nobody else noticed him until he made it to the stage. Kurt's back was to him – he was chatting excitedly with Mercedes about something – but Finn noticed him.

"Hey man!" He called, waving from across the stage, "Love the hair!"

Everyone turned to see who Finn was shouting at, and Blaine smiled as Kurt turned and saw him.

"What the hell happened to the baby penguin?" Blaine laughed as Kurt rushed over and launched himself into Blaine's arms.

Kurt laughed and put both of his hands in Blaine's hair to mess it up. "I love it," he said emotionally, commenting on the lack of gel.

"You said the lesson was about embracing what you were born with..." Blaine shrugged, a little embarrassed.

"I made you a shirt!" Kurt remembered suddenly. "Stay right here."

He hurried away for a moment and returned with a white shirt. He held it up for Blaine to see. Printed in large black letters were two words. CURLY HAIR.

Blaine smiled. He pulled his dark shirt off over his head and grabbed the white shirt from Kurt, whose face was suddenly bright red. Blaine pulled on the new shirt and held his arms out for Kurt to scrutinize his appearance.

"I like it," Kurt squeaked.

Everyone laughed, and Blaine was surprised when they pulled him and Kurt into a group hug before he realized that everyone just wanted to ruffle his curly hair. He laughed with them as he allowed himself to be passed around. He caught a glimpse of the look on Kurt's face, and felt a wave of contentment as he realized that he was starting to feel truly comfortable around Kurt's friends.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I just <strong>_**had**_** to have Blaine see Kurt perform 'Born This Way', okay? I HAD TO DO IT. It doesn't change the story at all to have him there, so... ;) Thank you so much for all the ideas about Blaine's shirt! I think "curly hair" is a good one, because he always gels it down! So it's kind of like Tina wearing blue contacts because she doesn't love her brown eyes.**_

_**There are four more episodes left to write and two more days until season three... CAN I DO IT? I think so. 'Rumours' and 'Funeral' will probably be pretty short anyway, just based on the extreme lack of Klaine (and by that I mean Blaine isn't in either one of those episodes, BOO). My plan is to have the season finale episode posted by (maybe kinda late) Monday night. And then on Tuesday we get NEW GLEE! HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! XD**_

_**Up next... 'Rumours'!**_


	14. 2x19: Rumours

_**Someone asked if I plan to continue this for season 3... the short answer is yes, definitely! But I think I'm going to wait to post it until the end of the season. I KNOW, THAT'S SO FAR AWAY. DON'T KILL ME. But I really think doing it that way will result in the best story... if you think about season two, for example, I would have written how Blaine was feeling COMPLETELY differently in episodes like 'The Substitute' if I hadn't already seen 'Prom Queen'. Does that make sense? So, I think what I'm going to do is write them as we go in terms of transcribing the episodes and adding little things in, but I am going to hold off on finalizing and posting them until after the season three finale. (That will mean really rapid posting, does that help?) BUT, that doesn't mean I won't post anything between now and then. I definitely want to do a few one-shots, and who knows what else my random imagination could come up with in the coming months? ;) How does everyone feel about this?**_

_**This chapter is really short. Blaine's not in this episode (His photo is, though...). I expect 'Prom Queen' will be quite a bit longer! It's pretty much the reason I started doing this in the first place, and one of my favorite Klaine episodes so far, so...**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK (DURING 'ORIGINAL SONG') – KURT <strong>

The intercom to the dorm building buzzed, and the Warblers – who were gathered for a night of hanging out, forbidden to talk about anything relating to their upcoming competition – all looked up expectantly.

Wes jumped up to answer. "Yes?" he called into the small panel on the wall.

"Pizza delivery?" a voice asked for confirmation.

"Someone will be right down," Wes said kindly, "Thank you."

There was an explosion of movement in the room as the boys tried to remember where they had put the cash that they had collected for the occasion. Kurt saw it on the floor, half hidden under the couch. He rolled his eyes.

"I've got it," he said lightly, reaching down to scoop up the bundle of cash. He raised an eyebrow as Blaine jumped up to follow him out into the hallway.

As soon as they were out of view of the room full of Warblers, both boys turned to look at each other. Kurt grabbed Blaine's blazer and pulled him in for a fervent kiss. He felt Blaine's hands on his face, and he forgot for a moment what they were supposed to be doing.

After a moment, Blaine pulled away. "I've wanted to do that all evening," he winked.

"We've got to tell them," Kurt whispered, rubbing his lips and giggling uncontrollably. He reached out to grab Blaine's hand as they continued down the dark hallway and opened the door.

There was a brief moment of silence as they saw the boy holding a stack of pizzas on the threshold.

"Sam?" Kurt managed to gasp.

"Oh, uh, hi Kurt," Sam mumbled, ducking his head. "I didn't know if you'd be here."

Kurt noticed Sam's eyes flicker to his hand, still entwined with Blaine's. He turned to glance at Blaine, who had clearly also noticed. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"I didn't know you delivered pizza," Kurt recovered from the initial shock. "It's good to see you!"

Sam raised his head to make eye contact with Kurt. "Please," Sam begged, "don't tell anyone."

Kurt frowned. "Um, okay. Sure." He nodded. He didn't understand why Sam wouldn't want people to know that he had an after-school job, but he didn't feel comfortable asking for details. The seriousness of Sam's request made him think that it was probably not something frivolous.

Sam sighed heavily. "I just... we..." he stumbled over his words for a moment. "My dad lost his job," he finally admitted. "And we're... we're having a hard time."

"I'm so sorry, Sam," Kurt said softly, "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blaine nodding in agreement.

"Thanks, man," Sam mumbled. Kurt handed him the money, glad that they had decided on an above-average tip, and Sam motioned casually to Kurt and Blaine's intertwined hands.

"Cool, guys." He smiled timidly, "Or, I guess, congrats."

Kurt felt Blaine squeeze his hand, and he smiled. "Thanks," he blushed, "we're pretty excited. But, uh, can you not tell anyone yet? I haven't had a chance to talk to Mercedes or Tina..." he trailed off, hoping that Sam understood the potential for drama if someone other than Kurt himself informed one of the girls of his new relationship with Blaine.

"Your secret is safe with me," Sam said in his best James Earl Jones voice. Blaine laughed, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Sam," Kurt reached out and clasped a hand on the other boy's arm while Blaine took the pizzas from him. "Keep me updated, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Thanks, Kurt. Good to see you guys."

When Kurt and Blaine were back inside the hallway, Blaine turned to look at Kurt. Kurt shrugged. "I guess you never really know what's happening in other people's lives," he said.

Blaine nodded seriously. Kurt stepped closer to the other boy to kiss Blaine's cheek, careful not to knock the stack of pizza boxes out of his hands. They walked back to the room full of boys in silence, thinking about Sam's situation.

The Warblers were all standing near the doorway to the common room when they returned. "Oh my god," Jeff said, stepping forward, "I am so hungry I could eat one of these all by myself."

Blaine passed the boxes off to the blond boy, and he and Kurt exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Uh, guys?" Blaine spoke loudly so everyone could hear him over the excitement surrounding the food's arrival. Everyone quieted down and turned to look at him. Kurt felt a flutter of nerves in his stomach.

"Kurt and I..." Blaine started, turning to look at Kurt for encouragement. Kurt nodded, already blushing slightly in anticipation, "...we're... or, we've decided...we're together," Blaine managed.

The room erupted with voices and applause. "It's about time, guys!" someone shouted. Kurt felt his face burning, and he turned slightly to bury his face in Blaine's shoulder for a moment. He felt one of Blaine's arms slip around his waist.

"Wait," Blaine said suspiciously, "what?"

"Are you _kidding_?" David piped up. "I wish you could see yourselves sometimes."

"Why do you think we all voted for you to sing _Candles_ together?" Thad added.

"Oh my god," Kurt groaned into Blaine's shoulder.

"You were so obvious," Wes smiled. "It has been highly amusing for all of us."

Kurt lifted his head from Blaine's shoulder to feign annoyance at the room of boys. He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling broadly. It felt amazing to tell everyone. It made things really official. He was Blaine's boyfriend.

* * *

><p><strong>(DURING 'RUMOURS'  NO LONGER A FLASHBACK) – BLAINE **

"God, you should have heard them," Kurt said judgmentally, twisting the combination into his locker. "They were absolutely convinced that Sam and I were having some kind of secret rendezvous in the motel."

"As if you'd ever have a clandestine affair at a _motel_," Blaine scoffed playfully, "_Please_."

Kurt giggled. He opened his locker door to retrieve the books he needed to do his homework.

With a gasp of horror, he slammed the locker shut again. But it was too late.

"Was that _me_?" Blaine gasped, delighted.

"No?" Kurt suggested timidly, his face suddenly tinted red.

"That's my ID photo, where on Earth did you get a copy of that?" Blaine took a step forward, pretending to be angry.

Kurt groaned, obviously embarrassed. Blaine felt a great deal of amusement as he watched Kurt flounder.

"After we first met..." Kurt started, but he stopped and turned to look at Blaine with desperation in his eyes. "Are you really going to make me admit this?"

Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I Googled you, okay?" Kurt blurted out. He dropped his head into his hands in dismay.

Blaine felt a moment of sickening realization. He tried desperately to recall if there had been any articles in the local newspaper after he and his date had been attacked at their school dance. He couldn't remember.

Kurt misunderstood Blaine's sudden silence. "Oh god, are you mad? I didn't do it in a creepy way, I swear! I just... you just inspired me and I... just please don't be mad! I'm sorry!" Kurt begged.

"What?" Blaine tried to bring his focus back to the present, "Oh, gosh, no! No, Kurt, I'm not mad at all."

There was a moment of silence as Kurt let Blaine's words sink in, and Blaine couldn't stop wondering if Kurt knew about his old school. He wasn't sure why Kurt wouldn't say something if he knew, especially now that they were involved, but he was worried that Kurt was just waiting to see when he would admit it without prompting.

"So," he tried to sound as casual as possible, "what deep, dark secrets did Google supply about me?"

"Nothing terribly scandalous, I'm afraid," Kurt smirked, "Just a bunch of articles from Dalton's school newspaper about the Warblers. That's where I got your photo," he blushed again, "There was an article after your first competition solo with the Warblers... they featured you. I guess they had that photo on file if it's from your school ID."

Blaine felt a rush of relief. Kurt wasn't one to dodge the truth when confronted so directly. He didn't know.

"Oh, and speaking of the Warblers," Kurt said, "You should tell them that I scolded Rachel for not being a team player the other day. I totally learned something at Dalton!" he pretended to fan away tears.

Blaine knew he was off the hook about his past for now. He made a mental note to think about how he wanted to tell Kurt, because not telling him was starting to make Blaine feel like he was being dishonest.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Don't worry, Blaine, your moment to tell Kurt about your old school is coming up in the next episode! ;)<strong>_

_**Oh, and this is TOTALLY debatable, but the reason I had Kurt NOT find any articles about Blaine's incident when he searched Blaine's name online is because sometimes (not always, but sometimes) newspapers refuse to print the actual names of minors in cases like that. So, in this version of the story I'm saying that when it was reported, the local papers wherever Blaine lived decided to keep his identity a secret. I can imagine them doing it that way... by printing his name they would be outing him to more people than just the people at his school, and that might be an unnecessary risk to take regarding a boy who had just been beaten up for being gay. Does that make sense?**_

_**Yet another reason why I think Kurt boarded at Dalton... in this episode Sam says that he delivered pizza to Dalton at night once and Kurt was there. Sounds like a dorm situation to me! (Forget the fact that Westerville and Lima are almost two hours apart by car... Ryan Murphy, why do you never even care about these things?) But, on a semi-related note, CAN YOU IMAGINE if Sam had ended up being Kurt's boyfriend like the writers originally planned?**_

_**Up next... 'Prom Queen'!**_


	15. 2x20: Prom Queen

_**Okay, guys, here's 'Prom Queen'! This is the episode that gave me the idea for this whole thing in the first place... it kind of ran away from me, so it's a long one!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"That was delicious," Blaine sighed contently as their waiter took away their empty plates.

Kurt nodded his agreement. "Seriously, this is the perfect location for those on the anti-Atkins diet."

Blaine laughed. "I would rather die than never eat that pasta again," he teased.

Kurt smiled, and for a moment they just looked at each other across the table. Blaine nudged Kurt's foot under the table.

"I have a question," Kurt said suddenly. Blaine nodded, giving him permission to continue.

"Give me your hand," Kurt stretched one of his hands across the table, palm up. Blaine looked down at Kurt's hand for a moment, confused, but he obeyed. Kurt used his free hand to clasp Blaine's hand between both of his on the table.

"Blaine Warbler," Kurt said, and Blaine was intrigued at the nervousness on Kurt's face, "will you go to junior prom with me?"

Blaine could tell that this was an exciting proposition for Kurt, so he tried to keep the fear that settled into his stomach from showing on his face.

"Prom?" He asked skeptically, halfheartedly hoping that Kurt wasn't serious.

"It'll be the social event of the season!" Kurt encouraged.

Blaine just gaped at Kurt for a second, and he saw a flash of hurt in Kurt's eyes. "You don't want to go to prom with me?" Kurt asked, his tone accusatory.

"No! No, no, of course," Blaine fumbled to find words of reassurance as Kurt pulled his hands away, "Of course I want to go with you! It's just..." he sighed "...prom."

"What about prom, Blaine?" Kurt said sourly.

Blaine had known that this moment was rapidly approaching, but he hadn't quite figured out what he wanted to say. He decided to just be honest. And simple.

"At my old school there was a Sadie Hawkins dance," he started, unable to look at Kurt for any prolonged amount of time. He felt strangely shy. He knew it was probably because he had never told the story out loud before to someone who had no idea that it had happened, "And I had _just_ come out. So, I asked a friend of mine; the only other gay guy in the school. And while we were waiting for his dad to pick us up... these three guys... um... beat the living crap out of us."

The look in Kurt's eyes was not as bad as Blaine had imagined. Kurt looked sad, but it was more of a shocked sad than a pitying sad. "I... I'm so sorry," Kurt breathed.

"I'm out, and I'm proud and all that," Blaine clarified quickly. "This is just a little bit of a sore spot."

That was an understatement. He had sworn to himself after the assault that he would never attend a school dance again.

To Blaine's surprise, Kurt spoke up immediately. "This is perfect," he said, "You couldn't face up to the bullies at your school, so you can do it at mine." Blaine felt his chest clench at the hopefulness in Kurt's voice.

"We could do it together," Kurt amended, and Blaine felt like his heart was going to explode from a combination of affection and anxiety. He reached out to play with the straw in his empty cup to keep his hands from shaking. He couldn't speak or look at the boy across the table.

"But I have to say, Blaine," Kurt spoke again, "that if it makes you feel uncomfortable at all then we'll just forget about prom." Blaine looked up at him, surprised. "We'll go to a movie instead," Kurt suggested sincerely.

Some of Kurt's friends from New Directions had mentioned to Blaine on various occasions that he was good for Kurt. That he had helped Kurt to find the courage to really be himself. The "courage" collage under Blaine's photograph in Kurt's locker expressed the same sentiment. But Blaine felt overwhelmed as he thought about everything that Kurt had given him. He felt more comfortable with the slim young man than he felt with his own family. When he was around Kurt, he felt like he could take on the entire world and win, no matter the contest. Kurt pushed him hard, but only because Kurt had faith that Blaine could handle it. As Blaine looked across the table at the other boy, he thought about the fact that Kurt, who wouldn't pass up an opportunity to dress up for the world, was willing to give it up for Blaine. With only a few sentences from Blaine to explain his reluctance.

Blaine wanted more than anything to lean across the table and kiss him, but the public location restrained him. Instead, he let all of his affection pour out in the first words that came to his mind.

"I am crazy about you," he admitted, hoping that Kurt would understand.

"So," Kurt teased warmly, "I'll take that as a yes?"

Blaine hesitated, thinking about everything that had happened. He looked at Kurt's eager face across the table, and decided that he could handle it. He could handle anything with Kurt. "Yes," he confirmed. He knew that he had made the right decision as Kurt literally hopped in his seat with joy.

"Yes," Blaine repeated, "You and I are going to the prom."

Kurt squealed in delight, and Blaine smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Oh my gosh," Kurt gushed suddenly, "you can perform with us if you want!"

Blaine, still contemplating the possible ramifications of his decision to attend McKinley's prom, frowned.

"Oh," Kurt clarified, "Mr. Schu had to agree that New Directions would provide the music... money for Nationals."

Blaine nodded his understanding, but the frown on his face did not budge. "I don't know," he said skeptically.

"I promise, Mr. Schu won't mind," Kurt said eagerly.

"I'll think about it," Blaine allowed.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"So you think it's cool if I jam with you guys at prom?" Blaine asked as he sat down on the couch next to Finn. He wasn't sure if Kurt had talked to the other members of New Directions about his involvement, and he knew that Finn would be honest.

"Yeah, totally!" Finn said casually. Blaine felt tightness in his chest as he thought about it. Not only was he going to prom with Kurt, but he was going to perform there. He had performed at McKinley once before – the day Kurt had transferred back – but this time he would do it alone. Without the Warblers.

"Good news, boys!" Burt called as he came in the door, interrupting Blaine's moment of contemplation, "My buddy Enzo from the tux rental shop is giving you half off."

Blaine nodded appreciatively as Finn expressed his approval out lout. "Sweet!"

"Yeah, so what are you gonna go with?" Burt asked as he grabbed a stack of unopened mail by the door and came into the room.

"I'm going simple," Blaine explained, "Black, thin lapel collar. Very discreet."

"Know what I wore at my prom?" Burt asked with a glint in his eyes, "I wore a powder blue tux with a ruffled shirt and a big velour bowtie. I looked like Tony Orlando."

Blaine considered the name for a moment, but he didn't recognize it. "Was that a designer?" he asked.

"No," Burt laughed.

"No need for half off my outfit," Kurt's voice preceded him from the hallway. He stepped out into the room with a flourish, and Blaine couldn't decide how to feel. Kurt's outfit was a normal suit from the waist up – although it had been embellished – but instead of classic dress pants, he was wearing a kilt.

"Because half of it is already off?" Burt teased.

Blaine felt a surge of affection as he looked at Kurt, who was clearly proud of himself. Kurt never settled for anything, and Blaine imagined how long it had taken Kurt to put this outfit together.

"My ensemble is an homage to the recent royal wedding and the late Alexander McQueen," Kurt explained, ignoring his father's quip, "I had to make it myself. There's simply nothing off the rack that is suitable for the young, fashionable man in Ohio!"

"Dude, that rocks!" Finn said enthusiastically as Kurt twirled to swing the kilt around, "It's like gay Braveheart!"

"I don't like it," Burt said simply, and Blaine was surprised and relieved that Kurt's father seemed to share his unspoken worry about the flashiness of the outfit and what that could mean for the amount of attention Kurt and Blaine would attract at the prom.

"Well of course you don't like it," Kurt scolded, "It's not finished yet! I still think it needs, like, a sash. Or maybe some beads," he suggested to Blaine as he stepped down to stand in front of him. Blaine tried not to laugh as Kurt turned to show him the back. He knew that Kurt was doing it on purpose to tease Blaine in front of his father. He made a mental note to give Kurt a hard time about it later.

"Look, I'm not gonna stop you from wearing it," Burt said, "But I gotta be honest. I think you're just trying to stir the pot a little bit. I think you're trying to get some attention."

Blaine braced himself for what he knew would be an unhappy reaction from Kurt.

"Exactly," Kurt confirmed, "What's the point of dressing up? I mean, that's why some guys wear the tails and the top hat and the girls wear the hoop skirts. I mean, Blaine, help me out here!"

Blaine grimaced. "I think your dad has a point," he admitted, "I– I think what he's trying to say is that we just don't want to give anyone a reason to cause any trouble." Blaine felt slightly guilty as he saw the look of disappointment on Kurt's face.

"There's a lot of bad people out there, Kurt," Burt said, "and they're a lot worse than this Karofsky kid. And all they're looking for is a match to light under the fire of their hate. Of course, I want– I want you to be yourself. But I also... I want you to be practical."

Kurt looked incredibly unhappy. "Okay, I have done everything right," he said as he stepped back up to stand near the entry to the hall. He turned to Blaine. "Now Blaine, I understand that, after what you've been through, you're worried."

Blaine shifted uncomfortably, unsure if Kurt had told Burt and Finn that he had been assaulted at his old school. He could feel Finn looking at him.

"But prom is about joy, not about fear," Kurt said, "Okay? So I am wearing this suit. I worked hard on it, and I think it's fantastic. And if you don't want to join me I completely understand."

Kurt made a dramatic exit back down the hallway toward his bedroom, and Blaine didn't know what to say or do. He started to get up to go after Kurt, but Burt's voice stopped him.

"What happened to you, son?" Burt asked seriously. "And don't you say that it was nothing, because even _I_ can tell that what Kurt just said made you uncomfortable. Is someone threatening you at school?"

Blaine opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked briefly at Finn, who looked confused.

"Finn, I need you to go to your room or something," Burt said immediately. Blaine opened his mouth to argue, but Burt stopped him with a gentle hand gesture. "I want to talk to Blaine alone for a moment."

"Yeah, sure," Finn mumbled, and he quickly left the room.

Blaine felt so uncomfortable that he wished he could sink into the couch and die. Burt was silent, waiting for Blaine to answer his question. Blaine couldn't look at the other man, so he crossed his arms across his chest nervously and looked at anything but Burt as he spoke.

"Everything's great at Dalton," he said. "It was before. At my first high school... it just wasn't a friendly place for someone... if you were gay."

Burt didn't let him off the hook. "And?" the older man asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Blaine sighed. He thought about his own family's dynamic after the assault. They had never been this calm. Although it had been clear that he was upset that his son had been hurt, his father had spent most of his time scolding Blaine for not being more careful. And his mother had said very little. After about a week, when the bruises on Blaine's body started to fade a little and they made the decision to send Blaine to Dalton, they had never spoken about it again. Before he had mentioned it to Kurt at dinner earlier in the week, he hadn't spoken about it in more than a year.

"We had a school dance, and some guys roughed me and my date up a little," Blaine said vaguely.

"And by 'roughed me up'," Burt asked seriously, "You mean what, exactly?"

"I broke my wrist," Blaine admitted. "Falling over. I tried to catch myself."

"Did you have to go to the hospital?" Burt asked. Blaine nodded and rubbed his face with his hands in an attempt to release some of his anxiety.

That seemed to clarify the severity of the situation for Burt. He got up and came to sit down near Blaine on the couch.

"Look at me," Burt said. Blaine obeyed.

"I know Kurt can be kind of pushy when he wants something. Did he pressure you into this?"

"No!" Blaine gasped, gesturing with his hands to reinforce his point, "No, absolutely not. I agreed. It's fine."

Burt looked at him for a moment. "Look," he said after a moment, "I'm real sorry that you had to experience that kind of violence at your old school. Real, real sorry."

Blaine didn't say anything. He stared at his hands.

"You're good for my son, Blaine," Burt said, and Blaine looked up at him again, surprised. "You know, he came home the other day and forced me to sit down and explain to him the rules of football. Kurt! He was pretty vague about why he wanted to know, but I think _I_ know."

Blaine rubbed the base of his neck, feeling warm all over, but he tried not to internalize what Burt was saying so he could keep his emotions in check.

"I guess what I'm saying," Burt continued, "is that you mean a lot to him. And, well, I have to say... I'm starting to feel protective of you, myself."

Blaine still couldn't speak. He couldn't think of words to say to express what he was feeling. Burt continued again, saving him from an awkward silence.

"If, at any point during this prom – or, you know, any time, really – you feel like things have potential to get out of hand, you call me," Burt said sternly. He told Blaine to get his phone out, and he recited his various phone numbers so that Blaine could record them in his contact list.

"I don't know any of the details, of course... but from what Kurt has mentioned, I understand that your parents are... well, maybe a little less affectionate than you might like," Burt said, and Blaine's face burned with embarrassment. "I'm not trying to be your father, or your mother, or anything like that, but... you can come here any time you want. We like having you around, okay? I mean, last week Carole wouldn't stop bugging Kurt about when we would see you again."

Blaine nodded. "Thank you," he managed to whisper.

"You're a good kid," Burt said, reaching out to pat Blaine on the shoulder. "Now," Burt laughed gently, "I think it might be time for you to go and talk to Kurt."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Who is it?" Kurt called, forced cheerfulness in his voice, as Blaine knocked on his bedroom door.

"It's me," Blaine said softly, "Can we talk?"

"I suppose," Kurt said, giving him permission to come into the room.

"Hey," Blaine said as he entered the room. Kurt was sitting at his vanity in a normal outfit. His prom outfit was strewn out all over his bed.

Blaine sighed as Kurt didn't turn to look at him.

"I need to tell you about what happened to me," he admitted nervously.

Kurt shrugged. "Okay."

Blaine felt restless, so he paced slowly around the room as he spoke.

"The dance itself was fine, I guess. We didn't really do much of anything except stand around near the wall. Actually, it was kind of boring."

Blaine wrung his hands, feeling uncomfortable because Kurt wasn't saying anything or looking at him.

"My friend's dad was running late to come and pick us up," Blaine continued, "So we just sat down on the curb in the parking lot to wait."

Kurt suddenly turned and looked at him for the first time since he had entered the bedroom. "You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to," he said quietly. "I wish the reaction to my outfit had been more enthusiastic, it's true, but..." he shrugged, indicating that he would get over it.

"No," Blaine said sadly, "I think I need to tell you. Unless you'd rather not hear it," he amended quickly, wondering if Kurt was scared to hear the story.

Kurt shook his head and motioned with his hands for Blaine to continue.

"I don't know if they came up to us with the intention of being violent," Blaine mused, continuing the story. "But they were definitely looking for an argument. It started with some stupid comments... you know all about that, I guess. All the things that people say. I remember one of them asking if the dance had been magical enough for us."

"We decided to stand up, just because it felt vulnerable sitting on the ground," Blaine sighed. "I don't know, maybe they felt similarly threatened. Like we would unleash some kind of disease on them or something."

Kurt was silent, looking at the ground. Blaine moved to sit down on the edge of the bed. "It got rough in a hurry," he continued. "They were acting really... macho, or whatever. They backed us up against the wall of the gym where the dance was still going on."

He sighed and let himself fall back onto the bed on top of some of Kurt's outfit.

"I guess I was naïve," he said bitterly. "I didn't think they would actually do anything physical. I was really scared, but I tried to be nice to them and... not really talk them down, exactly, but just talk to them. I asked them to go away." He rolled his eyes. "The guy I was with didn't say a word. I think he had a better idea of what was going to happen."

Kurt got up from his vanity and hopped onto the bed, crawling to the middle so he could sit near Blaine's head. Blaine looked at him for a moment, and was grateful that it hadn't been Kurt with him that night. He couldn't stand the idea of Kurt being injured for anything that he was. He had to look away as he continued.

"It started with some shoving. One of the boys shoved me against the wall. And I think their adrenaline and testosterone fueled them on from there. In a few seconds, it was a full-out beating."

Blaine reached up and crossed his arms across the top portion of his face to hide the sudden moisture in his eyes, wishing that he didn't still feel so much residual fear.

"I don't remember it in a chronological sense," he said, seeing it all clearly in the darkness that his arms over his eyes provided, "more like a jumble of little moments. It was mostly just punching and shoving and pulling at our clothes – my jacket was completely ruined – but at one point one of the guys tried to... I guess he tried to sort of throw me in the direction of the street, but I was too heavy. So I just stumbled and fell face-forward to the ground."

He sighed. "I broke my wrist trying to catch myself."

He suddenly felt Kurt's hands on his arms, prying them away from his face, and he had to stop talking.

Kurt scooted to lie down beside Blaine, nestling his head into the side of Blaine's neck. Blaine could feel his breath on his skin. Kurt threw an arm across Blaine's chest and squeezed him gently.

"I had to go to the hospital," Blaine said after a moment. "I had a cast on my wrist for seven weeks."

He felt Kurt sigh heavily. "I'm so sorry," he said after a moment.

"I've never told anyone except my family before," Blaine admitted.

Kurt propped himself up so he could see Blaine's face. "Not even your friends at Dalton?" he looked surprised. Blaine nodded.

"I told them I was chased out of my old school for being gay, but I didn't mention the details," he admitted.

"Thanks for telling me," Kurt said.

"Thanks for inviting me to the prom," Blaine said softly. "I think I need to try again."

"Courage?" Kurt suggested. Blaine grinned.

"Courage," he confirmed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and motioned to Kurt's outfit, partially hidden under their bodies on the bed.

"You look amazing in this," he said, "and I can't wait to see how jealous everyone is when I get to walk in with you."

Kurt giggled and straightened his shirt, pleased. He sat up and leaned over to kiss Blaine's cheek.

"Salty," he smiled gently, licking his lips.

Blaine shook his head in amusement, and reached out for a real kiss, hoping that he could convince Kurt with the urgency of the kiss how grateful he was to have finally let his secret out.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Oh my goodness, look at you two!" Carole cried as she hurried into the room where Kurt and Finn were waiting. She grabbed Finn and hugged him tightly before reaching out for Kurt. She kissed him on the cheek, and Kurt was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"You both look so handsome," she sighed.

"Oh god, Mom," Finn whined. "Please stop."

Kurt twirled around so that his kilt fanned out. Carole and Finn laughed.

"Mom, I really need to go," Finn said. "Quinn's kinda paranoid about this whole prom thing, so I don't want to be late."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "How is it that _you_ attract such high-maintenance girls?"

Finn shrugged.

Burt laughed, overhearing the conversation as he entered the room. "Don't be mean to your brother, Kurt," he said happily. "Sometimes the ladies just can't resist a down-to-earth man."

Kurt rolled his eyes again.

"Wait, I need a photo of you two together before you go," Carole gushed, the family's camera in her hands. "Okay, there you go, stand just like that." She motioned excitedly for them to stand next to each other.

Kurt smiled happily for the photo. His stomach was churning with nervousness. Blaine had refused to tell him anything about what he was wearing, and Kurt couldn't wait to see him.

"See you there, dude," Finn said. Kurt waved as the other boy left the room to go to Quinn's house.

"Oh! Hey man," he heard Finn's muffled voice a moment later. "I didn't hit you with the door did I? Okay, good. Yeah, they're in there. See you there!"

Kurt bounced on the balls of his feet. He knew it was Blaine. He ignored the look that Carole and Burt exchanged at his expense, and he skipped forward to greet Blaine at the end of the hallway.

"Hi!" Kurt squeaked as he saw Blaine in his black tuxedo. His heart threatened to pound out of his chest.

"Hi, yourself," Blaine teased. He held up a box. "Boutonnière?" he offered.

Kurt snatched the box from his hands and ripped the top off. Two identical boutonnières made of pink carnations were nestled inside. He grabbed one gently out of the box and reached out to pin it on Blaine's jacket.

"No, wait!" Carole cried happily. "I need pictures!"

They posed for multiple photographs as they pinned the flowers on each other's jackets. Both boys smiled widely the entire time. Kurt felt like he was living in a fairy tale.

Carole took multiple photographs of the two boys together, and a few of Kurt and Burt. Finally, she insisted that Burt take one of her and both boys.

"You boys have fun, okay?" She said happily as they made their way to the door.

Blaine stepped out the door first, and Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder. "Have fun tonight, Kurt," his father said, and Kurt smiled wildly. He stepped back into the house to hug Burt for a moment, and then skipped out the door to the car.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Isn't it great that the prom is so inclusive this year?" Kurt suggested. Blaine nodded absentmindedly, feeling uneasy as people slow danced around them. He wondered if Kurt wanted to dance. He definitely wasn't comfortable enough for that. He hoped that Kurt wouldn't ask.

"There's someone for everyone," he agreed vaguely.

"Even if it's a lie," Kurt added, and Blaine followed his line of sight to see Karofsky dancing with Santana.

Blaine didn't know how to feel about Karofsky. Kurt had told him the day before about Karofsky's tearful apology, but Blaine was still worried. As much as it was Blaine's nature to take people at their word, he didn't want Kurt to get his hopes up only to have Karofsky hurt him again, mentally or physically. He decided to feel cautiously optimistic.

"God," Kurt moaned dramatically, "look at Rachel. Could she be _any_ more obvious? Poor Finn."

Blaine had to laugh. "Hey, what about 'poor Rachel'? Finn isn't particularly stable when it comes to being a good boyfriend."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You are always sticking up for Rachel."

Blaine smirked at him.

"Having a good time?" Kurt asked shyly.

Blaine nodded. "This is definitely more... classy than the last one."

"Did you seriously just apply the word 'classy' to this school?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

Blaine shrugged.

"You look so handsome," Blaine said after a moment of comfortable silence. "I think you were right about your outfit."

Kurt's smile lit up his entire face. "You look perfect," he returned the compliment.

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "High praise, indeed."

They both laughed.

"Hey, Blaine," Mr. Schu suddenly appeared beside them, "You're up next if you're ready."

"Sure," Blaine nodded. Kurt raised his hand for a high five, and Blaine obliged before hurrying after the director to warm up before his song.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

_You are the girl that I've been dreaming of  
><em>

_Ever since I was a little girl  
><em>

_You are the girl that I've been dreaming of  
><em>

_Ever since I was a little girl_

Kurt smiled broadly as he watched Blaine dance and sing. Blaine had not resisted the idea of performing as strongly as Kurt had expected, and Kurt could guess why. Blaine looked so at home on the stage; all of his nervousness was gone and he was just performing.

_One!  
><em>

_I'm biting my tongue  
><em>

_Two!  
><em>

_He's kissing on you  
><em>

_Three!  
><em>

_Oh, why can't you see?  
><em>

_One! Two! Three! Four!  
><em>

_The word's on the streets and it's on the news:  
><em>

_I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you_

Kurt felt a swell of pride as he danced along to the upbeat song. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would have a date to his junior prom. Much less a date who was actually his boyfriend. He had to resist the urge to grab people nearby and make sure that they knew Blaine was his boyfriend.

_He's got two left feet and he bites my moves  
><em>

_I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!  
><em>

_The second I do, I know we're gonna be through  
><em>

_I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you  
><em>

_He don't suspect a thing, I wish he'd get a clue  
><em>

_I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!  
><em>

_Dance!_

Kurt was surprised to notice a disturbance in the middle of the dance floor. He glanced at Blaine, but fortunately the other boy didn't seem to notice.

_One!_

_Two!_

_Three!_

_One! Two! Three! Four!  
><em>

_The word's on the streets and it's on the news:  
><em>

_He's got two left feet and he bites my moves  
><em>

_I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance!_

_Dance!_

The song ended, and Kurt's eyes widened as he saw that the disturbance involved Finn. He stared as Sue hurried by, dragging Finn and Jesse St. James. He hoped that word wouldn't get back to his father or Carole until later in the evening.

"Hey," Blaine's voice whispered in his ear, and Kurt turned to smile at him. The other boy was slightly out of breath from the song.

"You okay?" Kurt asked vaguely.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed, furrowing his brow. "Why?"

"No reason," Kurt said. "You were _amazing_ up there," he changed the subject.

Blaine smiled widely. "Thanks!"

Kurt giggled. "I want to kiss you so badly right now," he admitted.

Blaine looked around, a hint of fear in his eyes, and Kurt threw his hands in the air. "I'm not going to, please. I'm not that ridiculous. I just _want_ to."

Blaine laughed nervously, but his smile was genuine. "Maybe later," he winked.

They were interrupted by Principal Figgins, who stepped up to the microphone to announce the results of the prom king and prom queen vote.

"Here we go," Kurt groaned, "There's no chance that this will result in drama. No way at all."

Blaine laughed. "Come on," he grabbed Kurt's sleeve. "Let's get close enough to actually see some of the drama go down."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"And now, your 2011 McKinley High prom queen, with an overwhelming number of write-in votes, is... Kurt Hummel."

For a moment it sounded like someone else's name, and Kurt felt confused. But suddenly there was a spotlight shining in his face, and he felt the blood rushing out of his head. He stumbled back slightly, hoping that he wouldn't faint. He felt blind and deaf and paralyzed.

All of the joy, all of the excitement, and all of the hope that he had placed on the prom evaporated, and he felt as if he was never going to be okay again.

He didn't even realize that he was running until he was confronted with a door. He pushed it open and continued running.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine wasn't surprised when Kurt turned without a word and ran away. He raced after the taller boy, calling his name. "Kurt, stop!" he could hear his voice clearly in the otherwise silent gymnasium, "Kurt!"

He chased Kurt out the door and into the nearly empty hallway outside the gym.

"I've never been so humiliated!" he heard Kurt cry as they ran. He tried not to think about what had just happened – he needed to be able to hold things together for Kurt.

"Stop! Stop, Kurt, please! Just stop, come on," he begged, and finally Kurt stopped and turned around. Blaine's heart ached as he saw the devastation on Kurt's face.

"Don't you get how stupid we were?" Kurt said, unconsciously grouping himself and Blaine together, "We thought that, because no one was teasing us or beating us up that no one cared. Like some kind of progress had been made. But it's still the same."

Blaine knew how happy Kurt had been since his return to McKinley. Things had been better. Things had _seemed_ better.

"It's just a stupid joke," he said in a desperate attempt to make Kurt feel better.

"No it's not," Kurt snapped. "All that hate. They were just afraid to say it out loud. So they did it by secret ballot. I'm one big anonymous practical joke."

Kurt moved to pace down the hallway, but Blaine stepped in front of him. He knew that Kurt wasn't always open to being touched, especially when he was upset, so Blaine opened his arms slightly, leaving the decision up to Kurt.

Kurt launched himself into the hug, crying hysterically. Blaine squeezed him as tightly as he could, unable to think of anything to say to make things better.

After a moment, Kurt pulled away. Blaine could tell that he was waging internal warfare between his hurt and his anger.

"I'm not going back in there. No way," Kurt said bitterly. He chewed on one of his fingers, and Blaine moved to sit down with his back to a row of lockers. He knew that Kurt was going to need time to make the decision. Kurt paced back and forth in front of Blaine, his face a kaleidoscope of emotion.

"Would you at least sit down?" Blaine offered, hoping to calm the other boy down. Kurt ignored him.

"Do you wanna go?" Blaine suggested, "We don't have to go back in there."

Kurt turned to look at him. "Wasn't this prom supposed to be about redemption? About taking away that lump you had in your throat from running away? If we leave, all it's gonna do is give me a lump too."

Blaine wished that everything had happened the way Kurt had imagined it. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

Kurt paused for a moment.

"I'm going to go back in there and get coronated," Kurt decided, "I'm gonna show them that it doesn't matter if they are yelling at me or whispering behind my back. They can't touch me."

Kurt's voice grew more determined with every word, and Blaine had never felt so proud of anyone in his entire life.

"They can't touch _us_," Kurt amended fervently, dropping to his knees next to Blaine, "Or what we have."

Blaine sat up, leaned forward, and kissed Kurt softly on the lips. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me," Blaine whispered.

He reached into his jacked for a tissue, and Kurt wiped his nose as Blaine stood up. He reached out his hand to help Kurt up.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

Kurt grabbed his hand and stood up. He didn't answer.

The hallway was empty, so they held hands on the walk back to the gymnasium door. As Kurt reached out to open it, he turned to look at Blaine.

"Courage," Blaine whispered, and Kurt slid past him into the room.

Blaine stayed where he was and let the door close behind the other boy. As soon as Kurt was out of view, Blaine's knees began to shake and he reached out to lean on the wall for support. He leaned his forehead against the cool wall for a moment and took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. He felt insane, like this was all a giant hallucination.

After a moment, he stood up and straightened his jacket, knowing that he needed to return to the gymnasium. He had to be there for Kurt for whatever was going to come next. He took one final deep breath, and gently pushed the door open to slip into the large room.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The silence in the room was rang in Kurt's ears as Principal Figgins placed a crown on his head and handed him a small scepter with a crown on one end.

Kurt hadn't looked behind him to see if Blaine was following him into the gym, so he didn't know where Blaine was in the room, but Blaine's message was loud in his mind. Courage.

"Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton," he quipped into the microphone.

For a moment there was no reaction. But then Kurt saw Rachel jump up and down, and she clapped her hands, which seemed to break the tension. The audience applauded, and Kurt heard a few of his friends cheering and whistling their enthusiasm.

"And now," Principal Figgins said to the room, "behold the tradition of our 2011 prom king and queen sharing their first dance."

Karofsky walked over, and he and Kurt descended the stage's stairs side-by-side.

"Now's your moment," Kurt said calmly.

"What?" Karofsky asked, sounding panicked.

"Come out. Make a difference," Kurt suggested. He couldn't just allow this moment to pass without at least trying to redeem his junior prom experience.

"I can't," Karfosky gasped. To his surprise, Kurt felt nothing but pity for the larger boy. Kurt remembered what it felt like; the desperation to stay in the closet and avoid judgment. He remembered when he had finally told Mercedes about his sexuality and how resistant he had been to telling anyone else.

Karofsky rushed away. Kurt could feel all of the eyes in the room looking at him, standing alone in the open space the crowd had created for the dance. He felt isolated and humiliated. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood where he was and hoped that the floor would swallow him.

"Excuse me?" Blaine's voice suddenly broke through the panic in his mind, and Kurt felt a flood of relief as he turned to see the dark-haired boy standing in the little clearing with him. Blaine looked at him for a moment, and Kurt felt a surge of delight at the affection in Blaine's eyes. "May I have this dance?" Blaine asked formally, extending a hand.

Kurt wanted to jump up and down with joy. "Yes," he gasped happily, "Yes, you may."

He took Blaine's hand, and the other boy surprised him by pulling him close until there was no space between them. Blaine interlaced his fingers with Kurt's, trapping the small scepter in between their palms.

Neither boy spoke as they started to dance. Kurt was very aware of the people watching, but he turned his attention to Blaine as the other boy increased the tempo of their dance. He was smiling; trying to cheer Kurt up.

Kurt was grateful as he saw Rachel make the decision to join the dance. It took some of the attention off of the two boys as others joined in, dancing to the upbeat song.

Blaine winked at him and twisted Kurt's arm gently to force him to spin around. Kurt laughed as he twirled out of Blaine's embrace. He grasped at his crown to keep it from falling off.

"_You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life_," Blaine sang along playfully as they danced. Kurt twirled the scepter, no longer caring if anyone was watching them. This was everything he had wanted this night to be. He laughed at Blaine's happy expression as a bunch of colorful balloons fell from the ceiling.

Blaine grabbed him around the waist again and pulled him in to dance properly, and Kurt couldn't resist. He leaned in and pecked a kiss on Blaine's lips. Blaine surprised him by just laughing and snatching the crown off of Kurt's head to put it on his own. Kurt pretended to glare at him, and Blaine quickly returned the headpiece.

The song ended, and Blaine grabbed his hand. "Come on," he said. He pulled Kurt over to get their photograph taken.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE<strong>

When they were done smiling for the camera, Blaine was surprised when someone tapped him on the back. He turned to find Mercedes smiling vibrantly at him.

"I'm borrowing him," Mercedes declared, pointing at Kurt. Sam was beginning a rendition of Justin Bieber's _Baby_ on the stage, and Blaine released Kurt into Mercedes' arms.

Blaine watched the duo rush away to the dance floor, chattering excitedly, and he smiled. He noticed Quinn having her photo taken by herself, and he smiled. He wondered if Kurt would be jealous, and he laughed at the thought.

"Hey, Quinn!" he said cheerfully as she walked away from the photo area. He held out his hand. "Want to dance?"

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, and he tried to look as innocent as possible. After a moment, Quinn decided that it was okay and Blaine took her out to the dance floor to join Kurt and Mercedes.

Blaine felt only marginally guilty when, by the end of the song, he was dancing with Kurt again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, what does everyone think? Good? Bad? Ugly?<strong>_

_**I LOVE THIS EPISODE. I mean, I don't even think I can properly describe the amount of flailing that I did when I watched it for the first time and Blaine came up to ask Kurt to dance. It was fangirling of the most epic proportions. It's the throwback to their first meeting with the "excuse me?". I can't even.**_

_**Also, I love how Blaine joins in to perform at the prom. Everyone in the audience must have been like WHO IS THAT GUY? I like to think that he is just such a sucker for performing that he couldn't resist after Kurt bugged him about it a little bit. ;)**_

_**Blaine's so nice... I think if he noticed Quinn all alone and Kurt was busy, of course he would do the sweet thing and ask her to dance! And she would be like "do I even know you, really?"... but Blaine's charm won her over.**_

_**I hope my explanation of Blaine's Sadie Hawkins dance experience was okay! I don't even know where that talk with Burt came from... my original plan was for Blaine to just jump up and run after Kurt, but my brain was like NO, BURT WANTS TO TALK TO HIM. :) And I figure that gave Kurt a moment to calm down a little.**_

_**Up next... 'Funeral'!**_


	16. 2x21: Funeral

_**Okay, this is DEFINITELY going to be the shortest one of the lot. It's just one conversation... but a fun and important one for Kurt and Blaine! (Blaine's not in this episode, so here I go making things up again!) A bit of a one-shot that just happens to fit in nicely with the timeline, I guess. :)**_

_**I have absolutely GOT to get some sleep now, so if I haven't responded to your review or message yet, don't worry! I will shower you all with love tomorrow after I post the last chapter, I promise!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Blaine linked his arm through Kurt's as they maneuvered the crowded hallways of the mall. Ever since the prom, Blaine had seemed more comfortable with public displays of affection, but this was even more casual than usual.

"You seem cheerful today," Kurt commented with a raised eyebrow. "Even for you."

Blaine winked at him. "Maybe I am."

Kurt narrowed his eyes, but did not pry further.

They grabbed some coffee in the food court, and settled down at a table to enjoy their drinks.

"This is far inferior to the Lima Bean," Kurt commented seriously as they sat down.

Blaine laughed and reached into his bag. He pulled out a fist-sized box, wrapped in silver paper with a blue bow, and he reached across the table to set it down directly in front of Kurt.

"What's this?" Kurt's heart fluttered as he looked at Blaine, who was smiling so broadly that Kurt thought his face might split open. Blaine didn't say anything, but he motioned for Kurt to open the small package and took a sip of his coffee.

Kurt felt himself blushing furiously as he ripped the paper off the box and looked up at Blaine once more. "Open it," Blaine sounded slightly hysterical, and Kurt's curiosity was spiked as he pulled the top off of the small box.

The box was rigged to hold a huge ring. But it wasn't metal and stone. It was a Ring Pop. The plastic ring was blue, and the candy gem was red.

Kurt's eyes flew back up to Blaine's.

Blaine's eyes twinkled. "Remember the other night when we were out with everyone after the prom?"

Kurt nodded.

"Someone may have shown me a video."

"What are you even talking about?" Kurt demanded, amused at his boyfriend's obvious delight.

Blaine reached across the table and plucked the ring out of the box.

"_If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it,"_ Blaine sang playfully.

As Kurt's mouth fell open in shock, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and slid the candy ring onto his finger.

"Someone showed you that?" Kurt squeaked as he pulled his hand back to look at the candy ring.

"I know it's silly," Blaine shrugged happily.

"No," Kurt breathed. "No, it's not silly at all." Kurt felt like he was going to explode with affection for the dark-haired boy across the table. He kissed the top of the ring to get the taste of the candy on his lips before reaching across the table to grab Blaine's tie and pull him over the table for a kiss.

"I officially have a new favorite candy," Blaine teased as they fell back into their seats.

"You make me feel like I can take on the world," Kurt breathed happily.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"That's because you _can_, Kurt," Blaine laughed.

"True," Kurt quipped with a grin. "But will you stick around anyway?"

Blaine's heart rate accelerated as Kurt alluded to a future together. He nodded. Kurt blushed and looked down at the candy ring on his finger.

"Remember when you told me that you weren't very good at romance?" Kurt asked lightheartedly. Blaine laughed, knowing what he was going to say next, "Well, don't ever say that again."

"It's worth it to see that look on your face," Blaine admitted.

Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment. "What're your plans for college?" he asked. Blaine frowned.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"I'm going to New York," Kurt said seriously.

"You haven't even been there yet," Blaine laughed lightly, "How do you know you won't hate it?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "I just know."

Blaine smiled at him, amused.

"Will you come with me?" Kurt blurted out, blushing furiously.

"What?" Blaine asked, although he had understood.

"I just... I know it's crazy. We're not even out of high school... who knows what the next year will bring? But just imagine New York. Together. We could get a tiny apartment and be poor students and struggling artists together. And I will do all the cooking. And cleaning. And you can do the laundry, but only if I show you how not to ruin my things. And –" Kurt stopped abruptly and clasped a hand over his mouth as he realized that he was carried away.

"You've thought about it that much?" Blaine asked breathlessly. He loosened his tie.

"I can't imagine it without you," Kurt admitted shyly, spinning the Ring Pop Blaine had just given him around on the end of his finger.

Blaine had thought about it before, too, but never with such a specific place in mind. He imagined it for a moment. Coming home every evening to Kurt in a rundown apartment in the city.

"I can't wait to see you on Broadway for the first time," Blaine grinned.

"So," Kurt smiled, reprising their conversation before prom, "I'll take that as a yes?"

Blaine nodded. "Your powers of observation blow my mind," he teased.

Kurt giggled. "I wish you could come with us to New York for Nationals," he admitted.

"Me too," Blaine agreed. "I'll just live it vicariously through you for now."

"For now," Kurt agreed, and he stuck the Ring Pop in his mouth as both boys silently considered their future together.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh my god, I had this Ring Pop idea WAY back when they first met – because really, someone was going to HAVE to show Blaine the Single Ladies video at some point, right? – and then Glee went and used it on the show between two other characters! I was like NOOOOOOOOO. So yeah, I swear I had the idea in my mind before that, but whatever. I think it's adorable – I can just imagine Blaine being so proud of himself for thinking of it. I guess I could have had Blaine give him a "real" ring, but I think they're still too young for that kind of seriousness. Maybe in season 3. Or in a season 4 spinoff. WHICH I DESPERATELY WANT, BY THE WAY. I'm not even sure that I can describe in words how much I want a spinoff with Rachel, Finn, Kurt, and Blaine in New York for college. It would basically make my life complete. DO YOU HEAR THAT, GLEE?<strong>_

_**Ahem.**_

_**Kurt says in the next episode that he talked to Blaine and that Blaine's on board to move to New York, so... they had to talk about it! I tried to be kinda vague on the details, because I have no clue what the writers of Glee will do in the season between now and any kind of potential college experience for Kurt and Blaine. I wouldn't even be surprised if they have personality transplants and decide to become botanists or something. As long as Kurt and Blaine are together in the end, I can deal with pretty much anything. I think.**_

_**Speaking of Glee: TOMORROW (or, well, today) IS THE BIG DAY! I'm going to have to post the next chapter/season 2 finale episode tomorrow/later today (sorry, it's just after midnight here)... I've got somewhere I have to be about two hours before the premiere (BOO, I AM GOING TO MISS IT AND HAVE TO WATCH IT ON WEDNESDAY), so it will DEFINITELY be up by then!**_

_**I'll say it again tomorrow when I post the final chapter (for season 2, anyway!), but thank you all so, so much for sticking this out with me. It has been so much fun for me, and I just don't think I could really explain how much I appreciate all of your support.**_

_**Up next... New York! And the end of season 2!**_


	17. 2x22: New York

_**Alright, guys, it's the end of season two! (Season three starts airing tonight, YAY!) I'm so happy that I managed to finish the episodes from the second season before the start of the new season, because this is season two Klaine. Uninfluenced by whatever craziness is coming our way in season three! I'm sure events of season three will negate some of the things I made up along the way so far, but that's okay!**_

_**I'll explain a little bit about the future of this story at the end, but here at the beginning let me just say... I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Are you nervous?" Blaine grinned, turning briefly to look at Kurt, who was wringing his hands.

"Eyes on the road," Kurt cried, throwing his hands toward the front of the car, "I'm having enough transportation-related anxiety right now!"

Blaine couldn't hold back his laughter as he made a dramatic turn to watch the road again.

"I could _die_!" Kurt squealed, but Blaine could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Well, you have said on multiple occasions that you are _dying_ to go to New York," Blaine teased, and Kurt pretended to burst into tears. Blaine reached over and took Kurt's hand in his. "It's going to be fine," he squeezed Kurt's hand tightly; "It's not a long flight, right? And you'll be so distracted by how beautiful everything is above the clouds that you won't even have time to be scared."

Kurt's silence said that he wasn't convinced. Blaine rubbed the back of Kurt's hand with his thumb, and there was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as both young men were lost in thought. As they drove into the airport, Kurt pulled Blaine's hand up, kissed it, and released it.

"You can just drop me off at the door, you know," Kurt said shyly, "everyone else will be here soon, if they're not here already."

"I am _not_ going to dump you off at the door of the airport for your first-ever flight," Blaine chided gently as he parked the car, "And anyway, the only reason your dad let me bring you in the first place is if I promised not to let you out of my sight until you were safely in the security line."

They dragged Kurt's luggage into the airport, and Blaine knew better than to ask why Kurt needed two large suitcases for less than a week away.

"Kurt!" Mr. Schuester called to them as they entered the airport, and suddenly they were surrounded by the excited members of New Directions.

"Mr. Schu," Brittany grabbed their teacher's arm, "Don't look over there – he might see you; the Warblers sent a spy."

Blaine smiled brightly, "Hey, Brittany!" he motioned to Kurt and his multiple bags, "I'm just here as Kurt's boyfriend today."

Brittany scrutinized him for a moment before accepting his reasoning with a solemn nod. Blaine turned around to see Kurt blushing. He had a giant smile on his face. Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Boyfriend," Kurt shrugged happily.

Blaine made a point to brush closely against Kurt as he moved to grab both of Kurt's bags and follow the rest of the group to the ticket counter.

Before they knew it, everyone was checked in and it was time for the McKinley students to pass through security to catch their flight. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and held him back momentarily. He could feel Kurt trembling, and he could see that Kurt's eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.

So, instead of saying anything, Blaine quickly stepped forward, took Kurt's face in his hands, and kissed him gently. He felt Kurt relax at his touch, and he smiled against Kurt's lips. After a moment, he pulled away from the kiss and wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck to pull him into a tight hug.

"Good luck at Nationals," he breathed into Kurt's ear.

Kurt's arms tightened around Blaine's waist and he leaned back, picking Blaine up off the ground for a moment. Blaine laughed as his feet touched the ground again.

As he released Kurt and stepped back, he could see that Kurt was still trying to hold himself together. Blaine felt his heart clench with affection. He grabbed Kurt's shoulders, turned him toward the security line, and nudged him gently forward.

Kurt didn't look back. Blaine watched him until he was out of sight.

As he was climbing into his car a few minutes later, his phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket, and smiled as he saw Kurt's name.

_You were right. These were not the best shoes to wear through airport security. Don't even think about telling me 'I told you so'._

Blaine laughed as he remembered that particular conversation. Before he could type a response, another message from Kurt popped up on the small screen, and he knew that Kurt was going to be fine.

_Thanks for knowing me so well. Coffee date when I get home?_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hello?" Blaine answered his phone, excited to talk to Kurt. He had received a number of highly enthusiastic text messages from Kurt the previous day (New Directions' first in the city), but this was the first phone call. It was the night before the competition.

"I sang on a Broadway stage," Kurt gushed immediately, so quickly that Blaine thought he had misunderstood. He laughed.

"Woah, slow down! Say that again?"

"I. sang. on. a. Broadway. stage," Kurt repeated, pronouncing each word carefully and slowly.

"Do not lie to me, Kurt Hummel," Blaine said.

"It's _not_ a lie!" Kurt squealed. "Guess which theater."

"I am not even going to humor you right now," Blaine scolded lightly.

"Blaine Anderson, you guess right now. _I am serious_."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Majestic," he guessed without much thought.

"No," Kurt giggled.

"Oh my god, you are not–"

"Guess again," Kurt was starting to sound slightly hysterical, and Blaine narrowed his eyes.

"Are you _actually_ serious? How did you–"

"_Just guess!_"

"Gershwin," Blaine mumbled.

"_Yes!_" Kurt shouted, "And oh my god, it was amazing. And before that we went to breakfast at Tiffany's, which is, like, the coolest thing I've ever done! You have no idea. Except, no, it _was_ the coolest thing I'd ever done. Until later. And we talked about coming here for college – Rachel's on board, but we're still unsure about Finn – and, you know, I really think that Rachel might actually be okay after all, but don't tell her I said that. And oh my _god_, she ran into Patti LuPone last night. _Patti LuPone_! I take back what I just said about her being okay, because she didn't even get a photo with her or anything. Of _course_ she ran into Patti LuPone _after_ she and I went out. God..."

"Kurt! Wait, just... stop for a second!" Blaine gasped into the phone. "What are– how even–"

"I'm never coming back to Ohio again!" Kurt cried happily.

"Is someone there with you?" Blaine laughed, "You sound a little bit insane."

"Only eight million other people!" Kurt sang.

Blaine sank into his desk chair and rubbed his forehead happily. "Kurt, what are you talking about?"

He heard Kurt take a deep breath, and when he spoke again he sounded marginally calmer.

"We broke into the Gershwin Theater, and the security guard let us sing on the stage."

"_What?_" Blaine gasped.

"I'm serious!" Kurt giggled. "Wait... just a second..." his voice was suddenly harder to hear, and Blaine frowned. Suddenly, his phone beeped in his ear to let him know that he had a text message. He pulled the phone away from his ear to find a photo message from Kurt. It was a photograph of him and Rachel on the Gershwin stage.

"Oh my god," Blaine breathed. "Kurt!" he nearly dropped the phone as he lifted it back up to his ear, "Oh. my. god."

"I know," Kurt sighed blissfully.

There was a sudden increase in activity on Kurt's end of the phone.

"Blaine, of course," he heard Kurt say. Blaine realized that Kurt must've been alone in the room he was sharing with the ladies of New Directions, and at least a few of them had returned.

"Hi Blaine!" He heard a chorus of female voices shouting. Blaine laughed.

"Ugh," Kurt said, "I have to go. I guess we're rehearsing."

"I cannot believe you just called me and teased all of that stuff and now you have to go," Blaine scolded halfheartedly.

"I miss you," Kurt said sweetly.

"I miss you too," Blaine shook his head in amusement. "Text me tomorrow or something, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt agreed. "And I will tell you _everything_ when I get home. Bye!"

"Good luck tomorrow," Blaine said, and he ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt hung up his phone and bounced up off the bed. "Okay, _god_, I'm coming!" He groaned at the girls in the room.

"You two are quite possibly the cutest couple in the entire world," Mercedes laughed. "_I miss you_", she quoted, imitating Kurt's tone of voice. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Just because _some_ of us can find a stable relationship..." Kurt teased all of them.

"How is it that _Kurt_, of all of us, has a stable relationship?" Santana whined. Kurt glared at her.

"Meet us down in the lobby," Tina said to Kurt, "we're heading out to the theater for rehearsal in ten minutes."

Kurt nodded, and the girls left the room. He grabbed his things and made sure the door latched behind him as he stepped into the hallway. Puck was passing by the door.

"Hey, uh, Puck?" Kurt reached out to tap Puck's arm as he walked past.

"What's up?" Puck said cheerfully, turning back to face Kurt.

Kurt hesitated, and Puck frowned. "You're not having boyfriend problems, are you? Because I can't choose sides between you and my man Blaine."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No. It's the opposite, actually."

"Woah," Puck said, crossing his arms across his chest, "I don't know anything about that stuff."

"Oh god," Kurt groaned. "Will you stop thinking for one second? I just want to say thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome?" Puck said, perplexed.

Kurt smiled. "Without you, I would never have met Blaine."

"What?" Puck said, looking more confused than ever.

"That day when we were working on our boys-versus-girls mash-up. You told me to go visit the Warblers."

"Oh," Puck remembered.

"So," Kurt continued, "just... thank you for being a jerk and sending me to meet Blaine. Even though you didn't know it, you changed my entire life that day."

Puck sprang forward and scooped Kurt up in a hug. Kurt flailed for a moment before Puck released him.

"I'm happy for you, my man," Puck said sincerely. And then he leaned forward, his face intense. "If anyone ever gives you two a hard time, you just call me, okay? I will beat them down."

"Okay." Kurt squeaked, leaning away from Puck's intense gaze.

"Alright," Puck stood up straight again and grinned, and he turned around to run to catch up with Finn near the elevator at the end of the hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Oh my god, you should have seen it," Kurt gushed, "We all looked at the top ten list for showcase, and we all just went numb. And then Jesse kept going on and on about how Rachel and Finn's kiss is what cost us Nationals."

Kurt had started from the very beginning and had not spared any details, so Blaine knew the story. "While I understand passion, I do think that was unprofessional," he interrupted, "But sorry, keep going."

"Okay," Kurt continued animatedly, "then we get back to the hotel, and Santana _loses it_."

"Scary," Blaine imagined.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed.

"I mean, and the plane ride home was completely silent," Kurt continued. "Like, no one said a word. We all just sat there with our faces buried in our complimentary copies of Sky Mall."

As Blaine watched Kurt gush about what had happened, he recalled Kurt's demeanor after the Warblers' loss at Regionals. Kurt had been incredibly unhappy about not moving on.

"Wait," Blaine said, "I don't get it. You don't seem that sad at all."

Kurt shrugged. "It was still amazing. I mean, I flew in a plane for the first time in my life. I had breakfast at Tiffany's. I sang on a Broadway stage."

It was everything Blaine loved about Kurt all at once. His enthusiasm. His optimism. His self-assuredness.

"I love you," he said, unable and unwilling to stop himself.

Kurt, who had just taken a drink of his coffee, had to take a moment to swallow the drink. "I love you too," he responded, looking mildly shocked.

Blaine felt content. He felt more confident about his future than he had ever felt before.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Blaine told him that he loved him, Kurt felt a swell of emotion and had to concentrate on not choking on his coffee. He returned the words, although they came out sounding less emotional than he intended. The three words together felt strange on his lips; he told his father that he loved him all the time, but that was a different kind of love. The kind of love he felt for Blaine wasn't like anything he had ever felt before, and saying it out loud made the metaphorical butterflies in his stomach flutter out of control.

"You know, when you stop and think about it... Kurt Hummel has had a pretty good year," Kurt concluded.

He was distracted by the sight of two of his friends behind Blaine. "Oh, look who's here!" he said cheerfully.

Blaine almost choked on _his_ coffee as he turned to see who Kurt was talking about. "Hey, what're you guys doing here?" he greeted Sam and Mercedes.

"Uh, just getting a coffee," Sam said.

"We ran into each other in the parking lot," Mercedes added.

"We're on our way to get some sheet music," Blaine explained, "Tomorrow's my audition for the summer show at Six Flags." He crossed his fingers.

"Whereas I'm spending my summer composing 'Pip, Pip, Hooray!'," Kurt informed them. "The Broadway musical about Pippa Middleton."

"I have no idea who that is, but it sounds totally awesome," Sam said kindly. Mercedes laughed and smacked his arm gently. Kurt thought about how the two had interacted since the prom. He decided not to inquire; Mercedes would tell him eventually if there was something more than friendship going on between them.

"Uh, we'll see you in class!" Mercedes smiled.

"Bye guys!" Blaine waved.

"Okay, so here are the nominees for my song tomorrow," Blaine said, turning back to Kurt. "It's a musical theater kind of gig, so I was thinking maybe something Disney. _Go The Distance_?"

"I am shocked," Kurt smirked. "Not a girl's song?"

Blaine returned the smirk. "A solo version of _I See The Light_, then?"

Kurt shrugged noncommittally, but his eyes twinkled.

"What about Elton John's version of _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_?" Blaine mused.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything after 'Elton John'," Kurt teased.

"I guess it will depend on what kind of sheet music they have at the store, anyway," Blaine laughed. "Ready?"

As they gathered their things, Kurt thought about the past year. He thought about the beginning of the school year, when he had been sure that he would never feel this kind of contentment. When the closest thing he had to a boyfriend was a slight crush on Sam. He thought about his father's heart attack, and his subsequent rebound and marriage. He thought about the terror he had endured at the hands of a closeted and tormented young man, and about the day he had told his friends that he was leaving them to escape the fear.

But mostly, he thought about the dark haired young man who was chatting excitedly as they walked to the car, coffee cups in hand. He thought about the day they met; the first time he saw Blaine's face at the bottom of the stairs and the first time he heard Blaine sing. He thought about how patient Blaine had been with him as he adjusted to the atmosphere at Dalton. He thought about competing with the Warblers, and their many impromptu performances. He thought about Pavarotti, and the day when Blaine had finally realized that he and Kurt were perfect for each other. He thought about their first kiss, and all their subsequent kisses. And their conversation about a future together. He thought about how much he missed seeing Blaine every day since he had transferred back to McKinley, and how much he appreciated the other boy's efforts to make the distance seem like a trivial issue in their relationship.

"I really do love you," he said, grabbing Blaine's arm before he could open the door to the car. Blaine turned, surprised, and smiled at him.

"I know," he said sincerely.

Kurt dropped his bag so he could reach out to kiss Blaine properly. The other boy laughed softly and returned the kiss, and Kurt knew that, as good as this year had been, the next year had potential to be even better.

* * *

><p><em><strong>THE END! Or... the end of season two!<strong>_

_**GUYS, WE GET NEW KLAINE. TONIGHT. Excuse me while I go and die from excitement overload. Someone revive me for the premiere later.**_

_**I don't think I can properly express the amount of gratitude that I feel for the kindness and enthusiasm that you all have shown me over the past few weeks as I attempted to delve a little deeper into Kurt and Blaine's experiences in season two. I didn't even know if anyone would want to read about it, much less feel inspired to comment/review and wait for new chapters! I love you all – thank you so, so much.**_

_**I AM planning to continue this story for season three. I talked about it a little bit a few chapters ago, but basically I'm going to hold off on posting any of it until the END of season three. I KNOW that is such a long time from now (thank goodness, right? There are more than twenty opportunities for official Klaine moments between now and then!), but I REALLY think it's best in terms of the story. I want to see their arc and the details of their lives for the entire season before I attempt to tell the story of what happened when the cameras weren't on them, so to speak. I will update THIS story – starting with season three, episode one – as soon as the season ends in the spring (I think it's better to do it that way than to start posting season three as a separate entity, because really it is just a continuation of the same story). So, I have two suggestions if you want to make sure you find it again when that happens. (1) If you have a Fanfiction . net account, sign up for a story alert on this story and you'll get an email when I update it again! Or, (2) if you're on Tumblr you can follow me there (functionaloptimist . tumblr. com), and I'll post a reminder when the time comes!**_

_**Seriously, you guys, thank you so, so, so much. I have enjoyed this immensely! You have all been beyond lovely, and I just want to hug you all! ENJOY GLEE TONIGHT, and I hope to see some of you around here and on Tumblr! :) LOVE!**_


	18. 3x01: The Purple Piano Project

_**Hi again, everyone! :)**_

_**I would just like to say before I start that I'm glad I decided to wait and see how the season played out rather than writing and posting these each week as the episodes aired. Because I would have given Kurt and Blaine an epic conversation about moving to New York together next year in this chapter, and then in the next episode... oh, Blaine's a junior. Well okay. So thanks for waiting, and I hope you enjoy my take on Kurt and Blaine's wild ride in season three!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"... and Mr. Schu has crazy idea involving... wait for it... purple pianos!" Kurt laughed. "He's moving them all around the school, and if we pass one we're supposed to sing a song."

Blaine didn't understand.

"People aren't exactly lining up to be in New Directions," Kurt continued sourly. "We've got to try to interest people somehow... without at least three new people we can't compete this year!"

Blaine thought about that for a moment. Membership had never been a problem for the Warblers. It was part of why they were so good: they could be very selective when choosing new members. If you didn't sing well, there was absolutely no chance you could be a Warbler. Blaine hated that Kurt and New Directions had to struggle to find even the minimum number of people they needed to compete.

"Well hey," he replied, "it's the first day of school. Once people get used to their classes maybe they'll come looking for extracurriculars."

Kurt shrugged.

The barista handed Blaine both of their coffees, and they went to sit down. Blaine smiled as Kurt settled into the chair across from him; they had spent a great deal of time together over the summer, but something about _this_ after-school ritual felt especially familiar and nice.

They made a little small talk, but Kurt wasn't saying much. It was the first day of school, but, other than the purple piano project, Kurt hadn't really said anything about his day. And he hadn't asked about Blaine's day either. He just kept glancing at Blaine and sipping his coffee.

Blaine was pretty sure he knew why.

"You're quiet," Blaine observed lightly.

"No," Kurt corrected, "I'm being passive-aggressive."

Blaine narrowed his eyes, but he knew what Kurt would say next.

"You promised that by the first day of school you'd make a decision," Kurt accused gently, "And yet, there you sit... cute as ever but still in your Warblers blazer."

Blaine had considered changing into regular clothes before coming to the coffee shop to meet Kurt, but had decided against it. He smiled at Kurt's compliment, clearly meant to lighten the accusation.

"I just can't bail on the Warblers," Blaine argued, hoping to appeal to Kurt's memories of his time away from McKinley, "Those guys are my friends."

The truth was that Blaine had been thinking about it nonstop since Kurt had brought up the possibility over the summer. He _wanted_ to transfer to McKinley. He wanted to see Kurt at school every day like when they had both been at Dalton. He wanted to try again at a public school. He even wanted to see what it would feel like to be part of New Directions. But he knew that he would miss so much about Dalton. He felt guilty at the idea of leaving the Warblers when they were poised to make it to Nationals with him as their main soloist. And he felt nervous, although less so than he would have felt a year ago, about returning to an environment where bullying was a serious possibility.

Kurt mumbled a halfhearted acknowledgement, and he looked intently at Blaine. "One final sales pitch, and then we can talk about making over Nancy Grace."

"Okay," Blaine acquiesced, amused at the other boy's persistence.

"If you stay at Dalton, you and I are competitors," Kurt said in his best overly-dramatic voice.

"It's true," Blaine tried not to laugh.

"And I'm just not sure that our budding love can survive that," Kurt continued to act overly desperate.

"Let me get this straight," Blaine teased, "I have to transfer because you're just afraid that I'm gonna beat you at Sectionals?"

"No," Kurt answered, and Blaine could see his façade slipping, "I'm afraid that I'm gonna beat _you_."

"Ohhh," Blaine feigned fear, enjoying Kurt's light attitude.

"And I know what that does to you, when I win," Kurt said suggestively. Blaine laughed.

Kurt shifted in his chair and his expression turned serious. "Look, I mean, honestly," he said, "I just– I just want to see you more. I want my senior year to be magic, and the only way that's gonna happen is if I get to spend every minute of every day with you."

Blaine felt his heart swell in his chest at Kurt's honesty. He reached over to grasp Kurt's hand on top of the table and took a deep breath.

"You _know_ I want that," he said earnestly. "But..."

Kurt nodded and picked up the sentence, "... you're getting a great education at Dalton, your parents aren't thrilled with the idea of you returning to public school, the Warblers will miss you. All valid points. I just... I miss you when you're not around. I miss being able to just bump into you in the hallway and being able to eat lunch together every day. And being in glee club with you."

"Want to come back to Dalton?" Blaine winked.

Kurt made a face that suggested he understood the one-sidedness of his request. He squeezed Blaine's hand, but said nothing.

"I'm not saying _no_," Blaine clarified. "There are pros to transferring, too... facing the demons of my old school, getting to spend more time with everyone in New Directions, getting to wear regular clothes..." he gave Kurt a pointed look.

Kurt feigned ignorance.

"You love the blazer," Blaine teased.

Kurt wouldn't commit to an opinion on the matter.

They looked at each other across the table for a moment, and Blaine thought about how light he felt inside when Kurt looked this happy. As he released Kurt's hand to make sure the lid of his coffee cup was on properly before he took a drink, he decided. He was going to take his own advice and find his courage. It had been building up inside of him since McKinley's junior prom, and he knew it was time to make the leap of faith. With Kurt.

"I just have to think about it a little more," Blaine lied.

Kurt nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. He looked relaxed.

"I really think that Nancy Grace's hair is all wrong," Kurt offered casually, and Blaine knew it was Kurt's way of reinforcing that it was okay for Blaine to continue to think about the potential transfer. As Kurt continued to analyze the best way to give the television personality a new look, Blaine's mind was preoccupied with a conversation he was going to have to have the next day...

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"_What?_"

"Are you insane?"

"I think you need to sit down."

"Is someone forcing you into this? Because we can kick his –"

"You cannot just leave us!" Trent's voice wailed above the others, and the room fell silent.

"Look," Blaine threw his hands out in an apologetic manner, "I know it's sudden. And I know how ridiculous this sounds, but this is about _me_. Not all of you."

"We need you!" Trent insisted.

Blaine shook his head. "As flattering as that is... you _don't_. The Warblers have been one of Ohio's best show choirs for _years_. And that's because no one person makes or breaks us."

"Easy for you to say," someone mumbled.

Nick stepped forward to stand in front of Blaine. "Are you unhappy here?"

"_No_," Blaine stressed. He pursed his lips briefly as he tried to figure out how to describe why he needed to go.

"I need to do this," he explained. "I love it here. All of you have been amazing and I've had –" his voice failed him briefly and he cleared his throat and continued. "I've had so many wonderful times here. This isn't about wanting to get away from Dalton."

"You are not _seriously_ transferring schools to be with your boyfriend," someone accused.

Blaine shook his head in aggravation. "That's part of it, yes."

There was a murmur of disapproval from the group, and Blaine felt a rush of defensiveness.

"I am not required to have a perfect justification for everything I do, okay?" he snapped. "And if you'd just be quiet for a second you might understand that Kurt is just _part_ of why I'm going to McKinley."

The angry outburst silenced the room.

"We're all here for different reasons," Blaine started. "Some of your parents came to Dalton, and it was just always a given that you would come here too. Some of you are here for the superior education."

Blaine motioned inward toward himself. "And some of us are here because we weren't safe somewhere else."

The silence was rapidly starting to feel heavy and uncomfortable.

"I came here because I got the crap beaten out of me at a public school," Blaine tried to soften his tone so that it wouldn't sound so much like an accusation. "I was too young and too afraid to fight back, so I ran away. I ran here. To this place where what you are doesn't define who you are."

Blaine shrugged. "Is it so hard to imagine why I would want to face those demons?"

Silence.

"I've made my decision," Blaine said with authority. "By the end of the day tomorrow I'll be the newest student at William McKinley High School."

"We're really gonna miss you, man," Nick said, and the acknowledgement of Blaine's decision seemed to crack the anxiety in the room. Suddenly the room was loud with voices.

"Promise you'll come visit sometimes?" Trent asked.

Blaine laughed. "Are you kidding? Of course!"

The group closed in around him in a big group hug, and Blaine felt tears stinging in his eyes. He was going to miss this so much. Why was he leaving?

"Say 'hey' to Kurt for us," Jeff's voice reached his ear as the Warblers' released him and Blaine moved to leave the room. He smiled at the group.

"Thanks, guys," he managed before he slipped out the door. "See you around."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"This is actually kind of sickeningly wholesome, you know that, right?" Santana whined. "Not to mention insane."

"Hey, you agreed to help..." Blaine emerged from his closet with an armful of clothing options, depositing them in a heap on the end of his bed.

"How can I resist 'hey Santana, I want to surprise Kurt with a big song and dance number and, oh, I'm also transferring'?" Santana retorted lightheartedly.

"You think he'll like it?" Blaine asked.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? It's _Kurt_."

Blaine grinned, happy to hear her confirmation.

"No, but seriously," Santana's tone changed as she folded her arms across her chest and watched Blaine sift through his clothes, "you really want to leave _Dalton_ for the hellhole that is William McKinley High School?"

Blaine paused to give her his full attention. "Yes," he responded.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Blaine could tell that Santana was trying to determine his state of mind.

"There's more to life than academics," Blaine offered.

"There's more to life than your boyfriend," she replied swiftly.

Blaine sat down on the side of his bed. "You think I'm making a mistake." It wasn't a question.

"Generally, yeah," Santana admitted. "Look at your life right now, pretty boy. You're the unchallenged leader of one of the Midwest's best show choirs. You're at a school that's basically a one way ticket to the Ivy Leagues. And you could release a sex tape with Kurt and nobody in those gorgeous hallways would bat an eyelash."

Blaine's brain momentarily short-circuited, and he saw the metaphorical light bulb go off in Santana's brain as she plopped down on the edge of the bed beside him.

"You really should take some acting lessons or something," she said deviously. "Your emotions are always written all over your face. And right now your face is telling me that you're embarrassed, which means one of two things. Either you and Kurt have a sex tape – which, when I really think about it, wouldn't surprise me at all given both of your propensities to perform in front of an audience..."

Blaine fell over backward and covered his face with his hands.

"_Or_," Santana twisted around to look at him, "you two have not yet done the nasty. Which, given your current state, is the most likely scenario."

Blaine took his hands off his face and decided to just get it over with and make eye contact with her. Santana burst into laughter.

"You know what?" she laughed, "I'm not even going to give you a," she cleared her throat, "hard time about it."

Blaine climbed off the bed and returned to his pile of clothes, trying to pretend she wasn't in the room.

After a moment of silence, he heard a soft sliding noise and turned to see Santana holding the framed photograph of Kurt that he kept on his dresser. "He's going to be unbearably excited," Santana said genuinely.

"I hope so," Blaine smiled. "I'm pretty excited too."

"You should wear those red pants," Santana pointed to a pair of bright red pants sticking out from the middle of the pile of clothes on his bed. "Kurt loves a bold fashion statement."

Blaine smiled fondly as he pulled the red pants out of the pile. "Yeah?"

Santana nodded. "And you'll match our uniforms a little bit. But wear a black shirt or something; let's not get carried away with the bright colors."

Blaine nodded. "Kurt bought me these," he informed her as he studied the pants.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. Well, even more of a reason to wear them."

Blaine found a black shirt in the pile and held it and the red pants up to his body so Santana could scrutinize the potential outfit. She nodded.

"Thanks so much for helping me with this," Blaine said.

Santana shrugged. "I may think you're crazy, but Kurt's my friend. And he is going to lose his mind about this whole thing. The Cheerios will be ready. We can use a routine we practiced a few weeks ago. It should work with your song. I'll get the band to move one of the purple pianos to the courtyard before school."

Blaine felt a rush of gratitude toward the young woman. They had interacted a few times, most notably in the hallway with Dave Karofsky before the Night of Neglect concert the year before, but Santana's willingness to help him carry out his plan felt good. They could be friends. Eventually.

"Thanks, Santana," he said as she turned to leave, "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine pulled into a visitor parking spot – he'd have to apply for his own – and turned his car off, but didn't get out.

His transfer had caused a huge argument in his family two nights prior. The day he had made the decision to transfer.

His father had been outraged that Blaine would leave such a high quality institution for _any_ reason, and his mother had been upset that he would no longer have the protection of Dalton's no-bullying policy. Both of his parents were especially unhappy that Blaine wanted to transfer to _this_ school. His father was convinced that Kurt had coerced him into it, although by the end of the discussion he had backed down from that accusation.

In the end, though, they had agreed. After the initial argument, his parents had been forced to admit that Blaine had really opened up since meeting Kurt. And that returning to face the demons of public school would be good for Blaine in the long run. His father had come to the conclusion that Blaine was "being a man" and stepping up to face his past, and that had seemed to satisfy him.

Secretly, Blaine thought it also had to do with the fact that his parents were possibly starting to actually like Kurt, rather than just politely tolerating him and praying that Blaine would suddenly realize he wanted to date a nice girl instead. Blaine had spent more time over the summer at the Hummel-Hudson house than Kurt had spent at the Anderson house, but Kurt was so eager to please Blaine's parents that he always charmed them to the best of his ability. Blaine had even caught his father asking Kurt about which tie looked best on him one morning after Kurt had spent the night.

As Blaine sat in the parking lot two days later, the argument over the transfer seemed as if it had happened a week ago. Now here he was, and as Blaine surveyed the lot full of cars – he had arrived early enough that he could get all the paperwork done and be ready to surprise Kurt immediately after school – he felt equal parts excited at all the possibilities and homesick for his friends and the familiar aura of Dalton.

After checking in the mirror to make sure his hair looked okay and that his bowtie was straight, Blaine grabbed his bag and hopped out of the car. He quickly made his way to the office, filled out all the paperwork, and received a locker number and combination, a school map, and a class schedule.

"Thanks," he said brightly as the receptionist told him how to get to his locker from the office. Walking down the nearly empty hallways, Blaine made it to the locker and opened it without any problems. He stuffed his entire bag inside and closed the door; he didn't want to have to worry about it when he was surprising Kurt.

He went into a bathroom stall to study the school map without fearing that someone would see him and target him as the "new kid". He was just around the corner from Kurt's locker. As he folded the map and slipped it into his pocket, the bell rang.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt yanked his hairspray out of his locker and sprayed some on his hair, hoping that at least he looked good even if he felt so annoyed. Nobody was ever going to join the glee club. If they couldn't compete, how were he and Rachel going to have even the slightest change of standing out on a NYADA application?

"Hey you," Blaine's voice broke him out of his daydream. He turned, surprised, to see Blaine approaching.

"Well, aren't you a sight for these sore eyes," Kurt said happily as Blaine leaned on one arm against the row of lockers. As he looked at Blaine, Kurt marveled at how much just being around the other boy made him feel better.

"Bad day?" Blaine assessed.

"Bad week, more like it," Kurt acknowledged. As they turned to walk down the hallway toward the courtyard, Kurt realized that it was strange for Blaine to be here. Sometimes Dalton had half days to give the teachers opportunities for private tutoring or training, but why would they have a half day during the first week of school? "Wait, what are you doing here?" Kurt asked. "Shouldn't you be at Warbler practice? You know, putting the fine tuning touches on a new Katy Perry showstopper?"

Blaine had been dreaming all summer about convincing the Warblers to do _Last Friday Night_. Kurt had no doubt that it would be extraordinary, and he hated the universe for making the Warblers so fabulous while New Directions could barely keep its head above the water.

"Okay," Blaine admonished, "for someone who loves clothes so much, I can't believe you haven't noticed that I'm not in my Warbler outfit." He stopped walking and gestured at his clothing.

Kurt analyzed Blaine's outfit for a moment, feeling all of his negativity melt away. His brain felt as if it had stopped communicating with his mouth all together.

"Wait," Kurt managed, "Wait." He couldn't put into words the mixture of excitement and nervousness and love that was suddenly threatening to explode out of him. Blaine had been so uncertain. After their conversation at the Lima Bean on the first day of class, Kurt had been sure that Blaine would stay at Dalton. It made sense, really. It was the logical thing to do.

But Blaine was standing in front of him. In the red pants Kurt had bought for him over the summer and a bow tie and a huge smile on his face.

He was transferring.

They would get to see each other every day. They could eat lunch together. They could do homework together even if they wouldn't have any classes together.

They would be in New Directions together.

Kurt let out a laugh of exhilaration as he launched himself into Blaine's arms. He could hear Blaine laughing too, and he reveled in the feeling of Blaine's arms squeezing him so securely.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine knew that he had made the right decision as Kurt threw himself into his arms. He squeezed the other boy tightly, feeling light and giddy about what the year ahead could be for them. Together.

Suddenly, he felt Kurt pulling away, and the other young man's eyes were unexpectedly concerned.

"Oh wait. You didn't do this for me, did you?" Kurt asked, "Because if you did this for me, I mean, it'd be very romantic for one, but, I mean, it could lead to resentment, which could lead to anger, which could lead to a horrible, horrible, nasty breakup. Like, you know on the Bachelorette, when we watched it? That was–"

Blaine felt his heart clench with affection for the other boy. He knew how much Kurt loved a dramatic gesture. But he also knew that Kurt desperately wanted their relationship to stay solid. They had something special, and Kurt would give up all the drama to hold on to it. Blaine held up his hands to stop Kurt from continuing.

"Hey, hey!" he interrupted. "I came here for _me_. Because I can't stand to be apart from the person I love."

That wasn't all of it, but Blaine knew there would be time for a better explanation later. Fortunately, the short version of the story seemed to quell some of Kurt's fears, and Blaine was pleased to see the excitement return to Kurt's eyes.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find a way to ease you into the New Directions now, huh?" Kurt said. Blaine knew Kurt probably had it all planned out... what song Blaine should sing, what outfit he should wear, how the number should be choreographed. Blaine felt the start of an adrenaline rush as he thought about his plan.

Blaine grinned and leaned forward a little. "I already have that figured out," he winked.

Kurt's mouth dropped open. "You– I–" he spluttered, looking completely blindsided. Blaine shrugged noncommittally, and made a point to brush the entire side of his body against Kurt's as he gently pushed past him and moved toward the door that would lead them to the courtyard.

When Kurt caught up, he had transitioned from stunned to a combination of suspicious, delighted, and horrified.

"You _planned_ this?" he squeaked.

"Sort of," Blaine allowed. "You said someone had to perform if there was a purple piano around."

They stepped out into the sunshine, and Blaine smiled widely at Kurt as the taller boy flailed his arms briefly in confusion.

"There's not even a–" Kurt's voice strangled off as Blaine motioned down at the purple piano at the bottom of the courtyard.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

They stopped at the top of the courtyard's large cement staircase, and Kurt looked at Blaine as the other boy put on his yellow sunglasses.

"Ready?" Blaine teased.

"Oh my god," Kurt whined halfheartedly. "What are you going to _do_?"

"Sing?" Blaine offered teasingly. Kurt glared at him.

"Ease into New Directions," Blaine reminded him.

"They _know_ about this?" Kurt gasped. He had a sudden urge to strangle all of them for keeping this secret from him.

Blaine shrugged. "Not everyone," he grinned, clearly taking pleasure in Kurt's flustered state.

"I hate you," Kurt grumbled.

"I love you," Blaine's smile was so big that Kurt wondered how he would be able to sing at all.

"Alright," Kurt sighed. "I admit, I'm curious. Go for it." He motioned outward with his hands.

Blaine turned and pointed at someone below, and suddenly the band was playing. Kurt's stomach felt as if it contained an entire swarm of butterflies as he thought about all of the other students. He knew that Blaine understood the student body's feelings about New Directions – opposite of how the students of Dalton felt about the Warblers – but he worried that Blaine was overestimating his chances of _not_ receiving a slushy to the face as soon as this performance was over.

Blaine started to dance, silly and animated, and Kurt laughed at him before Blaine turned and slid down the banister to a better spot for his performance.

Someone suddenly grabbed Kurt's shoulders, and he turned his head to find Rachel beside him. Of course she was in on this. He could hear her giggling as they hurried down the stairs to sit with the rest of the members of New Directions to watch Blaine's audition, and he made a mental note to grill her later about this whole situation and how much she had known beforehand.

_It's not unusual to be loved by anyone_

_It's not unusual to have fun with anyone_

_But when I see you hanging about with anyone_

Blaine swept his sunglasses off his face and tossed them to Kurt, who had decided to sit on the table for the best possible view. Kurt felt his stomach knotting as he watched Blaine. He was more confident than ever.

_It's not unusual to see me cry_

_I wanna die_

Some of the Cheerios suddenly appeared behind Blaine, and Kurt realized that Blaine really _had_ planned the whole thing. Kurt had never been more pleasantly surprised in his entire life, except perhaps on the afternoon when Blaine had suddenly confessed his feelings and had kissed him for the first time.

_It's not unusual to go out at any time_

_But when I see you out and about_

_It's such a crime_

Santana jumped up from where she was sitting and moved to join the other Cheerios dancing with Blaine. Blaine looked momentarily confused as she silently greeted him as she passed, but he didn't stop.

_If you should ever wanna be loved by anyone_

_It's not unusual_

_It happens every day_

_No matter what you say_

Kurt felt insane as he watched Blaine dancing and singing. He turned to look at Rachel. "That's my boyfriend," he whispered hysterically. She giggled and motioned frantically for him to keep his attention on Blaine.

_You find it happens all the time_

_Love will never do_

_What you want it to_

_Why can't this crazy love be mine_

Kurt knew that their relationship had matured and solidified over the summer because he didn't feel a shred of jealousy toward Santana as she danced with Blaine. Instead, he clapped along and wished the song would never end.

_It's not unusual to be mad with anyone_

_It's not unusual to be sad with anyone_

As Blaine and the Cheerios danced, Kurt thought for a moment about how different this was for Blaine. Blaine was used to the Warblers and their dignified atmosphere. But here, he was allowing the silly, loving side of himself that Kurt loved so much to come out. Kurt knew that Blaine was worried that the members of New Directions would be unsure about him joining after what had happened with Jesse St. James, and Kurt felt a surge of pride that Blaine was willing to go all out and perform like this for them – and a good number of the other students – regardless of his worries.

_But if I ever find that you've changed at anytime_

_It's not unusual to find out I'm in love with you_

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_Whoa-oh-oh_

Blaine danced over to flirt a little with Kurt as he finished the song, and Kurt danced along playfully, mimicking Blaine's dance moves.

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

_Oh-oh_

The song ended, and Blaine had only a second to breathe before the purple piano burst into flames and drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine was startled by the sound and sudden wave of heat as the purple piano burst into flames. He wasn't sure what to do as the fire engulfed the top portion of the instrument and the entire courtyard fell silent. Nobody moved to do anything.

"God, it's just a fire," suddenly Puck hurried by with a fire extinguisher.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, who jumped down from the table and moved to stand beside him. They watched as Puck finished putting out the fire.

"What _was_ that?" Blaine managed to choke out as they watched the piano smolder.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "The Cheerios doused it with something while you were busy whoa-oh-ing."

"Oh my god," Blaine said. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Kurt nudged him with his elbow. "Happy first day!" he teased.

Blaine laughed, but he could hear the nervousness in the sound.

"_That_," Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's shoulders and turning him away from the piano until they were facing each other, "was outrageously perfect. Thank you so much."

"Yeah?" Blaine grinned. Kurt looked like he wanted to explode with happiness, and Blaine felt like he was living in an alternate reality as the smell of the smoke still rising from the purple piano filled the air and some of the students of New Directions crowded around him, voicing their approval about the performance.

"Oh no," Kurt suddenly wailed. "I should've filmed it!"

"That's covered," Blaine smiled, turning to look at Tina. She gave him a thumbs-up.

"I don't even have the brainpower to feel more surprise," Kurt said.

"Want some coffee?" Blaine suggested hopefully. Kurt laughed.

"Sure."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

They were happy to find their usual table at the Lima Bean unoccupied when they arrived, and as they sat down Blaine noticed Kurt watching him intently.

"What?" Blaine grinned at the mixture of curiosity and affection on Kurt's face.

Kurt scrunched his nose. "I was just thinking about you."

"Well, I'm sitting right in front of you," Blaine teased, "so I hope so."

Kurt managed not to roll his eyes. "Very astute. No, I mean... _you_."

Blaine absorbed some of Kurt's gravity and silently encouraged Kurt to elaborate.

"You're so... light." Kurt struggled to find words to express what he meant, but Blaine understood. He _felt_ lighter. He felt a lot of things.

"The thing about a uniform," he admitted, "is that it levels the playing field. It means that you blend in, regardless of the things that might make you stand out."

Kurt nodded, and Blaine was sure that he was remembering his brief time at Dalton. For Kurt it had been a difficult transition.

"For me," Blaine said, feeling a little nervous to confess this to anyone, even Kurt, "I liked that. I needed it. I needed to fit in."

Blaine could see the understanding in Kurt's eyes. "After that night."

Blaine nodded. "There was part of me that always hated myself for doing it – for transferring to Dalton – but I was so scared. I'm..." his face started to burn with embarrassment, although he knew Kurt loved him regardless, "I can be too trusting. I _like_ to assume the best about people."

He paused for a moment to consider his conflicting emotions about that particular character trait. "I was too trusting that night," he admitted sadly. "I thought they'd tease, sure. But I had been out for such a short time. I had no idea."

Kurt nodded.

"So I went to Dalton," Blaine continued. "And I forced myself to join the Warblers. I didn't want to," he grinned as Kurt's eyes widened a bit, "I wanted to do nothing but bury my face in my schoolwork and pretend to be invisible. But I knew, deep down inside, that I was just scared. And the little part of _me_ that was still in there told me that I had to do _something_ before I fell into that pattern of invisibility and lost myself completely."

"And instead of turning you down or giving you the background spot that you probably wanted," Kurt grinned, "they collapsed at your feet and begged you to be their leader."

They laughed so hard that Blaine forgot for a moment what they were even talking about. When they both finally regained some composure, Blaine shook his head.

"Not exactly," he took a large drink of his coffee in an attempt to keep from laughing again. "It wasn't until about a month later, when I was just goofing off with some of the guys before practice, that someone on the council... noticed me, I guess."

He paused at the look on Kurt's face.

"It's just nice to know this about you," Kurt explained.

Blaine felt happily flustered. "Well anyway," he said, "the whole point of this story is to say... when you met me, I was finally starting to feel better. To feel _truly_ comfortable with myself again. And with every day that I got to spend time with you, I started to see what I wanted to be. I started to see what _really_ living again could mean."

That touched a nerve with Kurt. He stood up, grabbed his chair, and dragged it around so that he was sitting next to Blaine so he could hold one of Blaine's hands in both of his on his lap under the table.

"If I'm really honest, the idea of transferring out of Dalton slipped into my mind the day you transferred back to McKinley," Blaine admitted. "The idea that it was possible."

Kurt shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?" His voice was gentle, not accusatory.

Blaine shrugged. "I didn't make the decision that day. There were – _are_ – plenty of things I truly loved about Dalton. But there was always that regret gnawing at the back of my mind."

"And then prom..." Kurt guessed.

Blaine smiled reminiscently. "After that night I started to consider leaving Dalton as a serious possibility. But I was considering transferring to the local public school in Westerville until you oh-so-casually dropped the 'want to come to McKinley?' hint on me that day over lunch."

Kurt pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"Eventually I realized that I _wanted_ to transfer more than I wanted _not_ to. I know I'm going to miss Dalton. I _do_ miss it. But this is a chance to show myself that I can do it despite the fear."

"And you miss me?" Kurt teased.

"And I miss you," Blaine confirmed sweetly.

Kurt surprised him by initiating a hug for the second time that day. Blaine smiled as Kurt kissed his cheek as he pulled away.

"Well, I approve of this wardrobe," Kurt grinned. Blaine shook his head, amused. They had been shopping multiple times over the summer, and somehow Kurt had convinced him that what his wardrobe needed was a lot of color. To match his bright personality, Kurt always said.

"Thanks for telling me all of that," Kurt broke into his thoughts.

Blaine smiled, and the conversation shifted to more casual topics for the remainder of their time in the coffee shop. Eventually, Kurt's phone buzzed and Blaine remembered that Kurt and Rachel were going to Dayton for a NYADA mixer later in the evening.

"Gotta go?" he guessed as Kurt read the text message.

"Rachel's worried that we won't be able to find the hotel," Kurt confirmed. "So yeah."

Blaine grabbed his bag and followed Kurt out of the shop. When they reached the point where they had to separate to go to their cars, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand briefly.

"Good luck tonight," he grinned. "Call me when it's over?"

Kurt nodded and squirmed excitedly. Blaine laughed as Kurt twirled around and nearly skipped over to his car. He watched until Kurt had driven out of sight before he got into his car and drove home.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Later that night, Blaine was happily interrupted from his homework by his phone buzzing on his desk. He jumped up from his bed and was pleased to see Kurt's name on the screen.

"Hey you," Blaine answered happily, "How was it?"

"They were _fabulous_!" Kurt wailed.

"What?" Blaine asked, concerned at Kurt's tone of voice. He had expected Kurt to be excited about the performance, and possibly slightly annoyed that there were other talented people in Ohio, but not so upset.

"I'm a nobody!" Kurt cried.

"Kurt, don't say that!" Blaine scolded. "What happened, exactly? Where are you?"

He heard Kurt sigh heavily. "I'm home. We didn't even get to perform our number. They had one planned, and it was _magnificent_."

"And they wouldn't let you perform?" Blaine frowned.

Kurt sniffled. "We didn't ask. We had to leave. It was like being run over by a truck carrying all of your hopes and dreams."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Kurt. You're fabulous! You _and_ Rachel."

"That's what I told Rachel," Kurt confessed. "But–"

"Kurt," Blaine cut him off.

Kurt fell silent.

"You're amazing," Blaine said forcefully. "You're special. Who cares if there are other people out there with talent? They don't have _your_ talent."

Kurt remained silent.

"Kurt?" Blaine decided to make sure that the other boy was still on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah," Kurt mumbled. Blaine could tell he wasn't convinced. "We panicked."

"Well," Blaine mused, hoping that a change in tactic might make Kurt feel better about his chances at NYADA, "maybe you should pick up another extracurricular? Colleges like that, right?"

Kurt made a reluctant noise of confirmation. "French club?" he offered lamely.

"You'd be great in French club!" Blaine encouraged. "You could do anything, Kurt. You could be senior class president if you wanted to!"

Kurt was silent for a moment, but Blaine could hear his breathing.

"I could," Kurt finally exhaled. "And then I could– and it– Blaine, you're a genius."

Blaine grinned at the liveliness that was quickly returning to Kurt's voice.

"Want to get ice cream?" Kurt asked suddenly.

"What? Kurt, it's–"

"I know," Kurt sighed. "And if I sneak out of the house I'm going to be grounded forever. Tomorrow?"

Blaine smiled. "Tomorrow."

"I love you," Kurt said.

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine echoed. "Sleep well."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Blaine's car wasn't in the lot yet when Kurt arrived at school the next morning. Kurt wasn't surprised; Blaine's drive was longer than most of the other students, so he was rarely early.

Kurt grabbed one of his notebooks and found a blank page that he could tear out. He scribbled down a quick note for Blaine as he walked into the building – _Going to sign up for the class president ballot! See you at lunch!_ – and slipped it through one of the vents of Blaine's locker. As he turned to head toward the office, he had a second thought and ripped another piece of paper out of his notebook. _P.S. Good morning!_ He drew a big heart under the words and slipped the second note into Blaine's locker.

During the walk to the office to add his name to the list of candidates for senior class president, Kurt thought about Blaine. Blaine was here. At McKinley. As a student. It was the first week of school, and the contrast between how Kurt had felt during the first week of his junior year to how he felt now made the single year feel like it had actually been three.

He hadn't even _known_ Blaine a year ago. He had been lonely. Grateful for his friends in New Directions and the love of his father, but lonely. Now he had a step-mother and step-brother, and he had a boy in his life who made him feel alive and _wanted_.

"I'm gonna win this election," he mumbled to himself as he pushed the office door open.

The paperwork took longer than he anticipated, so he didn't get to see Blaine before he had to rush to class, but he received a short text from Blaine just as class was starting.

_Sorry, I was running so late! P.S. Good morning to you, too!_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine got lost briefly at the start of the lunch period, so Kurt was leaning on the fence waiting for him when he finally arrived at the staircase where they had agreed to meet for lunch. As Blaine descended the stairs to where Kurt was waiting, he remembered the first time he had ever been on these stairs. At this school. The first time he had ever been to Lima at all. He had never imagined that, less than a year later, he would ever be here as a student.

"Hey," Kurt smiled at him as he approached.

"Mr. President," Blaine teased, tipping an invisible hat.

"Excited about officially joining New Directions after school today?" Kurt asked as they walked to the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Blaine admitted. "I hope they'll let me in," he half-joked.

"Oh, _please_," Kurt admonished. He gave Blaine a disapproving face before switching topics. "How were your early classes?"

"Easy," Blaine confessed.

"And he's smart, too!" Kurt pretended to faint as they scanned the room for a table. Blaine laughed. Kurt motioned for Blaine to follow and they ended up on the side of the room at a table with Tina, Mike, Mercedes, and Artie.

Blaine had met them all before, but he felt a little shy as he sat down between Kurt and Artie. He knew, from Kurt's stories, that New Directions was very different from what he was used to, and he really wanted to make a good impression.

"Hey Blaine!" Tina greeted as he sat down.

"Hey," he smiled at her, and at everyone else at the table.

He felt a hand on his arm, and turned to look at Artie. "Allow me to congratulate you on your brave soul," Artie deadpanned.

Blaine scrunched his nose approvingly, and Artie released his arm. The rest of lunch passed in a whirlwind of normal first-week conversations about the previous summer and about dreams of Nationals in Chicago. By the time the bell signaled the end of lunch, Blaine was starting to feel comfortable with this group.

"See you after school," Kurt said warmly as they parted ways. Blaine nodded, and as he turned to leave the cafeteria he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to find Tina standing beside him.

"Come on," she offered, "we've got our next class together so I'll show you the way."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

After school, Blaine hurried to stop by Mr. Schuester's office before glee club. When he arrived, he could see the teacher sitting at his desk, absentmindedly tapping a pencil on the table as he studied something on his computer screen. Blaine reached out and knocked on the doorframe.

"Mr. Schuester?"

When the teacher looked up, he smiled encouragingly. "Blaine, right?" he asked. "What can I do for you?"

Blaine suddenly felt ridiculous. Kurt had told him to just come to glee club and that no formal request was necessary to join, but Blaine wanted to make sure.

"I was hoping it would be okay if I join New Directions," he explained.

Mr. Schu laughed. "It would be our pleasure to have you, Blaine."

Blaine felt relieved, although he wasn't really sure why he was anxious in the first place. "Thanks."

"I'm headed over there now," Mr. Schu said, powering off his computer monitor and standing up from his desk. "I'll introduce you to the group."

Blaine fell into step beside the teacher for the short walk to the choir room.

"What's your last name, Blaine?" Mr. Schu asked as they approached the door to the choir room.

"Anderson," Blaine supplied.

The teacher paused to let Blaine enter the choir room first, and Blaine looked around as he walked in. He had been in this room before, but now it was his home. His glee club.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Schu demanded the attention of the members of New Directions already in the choir room, "Let's hear it for glee club's newest member: Blaine Anderson!"

Something about being in front of the room made Blaine feel much more at ease, and he smiled as some of the other students applauded.

"Thanks so much, everyone," he said, "I'm so thrilled to be here! It's gonna be a great year, I can feel it. We're all gonna go to Nationals!"

His eyes landed briefly on Finn, and he wasn't sure what to make of the unhappiness he saw in the other boy's eyes.

"Is there a problem, guys?" Mr. Schu asked.

To Blaine's surprise, Finn spoke up. "I just want Blaine to know that we're not the Warblers," he said. "You know, we're not into the bells and whistles or the ball-hogging."

The Warblers. Blaine suppressed a surge of homesickness as he moved to the back of the room to sit next to Kurt, and he could feel hostility radiating off of Kurt's step-brother.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Blaine asked, not interested in being labeled before he even had a chance to get to know everyone and find his place in New Directions. He was surprised at Finn's attitude; they had spent a little time hanging out together over the summer, and Blaine had always found Finn to be friendly and fun to be around. He wasn't sure how to address Finn's suddenly accusatory tone. He reminded himself that he had known all along that fitting into New Directions wouldn't be easy.

"Well yeah, you set a bonfire in our courtyard," Finn accused.

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but Santana spoke up before he could deny it. "Actually, doorknob, that was an act of political protest," she explained.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, but Kurt just shrugged. Everyone turned to look at Santana.

"Which leads me to the next order of business," Mr. Schu interrupted, "Santana, you need to leave. It was you and the Cheerios that set fire to our piano. How could you do that?"

Blaine frowned. He could handle some initial uncertainty from the group – he knew that it would pass as they got to know him – but this was not the atmosphere he had hoped to walk into on his first day.

"Mr. Schu, Sue made me," Santana argued.

"Brittany didn't do it," Mr. Schu pointed out.

"Well yeah, I was gonna help, but I'm a water sign, so..." Brittany trailed off.

"You're banned from glee," Mr. Schu said harshly. "Don't come back unless you can be as loyal to this club as the rest of the people in this room."

Blaine suddenly felt as if he couldn't make eye contact with anyone in the room. He felt horribly guilty as Santana stood up.

"You know what? I could use a break," Santana scoffed, and she abruptly left the room.

Blaine didn't agree with the teacher, but he knew that he couldn't speak up. The group already felt threatened by his presence, and he didn't want to stir things up more than he already had.

"You know, good for you, Mr. Schu," Mercedes said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "It's about time we got some allegiance up in here."

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw Kurt turn to look at him. He knew Kurt was probably trying to get a read on how he was feeling, so he tried to keep his face emotionless. Or slightly sad.

'I said it before and I will say it again," Mr. Schu said seriously, "If we want to win Nationals this year, we need to be united."

That was a familiar sentiment to Blaine. He decided that maybe he would talk to Mr. Schu privately and try to explain that the piano wouldn't have even been in the courtyard in the first place if Blaine hadn't asked Santana to move it there.

The teacher turned to Rachel. "Rachel, you had an announcement?" he asked.

Rachel stood up. "Yeah, um, after pushing the envelope last year, I strongly believe that we should secure the rights to a, shall we say, less controversial show for our school musical," she said. "Wait for it... West Side Story!"

The suggestion instantly changed the atmosphere in the room. Everyone approved. _Blaine_ approved. He loved West Side Story. He and Kurt exchanged a quick glance of excitement.

"Is that the one with the cats?" Brittany asked. Everyone ignored her.

"And it just so happens to have a lead role that showcases my talent and essence perfectly," Rachel continued. "Maria."

"For which there will be open auditions, right?" Mercedes interrupted confidently, "Because Mercedes is feeling extremely pretty this year."

Blaine tried not to smile. He was excited to get to know all of these people better. They were Kurt's friends, but they would soon be his friends too.

Mr. Schu turned in Blaine and Kurt's direction. "Kurt, you've got something too, right?"

Kurt jumped to his feet, and Blaine felt his heart flutter with anticipation. He knew how excited Kurt was about his announcement.

"Kurt Hummel is wading into McKinley High's shark-infested political waters and running for senior class president," Kurt proclaimed proudly. "Alright, I thank you in advance for your votes."

Blaine smiled up at him, and Rachel, clapping enthusiastically, caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

"Okay!" Mr. Schu said. "So much excitement! Now, let's rehearse."

"Look at what they did to us, Mr. Schu," Tina said sadly before anyone could get up, "Just like these purple pianos, they ripped out our guts, threw crap all over us, and burned us up."

"Yeah, we got hit pretty hard," Mr. Schu said, "But these pianos are still making music. And so are we."

"Mr. Schu, as always, you and I are on the exact same page," Rachel said authoritatively. She moved to the front of the room and began a familiar song.

_You can't stop an avalanche_

_As it races down the hill_

_You can try to stop the seasons_

_But you know you never will_

_And you can try to stop my dancing feet_

_But I just cannot stand still_

_Cause the world keeps spinning_

_Round and round_

_And my heart's keeping time_

_To the speed of sound_

_I was lost till I heard the drums_

_Then I found my way_

_Cause you can't stop the beat_

_..._

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Mmm," Kurt sighed happily as he took the first lick of his ice cream cone. "Let's never eat anything but this again."

"Yeah, who cares if we die at twenty five," Blaine agreed.

"Just as long as we get to spend some time in New York first," Kurt amended.

Kurt held his cone out so Blaine could have some of his flavor, and he couldn't resist mashing the ice cream into Blaine's face around his mouth before Blaine could get a taste.

"Hey!" Blaine cried, and Kurt jumped off the bench to run away as Blaine leapt up to chase him, wiping the ice cream off his face with the back of one of his hands.

After running down the sidewalk for moment, Kurt turned and put his hands out in surrender. "No, no, no!" he begged as Blaine advanced on him.

"I promise not to get it on your clothes," Blaine said darkly.

Kurt whined in protest, but he knew he had to get it over with. He made sure his own cone wasn't going to melt down his hand and onto his clothes before spreading his arms out in defeat.

Blaine stepped up to him and wiped a little bit of his ice cream over the top of Kurt's nose. Kurt giggled at the cold, and then couldn't stop giggling as Blaine tipped his face down so he could kiss the ice cream off Kurt's face. When he was finished, Blaine twisted Kurt's head gently one way and then the other, pretending to inspect it.

"Good as new," he announced.

Kurt managed to get his laughter under control as they strolled back over to the bench and sat down again.

"So," Blaine said casually, "you haven't said much about last night."

Kurt sighed. "What if I'm not good enough?"

Blaine frowned. "You _are_ good enough, Kurt. You're one of the most talented people I've ever met."

Kurt gave him a disbelieving look. "Of course _you're_ going to say that. And you probably believe it, too. But you're biased."

"Sure," Blaine allowed, "but you know I'm right about this. _You_ know you're amazing."

"In Ohio!" Kurt was starting to feel the panic from the night before creeping into his mind again. "But for a world-class school like NYADA?"

"I'm going to say 'I told you so'," Blaine winked.

"I hope you get the chance," Kurt mumbled.

"I will," Blaine said smugly, and Kurt just rolled his eyes. But, secretly, he felt a little bit better.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As he fumbled with the books in his locker the next day, Kurt turned and caught sight of Blaine, who was chatting excitedly with Tina at her locker down the hallway. Kurt smiled at the happy gleam in Blaine's eyes as Tina spoke and Blaine nodded eagerly. After another moment of conversation, Tina grabbed Blaine's hand and twirled him around in place, and Kurt realized they were discussing the dress rehearsal that Mr. Schu had planned for after school.

With a shake of his head, Kurt turned back to his locker and retrieved the books he would need to complete his homework. As he closed the locker door, he caught sight of his framed photograph of Blaine – dressed in his Dalton uniform – and felt a twinge of nostalgia in his chest. He smiled fondly, turning back to look down the hallway at Blaine and Tina.

Just in time to see a tall boy in a red letterman jacket toss a blue slushy into Blaine's smiling face.

Blaine had been listening so intently to Tina that he hadn't seen the attack coming; his mouth was partially open and his eyes had not had time to close before the frozen drink impacted his face. As Blaine's hands flew up to his face in surprise, Kurt felt a surge of rage and concern and guilt. He rushed down the hallway to where Tina was trying to wipe the slushy off of Blaine's bag and the front of her shirt where some had splashed onto her and Blaine was spluttering and trying to wipe the ice off his face.

Kurt couldn't say anything; he grabbed Blaine's arm, shot a thankful and apologetic glance at Tina, and pulled Blaine away into the girl's restroom.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine felt as if the drink had frozen his brain as well as his skin. He could vaguely hear a few girls squealing in protest as Kurt dragged him into the restroom, but he couldn't concentrate on anything but the way his face felt like it had just slammed into a wall of ice.

As Kurt took his bag and removed his stained cardigan, Blaine felt an unexpected rush of amusement. He had wondered, privately and aloud, what a slushy to the face felt like. He hadn't expected the cold to hurt so much, but it wasn't intolerable. His hilarity bubbled to the surface as Kurt turned on the faucet of one of the sinks, and he couldn't hold back a giggle.

The surprise on Kurt's face just added to Blaine's amusement, and he dissolved into nervous laughter.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked skeptically. Blaine nodded, finally managing to get enough of the now rapidly melting ice out of his eyes to turn and look at himself in the mirror. The sight of his shirt stained blue and the little remnants of ice clinging to his eyebrows and the very front portion of his hair pushed him over the emotional edge, and he started to laugh harder.

Kurt made a noise that suggested he wasn't sure if Blaine was _actually_ okay, and he pulled a washcloth out of his bag. Blaine was just coherent enough to raise an eyebrow at Kurt as he put the washcloth under the faucet's warm water.

"Better to be overly-prepared than not prepared at all," Kurt sighed. He wrung out the excess water and started to wipe the sticky blue liquid from Blaine's face.

"That feels nice," Blaine said, trying to reign in his hysterics.

"I'd wash your hair in the sink," Kurt said slyly, "but that would mess up your impeccable gel and I don't think you want that."

"No," Blaine agreed. He reached up to touch his hair. "It didn't get in my hair much, anyway."

Kurt rinsed off the washcloth and started wiping off Blaine's neck.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked again, now that Blaine had gotten his laughter under control.

"Yeah," Blaine answered.

They were silent for a few moments as Kurt rinsed the washcloth again and returned to finish cleaning off Blaine's face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kurt said quietly.

"It's been almost a week," Blaine teased. "Too late to turn back now."

Kurt tossed the washcloth in the sink. "_Blaine_."

Blaine sighed. "Remember how you felt when you first came to Dalton?"

Kurt nodded, and Blaine didn't elaborate. He knew Kurt would remember the homesickness and the nervousness of having to suddenly find where he fit into a new school.

"I'm here now," Blaine said, looking directly into Kurt's eyes in the hopes that the other boy would understand his sincerity. "No looking back."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

After school, Kurt hurried into the auditorium, still straightening his light purple shirt. He was running late for glee practice after a quick meeting of the candidates for student council president. He was relieved to see that the group had not started without him.

He spotted Blaine sitting at one of the purple pianos, quietly playing a lively tune, and he snuck up behind him.

"Boo," he whispered in Blaine's ear. The other boy jumped and let his hands fall to his lap. He was smiling as he twisted around to look at Kurt.

"Hey," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt sat down on the bench beside Blaine and played absentmindedly on the piano. He caught sight of Blaine's hands, now clasped in his lap, and he looked up from the sight to study Blaine's face.

"Are you nervous?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Blaine acknowledged with a grimace.

"You've been perfect in rehearsals," Kurt reassured. "You're a great dancer. And, obviously, a great singer. Just wait – the first time we put it all together like this is a rush."

Blaine nodded.

Kurt glanced around to make sure nobody except the other members of New Directions were in the auditorium, and he reached over to grab Blaine's chin. He turned the other boy's head to face him and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Blaine's lips. He could feel Blaine smiling through the kiss.

He felt Blaine's hand on the side of his face, and he let go of Blaine's chin so he could scoot closer to deepen the kiss. Blaine sighed happily, and Kurt smiled. He pulled back slightly to look at Blaine's face for a moment. The other boy's amber eyes twinkled with amusement and warmth, and Kurt leaned in for another kiss.

"Alright everyone!" Rachel appeared on the other side of the stage, clapping her hands loudly. "This is rehearsal time! Let's go!"

Blaine jumped back, almost falling off the piano bench in his attempt to sit up straight. Kurt leaned over and grabbed Blaine's hand to pull him up and off the bench.

"You've got this," he confirmed.

Blaine scooped Kurt into a brief hug. "Thanks," he smiled as he stepped back and straightened his shirt.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Blaine!" Tina's voice sang out from across the room as Kurt smiled widely and moved to his starting position for the song. Blaine skipped across the stage to where Tina was waiting. She laughed as he skipped up to her.

Tina's smile, coupled with Kurt's encouragement and a mental reminder that he had been the leader of the Warblers, replaced some of Blaine's nervousness with excitement. He returned the smile.

"Let's do this," he said.

The performance was exactly as Kurt had explained; a rush. Blaine did his best to keep up, which wasn't particularly difficult with the way his adrenaline was pumping. The Warblers never got to dance like this. By the time he hopped onto one of the pianos at the end of the song, Blaine felt more alive and at peace with his decision than he had felt all week. As the group dissolved into cheering and laughter around him, Blaine turned to look at Kurt on the other side of the piano.

"That was fun," Blaine said excitedly, his breathing slightly heavier than normal after all the dancing.

"We haven't performed together since Regionals last year," Kurt's smile was huge.

Blaine nodded, and started to answer but was interrupted by Tina yanking him down off the piano. She made a show of applauding him, and suddenly everyone else was gathered around him clapping and hooting and whistling their approval.

"Well, Blaine Anderson," Mr. Schuester said as he made his way through the crowd to where Blaine was standing, "welcome to New Directions!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gosh, I love this episode! And hey, there was never any indication that Blaine's on-screen slushy later in the season was definitely his first slushy since transferring, so... ;)<strong>_

_**Okay, so in terms of the rest of season three... the plan for now is to post one episode every WEEKDAY (Monday-Friday). Up next... 'I Am Unicorn'!**_


	19. 3x02: I Am Unicorn

_**Well, this one is shorter than the previous chapter (which was a super long one, sorry)... but there's still plenty to work with, so here we go!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I must protest!" Kurt exclaimed as Mr. Schu called his name as part of the mandatory dance rehearsal list.

"You kinda have one move, Kurt," Mike responded. "It's like this sashay and it's super distracting."

Blaine bit back a smile. As Mr. Schu moved on to arguing with Mercedes about her participation, Kurt turned to look at him and rolled his eyes. "I hate glee," he mouthed. Blaine shrugged apologetically.

"Mike Chang has offered to be my assistant," Mr. Schu explained. "And we start tomorrow. And _yes_, Puckerman, it is mandatory."

Blaine made a split-second decision.

"Mr. Schuester," he raised his hand, "would you mind if I drop by for a little bit? I really need to catch up with you guys."

The teacher nodded his agreement, and Blaine turned to grin at Kurt. "I love glee" he mouthed, and Kurt kicked his foot. Blaine did his best imitation of Kurt's shimmy, but he stopped abruptly as Ms. Pillsbury and Coach Bieste came through the door.

Mr. Schu explained that the two teachers would be helping with the musical, and Blaine let his mind wander to song ideas for his audition as Rachel panicked about how well the musical would be directed. _Maria_ was a classic choice for a West Side Story audition, but _Something's Coming_ was one of his favorites. He was pulled back into the conversation at hand as Mr. Schu explained that he had decided to pick a student director to help the two teachers.

"Mr. Schu, I'm honored," Rachel interrupted, "But Barbara was forty when she directed herself in _Yentl_ so it's just... it's too soon."

"I hate you," Brittany mumbled. Blaine managed to contain another grin. As abrasive as she could be, there was something about Rachel that he really liked.

Kurt turned to look at him briefly, and Blaine hoped that the other boy couldn't read his mind.

"I was actually hoping that Artie would take the job," Mr. Schu admitted.

Blaine turned to look at Artie, but couldn't see the other boy's face. "Me?" Artie said in disbelief. "I've developed my whole persona around conflict avoidance."

"Come on Artie, you've made short films," Tina encouraged. "Directing is your dream. You can do it!"

There was a moment of silence as Artie struggled with the decision, but ultimately he accepted. "I'm in," he announced.

Everyone applauded, and Blaine's mind continued to whirl with plans for his audition. He had been so involved with leading the Warblers that he hadn't tried out for the musicals at Dalton, but he was excited for the opportunity to give it a try at McKinley.

"Alright," Mr. Schu said, "let me talk to our new directors for a moment and we'll start rehearsal."

Mike twisted around in his chair and extended a hand in Blaine's direction for a high five. "Taking one for the team and coming to booty camp," he said with admiration. "Good man."

Blaine laughed.

"Oh, shut up," Kurt said. "Blaine's mad at you because you insulted me."

Blaine and Mike exchanged a quick glance and Tina laughed.

"I do love the shimmy," Blaine admitted, leaning over to rest his head on Kurt's shoulder and bat his eyelashes at him.

"We should hang out sometime," Mike added casually.

"I'd love that," Blaine said. As Mike turned back around to face the front of the room, Blaine chewed his lip excitedly. He was going to fit in here after all.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"I can't believe you volunteered to do this," Kurt said quietly as he and Blaine stretched and Mercedes whined to Mr. Schu behind them.

Blaine pretended to be hurt. "What happened to 'every second of every day with you'?" he teased.

Kurt smiled at him as they walked from the bar to their positions for the rehearsal. He knew that Blaine didn't need dance practice; he was a great dancer. Blaine had come here to spend more time with Kurt and to show everyone that he was a team player, and Kurt was still having a difficult time believing that Blaine's transfer was real and permanent. He felt like the other boy might head back to Dalton at any moment.

As they began the rehearsal with the grapevine, Kurt's thoughts returned to the upcoming West Side Story auditions.

"I'm going to put my light under a bushel," he said to Blaine, "if only to shine brighter for the auditions tomorrow."

"I'm still trying to decide between _Maria_ and _Something's Coming_," Blaine responded.

An emotion that Kurt knew well began to claw its way into his chest. In his excitement to prepare for the role of Tony, he had not even considered that Blaine might his competition.

"Those are Tony songs... are you auditioning for Tony too?" Kurt asked, hating himself for how threatened he sounded.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine heard the uncertainty in Kurt's voice, and he knew immediately that he needed to choose his words carefully.

"Would that be weird?" he dodged.

"No!" Kurt said, too quickly. "No, not at all. I mean, you'd be a great Tony. You'd be the perfect Tony, actually, in some respects."

Blaine decided to backtrack.

"Well, except... I'm a junior," he hedged. "Tony is the lead, which means a senior should probably play that part."

"Yeah, that is kinda how it works, huh?" Kurt confirmed.

"I mean, I'd be fine with Bernardo or Officer Krupke as long as it was opposite your Tony," Blaine said sweetly, hoping to ease Kurt's fears.

"Kurt!" Mr. Schu's voice cut into their conversation, "jazz hands!"

"Fine!" Kurt threw his hands to his sides.

They moved on to more difficult dance moves after that, so there wasn't much time for chatting as they rehearsed. Blaine could tell that Kurt's jealousy was under control for now, which made him feel good. But part of him also reprimanded himself for giving in so easily. Tony was a dream role. He tried to convince himself that Kurt needed it more, and the team player in him acknowledged that getting the leading male role in the school musical immediately after transferring could ruffle the feathers of some of the other men in New Directions. He didn't need to play Tony.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As they gathered their things after rehearsal, Kurt saw Blaine glance at his phone and groan in exasperation.

"What's up?" Kurt asked.

Blaine was uncharacteristically irritated. "My father has decided that now is the _perfect_ time to repair the deck on the back of our house," he huffed. "He says it's not structurally sound."

"And... you're annoyed that he's so ridiculous?" Kurt guessed.

Blaine shook his head. "No. He told me this morning that he would need my help some this weekend, but now he's decided that he needs me every day after school."

Kurt frowned. "So no more booty camp?"

Blaine nodded.

Kurt was disappointed, but he knew that Blaine couldn't just blow off his family obligation for a rehearsal he didn't even need in the first place.

"It's okay," Kurt reassured him.

"Too bad McKinley's not a boarding school," Blaine said sourly. They both laughed.

"Well, see you tomorrow, then?" Kurt picked up his bag as Blaine did the same.

"Tomorrow," Blaine acknowledged, and they parted ways at the choir room door.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Kurt's audition is in an hour... you can deal without me for a few hours," Blaine tried to reason with his father on the phone. He had explained over breakfast that he needed to spend this one afternoon at school so he would be there for Kurt's audition, and the older man had agreed. But suddenly, an hour before the audition, he was calling Blaine to tell him to hurry home to help with the construction.

His father's voice on the phone told him that he better be home soon or there would be consequences.

"I'm not coming home yet!" Blaine shouted into the phone. He ended the call and turned his phone off completely.

As he tried to release some of his aggravation, he realized that Kurt was watching him carefully.

"Sorry," he mumbled awkwardly.

"You should go," Kurt responded.

"What?" Blaine tried not to project his anger at his father onto Kurt, but he had not expected Kurt to take his father's side in this.

"You can't even come to the audition," Kurt reminded him. "They want the auditions to be closed so that nobody can size up their competition."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "He's only doing this because he wants some stupid man-to-man bonding time."

"Well..." Kurt hesitated, "maybe he doesn't know how to interact with you any other way."

Blaine knew he was probably right. There was no way to know for sure what his father's motives were, but Blaine was too angry for the logic to settle into his mind properly.

"I don't care," he mumbled. "I'm not going home until after your audition."

"Yes you are," Kurt admonished. "Either you go now and face a little fallout, or you stay and risk more severe punishment."

Blaine looked at his powered-off phone in his hand and grunted in discontent.

Kurt stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Blaine's lips. "I'll call you after, okay?"

Blaine nodded, and Kurt smiled brightly at him as he turned to leave.

"Break a leg!" Blaine called after him, and Kurt tripped over his feet and almost fell over as he turned to wave at Blaine one more time. Blaine could still hear Kurt's laughter as he walked away into the hallway and headed for his car.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt tried to call Blaine that evening after his audition, but the other boy didn't answer his phone. Kurt knew he was probably still working with his dad, so he decided to text him instead.

_Hey, I tried to call but I assume you're hard at work. I missed you this afternoon, but I'm glad you went home! I handled the audition fine without you. ;)_

About fifteen minutes later, he got a response.

_I'm so sorry I wasn't there. Did they love the scaffolding?_

Kurt grinned. _I think so! How's the deck?_

Another ten minutes passed before he got another response, and this time it was a photograph of Blaine, all sweaty and standing on what appeared to be the new deck with a huge smile on his face. Kurt thought he could almost hear the sarcasm in Blaine's mind as he looked at the image. He must've been smiling because his dad had taken the photo.

_Lookin' good! ;)_ Kurt responded.

_Thanks_, came the immediate response. _Goodnight, Kurt._

_Goodnight, Blaine. I love you_.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt overheard Artie telling Mike and Tina that he was on his way to a meeting about West Side Story, so Kurt rushed to a spot just outside Ms. Pillsbury's office window that he had learned from Puck was a good place for eavesdropping. He was desperate to know what they thought of his audition.

"Kurt Hummel for Tony," Ms. Pillsbury suggested after the conversation had been going for a short time. "I mean, let's talk about star quality, shall we?"

"Kurt was awesome," Artie acknowledged. Kurt tried not to squirm too much as he strained to hear what they were saying.

"No question, he owned that song like it was his prison bitch," Coach Bieste added. "My thing is... Tony is supposed to be from the streets. He's the leader of the Jets. An alpha gang member. I look at Kurt and I don't believe it."

Kurt's enthusiasm deflated a bit at those words, but he tried to stay hopeful. They had just been talking about Mercedes as a non-traditional, yet still viable, possibility for Maria.

"Well, respectfully, Coach," Ms. Pillsbury argued, "Tony's retired from the Jets. He's a poet of the urban jungle. There is a delicate wholesomeness to Kurt that's unexpected, but not unwelcome, for Tony. I mean, if I were Maria I'd love to be held in Kurt's toothpick arms on my fire escape."

"Listen, I love the kid," Coach Bieste countered, "but I want a Tony that excites my lady parts. Hummel's too much of a lady."

Kurt tried not to feel too much hope or too much defeat yet. They hadn't decided.

"Well, Artie, you know him best" Ms. Pillsbury said. "Could Kurt... could he pass?"

"I'm a firm believer in colorblind, non-traditional casting," Artie declared. "For instance, I hope to play Porgy one day. And we should definitely see who else comes in. But yeah, I'm a little worried that Kurt may be a little delicate for Tony."

Kurt leaned his head back on the brick wall. He knew that he wasn't the traditional Tony. He wasn't really the traditional _anything_. But he hated that being non-traditional meant restrictions. He pulled out his phone, not sure what he was planning to do, and sighed when he saw the photo of Blaine on the deck from the night before. He had made it his phone background.

Blaine fit in everywhere, Kurt thought sourly. Standing on that deck, he looked every bit the strong, straight young man that his father wanted him to be. He didn't look or sound like the stereotype.

It was one of the things Kurt loved most about Blaine. But as he sat against the brick wall outside the window, feeling like nobody was even going to give him a second thought for the role of Tony, Kurt felt outrageously jealous. The logical part of him reprimanded the emotional part of his brain for comparing himself to Blaine, but his emotional side was too worked up to really care.

He stood up and slipped back into the building as the trio inside transitioned to other director-related topics. As Kurt walked unenthusiastically down the hallway, he passed a bright poster on the wall.

His heart lurched into his throat as he stopped and turned to see one of Brittany's unicorn posters of him on the wall. Panic flooded through his veins as he ripped the poster off the wall and ran to where Brittany and Santana were taping up duplicates in another section of the hallway.

"This is not the poster we agreed on!" Kurt cried.

"The poster that you wanted gave me crippling depression," Brittany said seriously.

"I wanted something toned down!" Kurt accused. Why did everyone have to associate him with pink and rainbows and glitter?

"This _is_ toned down," Santana quipped. "In the original the unicorn was riding you."

Kurt didn't know what to do or say.

"I don't know why you're so upset," Brittany said, "You're special. You need to embrace it. This is who you are."

Somewhere deep inside, Kurt knew that he should feel good about the compliment. But his panic shoved everything else aside.

"I'm not gonna win," Kurt said. There was absolutely no way he was going to win with a bunch of pink, glittery posters and not even enough masculinity to be considered for a leading role in the school musical.

Suddenly, Rachel appeared around the corner, and Kurt had an idea.

"Rachel! Rachel, I need you," he said desperately as he grabbed her. "I need you to come with me to the auditorium right now and help me audition for Tony again."

"Last-minute emergency audition?" Rachel said enthusiastically, "Say no more."

"And stop putting up those posters!" Kurt shouted over his shoulder and Brittany and Santana.

"Okay," Kurt said as he and Rachel hurried to the auditorium, "here's what we're going to do. West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet..."

"Oh!" Rachel squealed. "Oh, yes please."

They rummaged through the costume closet until they found what they needed, and spent the next thirty minutes simultaneously getting dressed and learning their lines.

The audition was a disaster.

Kurt had never been so glad _not_ to have Blaine around as he ran from the auditorium, the laughter of his friends and teachers still ringing in his ears. He snatched his bag off the ground and retreated into a bathroom stall to have a mini meltdown and to change into the spare set of clothes he kept in his bag. Hot, angry tears stung in his eyes as he dressed. He hated Rachel. He hated Artie. He hated everyone. He hated himself.

Once he was safely in his vehicle with the doors locked he felt a little bit better.

His first instinct was to call Blaine. But he didn't want to talk to Blaine about this. Instead, he sat in his car in the parking lot until he felt like he was no longer going to burst into tears, and then he drove to his father's tire shop.

"Hey Kurt," one of the employees greeted him as he walked in. "Your dad's talking to a customer, but Finn and Rachel are over there," he motioned with one of his hands.

Rachel. Kurt almost turned and walked back out again, but instead he plodded over and flopped down into a chair. Her back was to him; he would just ignore her. Kurt stared down at his hands and wondered if there was a single part out there that was perfect for him.

"What do you want?" Burt asked as he appeared and saw Kurt sitting at the table by himself.

"Nothing," Kurt lied. "Is Finn the only son who can help out around here?"

"No, but you only volunteer to help when you want money or when you want to talk about something," Burt said sagely. "What's going on?"

"I made a list," Kurt explained. "These are the only musicals that I am a shoe-in to play the lead role in. Number one, _La Cage Aux Folles_. Number two, _Falsettos_. Number three, _Miss Saigon_... as Miss Saigon. But that's off the list when, and if, I ever start shaving."

"Dude, you're gay."

The words surprised Kurt. "Excuse me?"

"You're gay!" Burt repeated. "And you're not, like, Rock Hudson gay. You're really gay. You sing like Diana Ross and you dress like you own a magic chocolate factory."

Kurt could not believe his father was saying this. "Okay, why are you being so mean to me?" Kurt accused.

"What is wrong with any of that?" Burt clarified. "It's who you are."

"And I'm not saying that I'm ashamed of it," Kurt said. He left out that _sometimes_ he did feel a little ashamed of it. Sometimes he wanted to fit in so badly that he couldn't think about anything else. Like now. "The problem is that if I want to be an actor I have to pass as straight to get the great romantic roles. And I want those roles. Every actor does. But to not get a shot at it... I mean, it kills me. I don't know if you've noticed, but no one's really looking for a Kurt Hummel type to play opposite Kate Hudson in a rom-com."

"Kurt," Burt said as he walked up to stand in front of his son, "I say if they're not writing movies and plays for performers like you, then you've gotta start writing your own. Come on, man, you're awesome. Change the rules. Write your own history."

Kurt felt a surge of gratitude that his father was so understanding and supportive. In his inner comparison between himself and Blaine, family dynamics was the one area where Kurt knew he had a major advantage.

"I'm just tired of being a unicorn, dad," he admitted.

"You know what they call a unicorn without a horn?" Burt said. "A freakin' horse."

Even in his negative state, Kurt couldn't help laughing at his father's joke. He was glad he had come here to talk.

As Kurt turned to watch his father walk away, he accidentally made eye contact with Rachel across the room. The little bit of positivity he had just absorbed from his father vanished immediately as the shame of the audition earlier in the afternoon washed over him. He turned abruptly to leave.

"Kurt!" Rachel's quick footsteps echoed in the large room as she ran after him. "Kurt, please! Wait."

He turned on her, ready to scream and disown her as a friend, but he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. The unexpected expression threw him off, and he could only manage a pathetic "What do you want, Rachel?".

"Kurt, I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know what came over me. I–"

"You know exactly what came over you," Kurt snapped.

Her face contorted in a mixture of shame and confusion. "What are you doing?" she pressed. "This isn't you."

"What, this isn't rainbow-colored, glittery Kurt Hummel?" Kurt rolled his eyes.

Rachel let out a sympathetic breath and opened her mouth, but Kurt was not interested in being pitied.

"If you even _think_ about trying to convince me that 'it doesn't matter' or that 'everything is going to be fine', I am going to sneak into your house and destroy your entire Barbara Streisand collection," he threatened. "I know where your dads keep the spare key."

"Maybe it _does_ matter, but it's not _everything_," Rachel said.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's so easy for you to say, Rachel. You are, or will be at some point in your life, the _perfect_ fit for pretty much any major female role in existence. The one and only thing that will ever hold you back is bad luck."

Rachel was silent for a moment. "I'm really, really sorry, Kurt," she finally said.

Kurt felt tears returning to his eyes as he looked at her. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt his feelings.

"Thank god I'm not actually a girl," he muttered. "I'm overly-emotional enough as it is without monthly hormonal changes."

Rachel smiled, and there were suddenly tears in her eyes again too. "I'm going to hug you now," she said emotionally. Kurt nodded, and she launched herself forward and threw her arms around his waist.

"I'm glad you're you, Kurt," she said into his chest.

Kurt thought about everything that he had been through over the past few years, and imagined some of the challenges he was going to face in the _next_ few years. He was never going to win at anything if he couldn't just be himself.

"Thanks," he said quietly, releasing her. "I've gotta go work on my campaign posters."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hello?"

Blaine was unreasonably relieved to hear Kurt's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, where were you after school?" Blaine asked, concerned. "I tried to find you but your car was gone..."

"Sorry," Kurt apologized. "It was just a really bad day and I needed to talk to my dad. And wait, I thought you had construction duty with _your_ dad?"

Blaine smiled. "Nope. We finished really late last night."

"Where are you?" Kurt asked. "Want to come over?"

Blaine was glad that Kurt couldn't see him blushing. "Yeah, I went to get coffee in case you were there, so I'm pretty close. Are you home?"

"Yes," Kurt answered, and Blaine could hear the smile in his voice. "Come over!"

"See you soon," Blaine said.

"Bye!" Kurt sang into the phone as he ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Carole answered the door when Blaine arrived at the Hummel-Hudson house, and she smiled brightly when she saw him in the doorway.

"Blaine!" she reached out to request a hug, and Blaine stepped forward and let her squeeze him tightly for a moment. "Great to see you, sweetheart!"

"You too," Blaine smiled, but before he could say anything else Kurt came rushing into the room and grabbed his hand.

"Sorry Carole," Kurt apologized as he dragged Blaine away and up the stairs. When they got to Kurt's room, Kurt pulled Blaine over to where his laptop was sitting on his bed. He released Blaine's hand and they sat down side-by-side on the edge of the bed.

"Okay," he said, "ready to see my class president poster?"

"But..." Blaine started to ask why there had been pink and rainbow posters around in the hallways already if Kurt hadn't yet picked out a design, but he decided to just let Kurt show him.

"Ta da!" Kurt pulled up the image, similar to the ones Blaine had seen at school but not exactly the same.

"It's perfect," Blaine grinned, climbing onto the bed so he could sit behind Kurt and wrap his arms around the other boy's waist. He put his chin on Kurt's shoulder and examined the image more closely.

"I guess I've just got to embrace the weirdness," Kurt said. "And everyone loves unicorns, right?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed.

"So now I've just got to print them out in the morning at school... want to help me hang them up?"

"Are you kidding?" Blaine scoffed. "Of course I do."

Blaine released Kurt and scooted back to the center of the bed so Kurt could get up and put the laptop down on his vanity.

"Oh," Kurt said as he turned back around, "and Quinn's back!"

"No way!" Blaine was delighted to hear that news. He had interacted with Quinn a bit at prom the year before, and he knew that there was a sweet, intelligent girl hidden underneath that pink hair and bad attitude.

"_Way_," Kurt teased. "She's even back to blonde."

"I actually kinda liked the pink hair," Blaine admitted with a laugh, "but if the blonde is indicative of an attitude shift, I'm really happy for her."

Kurt climbed onto the bed to lie down on his back next to where Blaine was sitting. Blaine grinned at him and scooted so that he could lie down and snuggle up against Kurt's side.

"I wish you could come to my audition tomorrow," Blaine sighed.

"Me too," Kurt responded.

"But tell me about _your_ audition," Blaine said. "I feel like I haven't had a chance to really talk to you in forever."

"It was great," Kurt said. "Coach Bieste said I killed it."

Blaine grinned and kissed Kurt's shoulder. "I knew you would," he replied.

Kurt turned his head so Blaine could kiss him properly, and at almost the same time they both got a strong whiff of whatever Carole was making for dinner downstairs.

"It'll be time to eat soon," Kurt said.

"Soon," Blaine agreed as he propped himself up on one arm to kiss Kurt again, "but not yet."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Blaine Anderson?" Artie's voice rang out in the auditorium, and Blaine took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage.

"Hi guys," Blaine waved at the trio in the audience.

"Greetings," Artie responded. "What song will you be singing today?"

"Uh, _Something's Coming_," Blaine responded, and Artie nodded. Blaine turned his back on the auditorium as the music began. He knew he could sing this song, but this was his first audition at his new school. He wanted to be perfect.

"_Could be... who knows?"_

As he started to sing, Blaine's anxiety melted away and was replaced by the confidence that always washed over him when he was performing. He could do this. He could impress them with this song.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt finished talking to Brittany and walked past the door to the auditorium on his way to his car. Blaine was in there. Auditioning.

He glanced around and made a quick decision to spy. He quietly pushed open the door to the auditorium and snuck up to one of the balconies, hoping that the shadows and the height would keep him hidden. He didn't want to be caught, and he didn't want to distract Blaine either.

Kurt felt a huge rush of pride as he watched Blaine audition for the trio of directors. It was still so new for Blaine to be here at all. And, Kurt thought as he watched the performance, this was the first time he had ever seen Blaine performing by himself. Just Blaine. Alone on the stage singing his heart out. It was different than all the times Kurt had heard Blaine sing in the car or when they were hanging out together. This was an audition. A real _performance_.

When Blaine ended the song with a long, powerful note, Artie, Coach Bieste, and Emma exploded into cheers and applause. Kurt wished he could applaud too, but he knew he needed to stay hidden.

"I so wanna give you a standing ovation right now!" Artie exclaimed.

"Thank you," Blaine said kindly. Kurt smiled at the other boy's shy little shrug as Blaine turned to walk off the stage.

"Wait," Artie stopped him. "On your audition form you said you were only interested in the role of Bernardo."

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed. "Or, um, Officer Krupke. Either one's fine."

Kurt watched the trio exchange confused glances.

"Would you mind reading for Tony?" Artie asked.

Kurt knew that what he _should_ feel as he watched conflicting emotions flash across Blaine's face. And he did feel it, to some extent. Guilt. Guilt that he was the sole reason that Blaine hadn't checked the box next to Tony on his application. But, selfishly, he felt angry that the trio of directors was so much more enthusiastic about Blaine's performance than his own. His insecurity battled against his compassionate side and won, and Kurt turned and left the auditorium. He didn't want to stand there and watch them beg Blaine to be their Tony.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hey, it was a cliffhanger ending in the episode, so let's leave it that way! ;)<strong>_

_**Up next... 'Asian F'!**_


	20. 3x03: Asian F

_**Thank you all for your sweet words so far! It's fun to imagine what Kurt and Blaine were up to when the cameras weren't on them (or weren't featuring them), so I'm glad you think what comes out of my crazy little mind is worth reading!**_

_**Blaine was gone for most of this episode because Darren was in New York filming Imogene, if I'm recalling the timeline correctly. But they managed to squeeze in a super adorable scene between Kurt and Blaine, so I'm a happy fangirl!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Would you mind reading for Tony?" Artie asked.

Blaine's felt an avalanche of emotions as he considered the request. He wanted to. He wanted to play Tony. He had planned to audition for Tony. But his promise to Kurt that, as a junior, he would stick to a smaller role was at the forefront of his mind. Was a shot at playing Tony worth hurting Kurt's feelings?

"I–" he had to say no, but he couldn't force his vocal cords to cooperate.

"Is everything okay, Blaine?" Ms. Pillsbury asked.

"Um, yeah. I just– I'm not sure," Blaine managed to choke out. He hoped they would tell him that it was okay. That, if he didn't want to, he didn't have to audition for Tony.

"Punkin'," Coach Bieste said, "I don't know what on Earth you're not sure about. That was _outstanding_."

"Thank you," Blaine tried to smile, but he imagined that it probably looked more like a grimace.

"So?" Artie asked.

"Okay," Blaine replied.

By the time his brain caught up with his mouth, it was too late. "Excellent!" Artie clapped his hands. "Thanks, Blaine! We'll be in touch if we need anything more from you!"

Blaine turned and walked off the stage without another word. Why had he just agreed? If he got the part, all the other guys in New Directions were going to think he was trying to steal their spotlight. What had Finn said about ball-hogging on his first day? And Kurt. What was Kurt going to say?

He didn't have to wait long to find out. As he stepped into the hallway, Kurt was waiting for him.

"Oh!" Blaine gasped, startled. "Hey."

"How was it?" Kurt asked, and Blaine had a feeling Kurt had overheard some of what had just happened.

"They asked me to put my name in for Tony," he admitted. "I don't know why I said yes. I'll go back in there and tell them no." Panicking, he turned to go back into the auditorium.

"No," Kurt's hand was suddenly on his arm. "No, don't do that."

Blaine allowed Kurt to turn him back around.

"I'm sorry," Blaine said miserably.

"Yeah," Kurt answered vaguely. Blaine could tell that Kurt was unhappy, but he didn't seem _angry_.

They stood there for an awkward moment, and Blaine thought about the future. He was going to have so much regret if his ambition had just permanently damaged his relationship with Kurt.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too," Kurt responded. It sounded like an automatic response more than a heartfelt sentiment, but Blaine was relieved to hear him say the words.

"Well, um," Blaine decided to give Kurt some space. Regardless of his intentions, he had just hurt Kurt's feelings. And Blaine didn't want to force Kurt to talk about it if he didn't want to. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kurt nodded, and Blaine hurried away. He didn't feel like crying, but he didn't feel amazing, either. He _wanted_ to feel amazing about nailing his audition and the potential for a lead role in his first school musical, but how could he feel those things when Kurt was so unhappy?

He made his way to his car and tossed his bag onto the passenger's seat before he pulled out his phone to make sure he didn't have any text messages to respond to before the drive. His dad's name was there along with a short message; a reminder that they were going Indiana for a few days for his aunt's funeral. Blaine had completely forgotten. They were leaving the next morning.

Before he could stop it, the image of something terrible happening to him before he could speak to Kurt again sprung to his mind. He wrenched the car door open and jumped out, running back into the school building.

"Kurt!" he was relieved to see that the other boy was still there, grabbing a few things out of his locker. Blaine saw the photograph of himself on the locker door and knew he had made the right decision by coming back.

"Are you okay?" Kurt turned, and there was genuine worry in his voice at the sight of Blaine jogging up the hallway toward him.

"No," Blaine admitted. "I'm going to Indiana in the morning, and I can't just leave when you're so disappointed in me. I don't care about Tony as much as I care about you, Kurt."

Kurt's eyes softened a little. "_Blaine_," he chided, "I'm not disappointed in you."

Hope sprung to life in Blaine's chest, and he stepped closer to grab one of Kurt's hands.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "It's _me_," he said. "I'm battling a severe case of jealousy. And not just at you... at the entire world. But I'll get over it."

Kurt threw his free hand out to stop Blaine from speaking when he opened his mouth to apologize.

"Don't apologize again," Kurt said. "It only makes it worse."

"Sorry," Blaine mouthed at him.

The corners of Kurt's mouth twitched upward, and Blaine knew that things were going to be okay between them. Kurt wasn't ready to let it go yet, but he wasn't ready to let go of _Blaine_ yet either.

"See you when I get back?" Blaine asked.

Kurt squeezed his hand. "Yes," he agreed. "Safe driving, okay?"

Blaine nodded, and he felt much better as he squeezed Kurt's hand in return before releasing it. "Bye," he said as he backed away briefly before turning to walk back to his car.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Two days later, Kurt's jealousy was rapidly decreasing. He and Blaine had been texting a lot because Blaine was still in Indiana. And, although most of their conversations had been ordinary and frivolous, Kurt felt as if their rapport was as effortless as ever. Reminding himself that Blaine was just _Blaine_ was helping Kurt to release some of his jealousy in favor of his usual affection for the other boy.

Blaine had been especially excited to hear that Santana had re-joined New Directions. _Thank goodness!_ Blaine had texted him, _Remind me to beg her for forgiveness when I get back_.

As he sat in glee club, watching Rachel and Mr. Schu chat excitedly about Rachel's ideas for West Side Story, Kurt pulled out his phone. He had planned to attempt some bonding time with Mercedes while Blaine was gone, but she looked like she would rather be anywhere but in the room with all of them. He decided to give her space instead.

_When are you coming back? I'm dying of boredom with these people,_ he texted Blaine.

As soon as he sent the message he remembered that Blaine had gone to Indiana for a funeral.

_Sorry_, he sent another message. _Figure of speech_.

_It's okay!_ Blaine responded almost immediately. _She'd been ill for a long time, so we're sad but it's not a huge shock._

Before Kurt could reply, Blaine sent another message.

_I thought we were coming home tonight. But, much to my dismay, my dad decided that he wanted to stay overnight again._

Kurt smiled. _You mean you don't love the little family reunion this has become?_

_It's actually not too bad. Wait a second..._

Kurt waited patiently for a minute until Blaine's next message came through. It was a photograph of Blaine holding a tiny baby.

_My cousin's two-week-old daughter Charlotte!_

Kurt tried to ignore the way that seeing Blaine with such a small baby made his heart wrench in his chest. _Wow, that's not cute at all_, he replied.

_I miss you, though_, Blaine's next message said. _It would be more fun with you here. My cousins want to know everything about you._

_I hope you're making me sound more fabulous than I actually am_, Kurt teased.

_Impossible_, Blaine replied. Kurt smiled.

_Ah_, Blaine texted again, _gotta go. Family bonding time, yay!_

_Say hi to your cousins! :)_ Kurt replied. _Talk to you later!_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The morning Blaine was supposed to return to school, Kurt woke up early.

He had missed Blaine terribly. And, once the jealousy had started to wear off, he had started to feel terrible for letting his own momentary lack of confidence get between him and the boy he loved so dearly. None of this West Side Story stuff was going to matter a few years from now, but Blaine mattered. Kurt hoped that Blaine would matter to him for the rest of his life.

He needed to apologize. As he rolled over to look at his clock to see how much more time he had before his alarm would go off, Kurt had a sudden moment of inspiration. He jumped out of bed, dressed, styled his hair quickly and grabbed a hat so he didn't have to worry about it all day, and was downstairs almost an hour earlier than normal. Carole, up for an early shift, was sitting at the table reading a book and drinking some coffee when he hurried into the room.

"Well, good morning," she greeted him. "You're up early."

"What time does the local florist open?" Kurt asked as he grabbed some cereal out of the pantry and poured himself a bowl.

"I'm not sure," Carole replied. She watched him pour his cereal before continuing. "So Blaine's coming back today, huh?"

"What?" Kurt finished pouring some milk into his cereal and looked up at her.

"If you're buying flowers for someone _other_ than Blaine," Carole smiled, "I think we need to talk."

"Oh," Kurt said. "Yeah, he's coming back today. And... I've missed him."

If Carole knew about his little meltdown about the whole West Side Story thing, she didn't let on. "He's an old soul; he's going to love flowers," she said.

Kurt ate his breakfast and was out the door in plenty of time to stop by the florist on the way to school. He was happy to find that it was open – it had _just_ opened – and he approached the only young woman in the store to inquire about buying some roses for Blaine.

He ended up with a bouquet of two colors. He had planned on something other than red, but when the woman had shown him the list of meanings for the different colors of roses, he hadn't been able to resist. Red roses for love. Yellow roses for friendship. Kurt was so delighted with the final bouquet that he had to restrain himself from hugging the young florist as she handed the flowers over to him.

"Thank you!" he said, dipping into a tiny bow before he twirled around and ran to his car.

Blaine's car wasn't in the lot yet when he arrived, so Kurt had no problem sneaking the flowers into the school and into his locker. He and Blaine had a ritual of meeting on the staircase before lunch, so he would surprise the other boy then.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As the bell rang to signify the start of the lunch period, Blaine felt both excited and a little nervous. He had missed Kurt while he had been gone and he couldn't wait to see him. But what if Kurt was still harboring some resentment about Blaine accepting the audition for Tony? The cast list was set to be posted at the end of the week, and Blaine was trying not to think about what it might say.

He reached the top of the stairs and started to descend, and he was so lost in thought that he didn't see Kurt until he was standing right in front of him.

Kurt's face lit up with a toothy smile as their eyes met, and Blaine felt relief wash over him. Kurt didn't smile like that when he was upset.

"The cast list goes up on Friday," Kurt said immediately. "Are you nervous?"

That was unexpected. Blaine had anticipated that Kurt would probably ignore the entire topic of West Side Story for now until a decision was made or until Blaine forced him to talk about it again.

"A little," he admitted casually. "But I'm trying not to think about it."

"I wouldn't be," Kurt suggested. "My mole in the casting office says that there's only one actor they're seriously considering for the role of Tony... and his initials are B.A."

Blaine wasn't sure about _that_. But, before he could respond, Kurt pulled a bouquet of yellow and red roses from behind his back and held them out to Blaine.

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed, delighted. "They're beautiful!" He had no idea what he had done to warrant such a sweet gesture. "But what are they for?"

"You killed your audition, Blaine," Kurt said seriously. "If anyone else got Tony, including me, the wrath of Sondheim would fall upon William McKinley like a plague of Shubert Alley locusts."

Blaine felt a surge of affection as he listened to Kurt's words and examined the flowers. The curse of having as much ambition and pride was that Kurt was incredibly prone to jealousy. But he was also one of the kindest souls Blaine had ever known. When it came to Blaine, Kurt always found a way to rise above the jealousy to see the big picture. Blaine knew it wasn't easy for him, and the extra effort that Kurt always put forward for their relationship made Blaine feel safe and wanted.

"These are to celebrate... you," Kurt added.

Blaine felt like his heart was going to climb out of his chest. Kurt looked so at ease. So happy. This was his way of apologizing.

"You always zig when I think you're about to zag," Blaine smiled, "and I... I just– I love that about you."

He stepped down to get closer to Kurt, but Kurt hesitated and glanced around at the other students on the staircase. Blaine hoped that a simple "thank you" would be enough as he clasped his hand on Kurt's shoulder.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Blaine could see understanding in Kurt's expression. They were both still too nervous about being bullied to show much physical affection in public.

"Right," Kurt said. He turned to descend the stairs.

Blaine pressed the flowers to his face to smell them as he followed, thinking about how grateful he was to have Kurt in his life. The first time they had been on this staircase together, they had essentially been strangers. And Kurt had been in emotional turmoil. McKinley had been a strange place for Blaine then. A reminder of his life before the safety of Dalton. A reminder of what he had escaped.

Kurt had matured so much since then, Blaine thought. And now Blaine was starting to feel comfortable at McKinley. Although he had not quite reached the point where it felt like _his_ school, it no longer felt like a reminder of what he had run from. It was a reminder of what he had to live for. Second chances. And a boy who was worth fighting with and fighting for.

"Welcome back," Kurt turned to wait for him so they could walk side-by-side when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Blaine smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I missed you so much."

"Me too," Kurt agreed.

"Nobody has ever given me flowers before," Blaine admitted, bringing the bouquet up to his face again to smell the flowers.

Kurt's face lit up at the confession. "Yellow for friendship and red for love," he explained. "The red can stand for congratulations, too."

"You're the best friend I've ever had," Blaine said warmly as they entered the cafeteria, and the way Kurt's eyes shone with happiness when he turned to smile at Blaine made Blaine's heart flutter as if they had just met.

There was a chorus of "welcome back's" as Blaine and Kurt found most of New Directions sitting at a table in the center of the large room. But the conversation quickly turned to the flowers in Blaine's hand.

"Alright, Kurt," Puck approved.

"They're beautiful!" Rachel extended a questioning hand, and Blaine gave her the bouquet. She passed it to Quinn, and it made its way all the way around the table before Rachel handed it back to Blaine. He set it gently on the table.

As the group shifted into its normal lunchtime hum of conversation, Blaine turned to Mike.

"I heard you auditioned for Riff!" he said excitedly.

Mike nodded and reached out to grab Tina's hand on top of the table. "Tina's been coaching me all summer."

"He's going to blow you away," Tina smiled.

"That's wonderful," Blaine replied. "I'm sure you'll get it!"

"I guess we'll know on Friday," Mike said.

"But first we get to watch Rachel and Mercedes duel over Maria tomorrow after school," Kurt chimed in excitedly.

Blaine laughed. "I think they'd both be great."

"But," Kurt said dramatically, "there can be only one Maria."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I have a feeling that people are going to be talking about this face-off for the rest of our lives," Kurt whispered.

"It's a difficult decision," Blaine replied quietly. "They're both amazing."

"The fallout from whichever one of them loses is going to be epic," Kurt informed him.

"Let's hope not," Blaine mumbled as Rachel won the coin toss and gave Mercedes the first slot.

As they watched the girls perform, Kurt didn't know what to feel. His friendship with Mercedes had cooled a bit since he had gone to Dalton, while his friendship with Rachel had really taken hold since he had returned. But they were both still his friends. He could see them both in the role.

"This is an impossible decision," he whispered to Blaine.

"Shhhh!" Blaine shushed him, but he nodded his agreement.

When the competition was over, both girls received standing ovations. But Kurt could tell that Rachel wasn't happy.

"She thinks she's been beaten," he whispered to Blaine.

"I don't know," Blaine shook his head. "I'm just glad I'm not the one deciding."

They found out the next morning just how sure Rachel was that she wasn't going to get the part.

"Hey, Kurt," Puck snuck up to him at his locker before school, "just a heads up... your friend Rachel? She's now your competition."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kurt scolded. "There's no gender-bending in this year's production."

"No," Puck said, "for senior class president. I overheard Bieste talking to her about it."

Kurt felt a surge of betrayal and anger. He couldn't speak. He slammed his locker closed and turned to go find Rachel without another word to Puck.

He found her at her locker, and tried to tone down his anger so he could express his argument properly.

"I think we should talk, don't you?" he asked as he approached.

"About the, um, upcoming deadline for NYADA applications?" Rachel hedged.

"About you telling Coach Bieste that you're running for senior class president," Kurt gently corrected. "Against me."

"Look, Kurt, you saw Mercedes, okay?" Rachel said. "I'm not gonna get the part. So I– I figured if I win I'll make you vice president and then maybe we could just do vice-versa."

Kurt knew this feeling. The feeling of panic and desperation.

"Rachel, if you win, yes, it will better your chances of getting into NYADA," he acknowledged. "_Yes_. But if I win, it could make a huge difference at this school. Not just for me, but kids like me. Things could actually change for them."

"So," Kurt informed her, "whatever it takes. I'm winning."

"Okay, I just– I need something for my senior year that's going to make me special," Rachel argued. "That's going to make me stand out. I thought Maria was going to be that. You understand; you're just as ambitious as I am. That's why we're friends!"

It was _part _of why they were friends. In many ways, Kurt understood exactly why Rachel had run to Coach Bieste to put her name in the class president race. But just because he understood the impulse didn't mean he had to agree with her actions. As he looked at the anxiety on Rachel's face, he was glad that he had managed to get his jealousy and panic under control before he had done major damage to his relationship with Blaine.

"Rachel," he said, "in ten years, when you look back on this time, you're not going to be thinking about the clubs you belonged to or the parts you had. You'll be thinking about the friends you had and the ones you just tossed aside."

He hoped that she appreciated the dramatic exit as he turned and walked away without giving her a chance to say anything more.

To Kurt's surprise, he turned the corner to find Blaine waiting for him at his locker.

"Good morning," Blaine grinned at him.

"_Not_ a good morning," Kurt corrected bitterly. "Rachel is now running against me for class president."

"What?" Blaine asked. "Why?"

"She's panicking," Kurt groaned.

"Maybe in a few days she'll calm down and withdraw her name," Blaine suggested.

Kurt shrugged. "I hope so."

They both paused and looked up as Finn walked quickly past, and Kurt held up a hand to stop Blaine from saying anything else.

"I'll be right back," he told Blaine.

"Finn!" he called after his step-brother. "Finn, I know you can hear me. Stop!"

Finn reluctantly slowed his pace to allow Kurt to catch up.

"Did you know about this?" Kurt asked sharply. He knew the answer already, but he wanted Finn to admit it.

"Yes," Finn admitted awkwardly.

Kurt let out a huff of angry air. "Great. Good job, _Finn_. Fanning the flames of Rachel's crazy fire."

"You think I could've stopped her once the idea was in her head?" Finn retorted.

"You could've tried!" Kurt shouted at him.

Kurt felt a gentle hand on his back, and he turned to find Blaine standing beside him.

Kurt turned back to Finn. "So I assume you're voting for _her_ now."

To his surprise, Finn hesitated. "I dunno, dude," he said quietly.

Kurt shook his head disapprovingly. "See you later," he dismissed, and Finn didn't wait around to see if Kurt would change his mind. He disappeared around the corner as fast as he could move without running.

"My own brother," Kurt mumbled unhappily as he and Blaine walked down the hall on their way to class.

"Yeah," Blaine agreed.

When they reached the end of the hallway where they had to split up to go to their respective classrooms, Blaine massaged Kurt's shoulders briefly.

"I still think you're going to win," he encouraged.

"You're sweet," Kurt twisted out of his grip to turn and look at him. "I hope you're right."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The cast list went up on Friday, as promised, and everyone gathered around the bulletin board to see the results.

Blaine would play Tony. He reacted as if the whole thing was a huge surprise to him. Which, Kurt thought, it probably was. Blaine never assumed anything.

Kurt would play Officer Krupke. As Blaine grabbed Kurt to hug him, Kurt felt one final pang of disappointment. He _was_ happy for Blaine, but he was sad for himself. Officer Krupke was a decent part. But it wasn't the part he wanted.

"Hey Blaine," Santana nudged his side as she walked by, "I guess it's not going to be a stretch to act attracted to Rachel, huh?"

Kurt couldn't resist laughing as Blaine's face flushed and he refused to meet anyone's eyes for a moment.

"Congratulations," Kurt wound his arm around Blaine's waist as they walked back into the choir room.

Blaine beamed up at him. "You too," he said.

Once everyone was sitting down, Mr. Schu addressed the room.

"Congratulations to all of you on your roles in the musical!" he said. "Artie wanted me to announce that rehearsals start next week; see him after glee today for schedules. Now, for today's lesson..."

"Where's Mercedes?" Kurt wondered aloud, interrupting.

"I saw her a minute ago in the hallway," Rachel said.

"I'll go find her," Kurt decided. "Be right back!"

He hopped to his feet and left the room, hoping that he wasn't going to find his friend crying in the bathroom or raging against an innocent inanimate object due to Rachel being cast as Maria.

"Oh hey," he spotted her inside a nearby classroom, "we were wondering where – oh, hi Ms. Corcoran."

The presence of the vocal coach, when paired with the fact that Mercedes had her back to him and had not acknowledged him immediately, made Kurt suspicious.

"Glee's starting," he said.

"I'm not coming," Mercedes replied.

"Believe me," Kurt said, "I know how you feel. But–"

Mercedes turned to face him. "No, Kurt, you _don't_ know how I feel. I'm _done_," she said sharply.

"Whatever," Kurt rolled his eyes. He didn't want to have this argument with her. Kurt was furious with Rachel, but he wasn't interested in feeding Mercedes' victim complex.

"I'm leaving New Directions," Mercedes announced as Kurt turned to leave.

He froze in the doorway. He could hear the other students in the choir room starting to warm up.

"Excuse me?" he said, turning back to face the classroom. He gave Ms. Corcoran a hard look before turning all of his attention on Mercedes.

"I'm joining Ms. Corcoran's group," Mercedes said. "So why don't you run back to Mr. Schu and have fun playing second or third fiddle to Rachel Berry all year."

"You're just going to abandon us?" Kurt snapped. "Just like that? You think _I_ don't want more solos? Of course I do. But we're a team."

"Yeah, some team," Mercedes said sourly. "That whole 'we're a team' routine is code for 'we follow our leader', and I'm done being a follower."

"We don't have enough people to compete as it is," Kurt reminded her. "You can't just _leave_."

"You left," Mercedes accused.

The hurt and sadness that Kurt was feeling disappeared in an instant and was replaced by rage.

"I left because I _feared for my life_," Kurt shouted, stepping forward until he was right in front of her. "You're leaving because your ego isn't being adequately stroked. But you know what? We may miss you, but we don't need you. We're going to win Sectionals without you and then you'll be forced to come crawling back begging for a background spot!"

"Kurt–" Mercedes started, but Kurt didn't want to hear any more. With an aggravated wave of his hands, he stormed out of the room and back to where New Directions was finishing warming up.

"Is she coming?" Mr. Schu asked as Kurt marched through the door.

"She joined Ms. Corcoran's group," Kurt explained briefly. "And no, I don't want to talk about it," he added for Blaine's benefit.

"No she did _not_," Artie gasped.

"Screw her," Puck added.

"Guys! Guys!" Mr. Schu's voice rose above the sudden buzz of voices in the room. "I'll go and talk to her..."

"As they say in show business," Rachel said with authority, "the show must–"

Kurt glared at her as he walked by, and she fell silent. Mr. Schu left the room.

Kurt fell into a chair in the corner, and Blaine sat down beside him. Kurt sighed as Blaine reached out and put his hand on Kurt's knee.

"I'm going to be fine," Kurt reassured him. "I just hate the universe today."

Blaine smiled sadly. "We'll find more people," he said encouragingly. "Don't despair."

"Thanks," Kurt put his hand on top of Blaine's. "Having you here certainly helps."

Blaine surprised him by leaning forward and kissing him, slowly and gently.

"Does that help?" Blaine breathed against his lips.

"No," Kurt managed before he re-captured Blaine's mouth with his own for another kiss.

"Oh, get a room," Santana whined.

"This is a room," Brittany said to Santana, and everyone laughed. Blaine kissed Kurt once more before he sat back in his chair.

"Who needs girls, anyway?" Blaine winked at him.

To Kurt's surprise, he blushed so intensely that he was surprised when he skin didn't burst into flames. He could only nod in agreement, and his mind was so jumbled that, by the time Mr. Schu re-entered the room with the official report on Mercedes' defection, Kurt had completely forgotten that she was gone at all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Have a lovely weekend, everyone! See you on Monday for 'Pot o' Gold'!<strong>_


	21. 3x04: Pot O' Gold

_**I don't think there's really anything I need to say before this one... happy reading! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I miss Mercedes," Artie admitted to no one in particular as Mr. Schu prepared to start the day's glee club.

Tina started to cry, and Blaine felt horrible for the whole group. He didn't know Mercedes particularly well yet, but for the rest of New Directions this was more than just losing a member of their show choir. They felt betrayed and missed their friend.

"You know what, girl Chang?" Santana said, "If you cry every time someone gets a hangnail it kinda starts to lose its effect."

"It's not a hangnail," Tina argued, "Mercedes was one of glee's original members. I feel naked in here without her."

"Yeah, well get used to it," Puck chimed in. "Because without her singing for us we're gonna have to perform naked for the judges to vote for us at Sectionals."

As the students argued about who was to blame for Mercedes' departure, Blaine wondered what he could do to help. He was sad about the group's loss, but he was also a little frustrated at their lack of _action_ about the whole thing. They were so worked up about losing a member that they had no plan for replacing Mercedes or finding other new members.

"Sorry I'm late!" Rachel said brightly, breaking Blaine out of his thoughts as she hurried through the door, "I was putting up posters for my–" she saw Kurt scowling at her, "for my campaign."

"Did you airbrush out your jowels?" Kurt asked angrily.

"No!" She snapped.

"Look, stop it everybody!" Finn stood up, "So, we lost a singer. So, they canceled the musical."

"Wait, what? No, no, no, no, you can't cancel my musical!" Rachel cried.

"Sue cut the funding," Mike explained.

"The point is that right now we shouldn't be turning on each other," Finn announced.

Blaine was happy that someone in the group was trying to encourage the others. "I agree," Blaine stood up, hoping to help Finn make his point. "I can only speak from my experience with the Warblers, but no show choir is just one person. It's a team. When we lost a Warbler we just replaced him with another one."

"Which is easy when your waiting list has a waiting list," Finn retorted. "Dude, I know you're a big deal at Dalton or whatever, but we don't wear blazers here. So have a seat; I'm trying to give a pep talk."

Hearing someone else mention his old school caused a surge of homesickness to wash over Blaine. He still hadn't been back to visit Dalton. It had been a little over a month since the start of school and his transfer, and he wasn't sure if he was ready yet to set foot in the hallways of the school that he missed so much.

Despite his emotions about the subject, Blaine had tried to be open about the Warblers since he had transferred. He thought that talking about it casually might help de-mystify the other group for his new classmates and make him seem like less of a threat. But Finn continued to throw his past as the leader of the Warblers in his face at every opportunity.

Blaine resisted the urge to roll his eyes or walk over and punch Finn in the face. "Didn't you just say something about us not turning on each other?" Blaine accused as he sat down. The look on Finn's face was almost as satisfying as if Blaine had actually punched him, and Blaine couldn't decide if he felt more satisfied with having the final word or more hurt that Finn continued to be so unkind for no reason.

"No, you can't cancel my musical, okay?" Rachel wailed. "I was considering changing my name to Maria!"

"The musical is _not_ canceled!" Mr. Schu reassured the group. "As for Mercedes, yes. That is a huge loss for us, but we will deal with replacing her later. Right now we need to focus on putting on this musical."

"How?" Tina asked.

"We sell ads in the program," Mr. Schu explained, "I figure we can get ten, maybe twenty bucks a piece for them."

"So we only have to sell about two hundred." Quinn said skeptically.

"Well, I think it's a brilliant idea!" Kurt said confidently. "And I volunteer myself to spearhead the charge. That'll give me a great opportunity to bust out my Banana Republic Mad Men collection."

That seemed to satisfy the teacher. "Okay, alright!" Mr. Schu said. "Let's break off into smaller groups to figure out who's going to canvas which parts of the city. And guys, I don't care what Sue does, or who leaves us. Everyone in this group's dreams are gonna come true this year. Let's do it!"

"Hey Santana, ready to help out the team?" Finn said loudly as they all stood up.

"Yeah, of course," Santana replied. "Why?"

"Just checking," Finn responded.

Blaine frowned. What was Finn's _problem_? Blaine suddenly had a mental image of somehow managing to force Finn out as captain and stepping in to lead the group, and he was intensely glad that mind-reading was impossible.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Wanna help me finish the program so we can show people when we're out seeking ads?" Kurt asked as they walked out of the choir room.

"You've already started?" Blaine wondered.

Kurt shrugged. "I talked to Artie last week and he didn't think he would have time, so he let me design it."

"Sure," Blaine agreed, and Kurt led the way to one of McKinley's computer labs.

When Kurt opened the file containing the program cover, Blaine frowned.

"This is West Side Story, Kurt..." he said carefully.

"Which is why everyone will be _expecting_ grungy letters and ladders," Kurt replied smoothly. "This design demonstrates that our interpretation of West Side Story might be a little different without having to directly say it... the same way that a new hairstyle signifies a change without using any words."

"I adore you," Blaine laughed, reaching out to squeeze Kurt's knee.

"I'll print a few," Kurt said thoughtfully, "so people can take them around to show potential ad-purchasers."

When they had finished printing and assembling the prototype programs, Kurt and Blaine headed for the parking lot.

"I'm going to head over to my dad's shop and see if maybe he wants to buy some ad space," Kurt said.

"I think I'll stop by the Lima Bean on the way home and see if they're interested," Blaine mused.

"I'm sure there aren't any ulterior motives involved in that idea," Kurt smiled at him. "See you tomorrow."

Blaine brushed his hand across the small of Kurt's back before he turned to walk to his car. "Bye."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt drove to his father's shop and waved hello to the familiar employees as he walked in to find Burt.

"Hey Dad," Kurt greeted his father beside the car he was fixing, "I wanted to show you my program for McKinley's production of West Side Story. It's inspired by my favorite 1920s musicals."

Burt glanced at the program, but didn't take it out of Kurt's hand. "Sounds great, Kurt," he said. "Some reason you're showing this to me _right now_?"

"I was hoping that you might be interested in purchasing some ad space to help save the show," Kurt explained as his father turned to walk over to grab a tool.

Burt stopped walking and turned to look at Kurt. "Save the show?"

"We lost the funding," Kurt explained. "We're hoping to sell enough ad space to cover the cost of the show. They're only ten dollars each. And I've already talked to the Lima mortuary society about buying a couple and we need about two hundred."

"No," Burt said firmly.

"No?" Kurt echoed.

"This is Sue's doing?" Burt asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Kurt nodded.

"Listen, Kurt," Burt said firmly, "I will not allow that woman to take away something that is so important to you kids." He stepped forward and took the program from Kurt, flipping through its pages as he continued to speak. "You leave this to me," he said. "And you tell Blaine and the rest of your friends not to worry either."

"I– okay," Kurt agreed.

"Now go have fun with Blaine or do your homework or something," Burt said, turning to set the program down by some tools.

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt said warmly.

"This is important to you, Kurt, so it's important to me," Burt said, "now go!"

"I would hug you but you're exceptionally dirty today," Kurt grimaced. They both laughed, and Burt pretended to chase him for a hug so he would run out of the shop and leave the other man to his work.

As he exited the shop, Kurt pulled out his phone to text Blaine.

_Are you still at the Lima Bean?_

The response came as he was climbing into his car.

_Yes. Why?_

_Impromptu coffee date?_ Kurt suggested.

_Yes, please!_ Blaine replied. _See you soon!_

By the time Kurt arrived, Blaine was sitting at a table against the wall with both of their coffees. There was a sheet of paper on the table too.

"They bought an ad," he smiled as Kurt joined him.

Kurt returned the smile. "My dad wasn't happy to hear that the funding had been cut... he said he would 'take care of it'."

"Oh, cryptic," Blaine teased.

They took simultaneous sips of their drinks, and Blaine shook his head playfully as he set his cup down.

"Hey," he said, "I was thinking... you know how I wanted to do Last Friday Night with the Warblers this season?"

Kurt nodded. "I admit, as much as I am in heaven having you here, I have dreamed of what could've been... I have a thing for handsome private schoolboys singing Katy Perry."

Blaine smiled broadly. "Well," he said, "I've been messing around with the arrangement and I think we could do it in New Directions."

"Oh, really?" Kurt teased. "And how long ago did you do that?"

"My first week," Blaine admitted shyly.

Kurt laughed and Blaine chewed on his lip briefly.

"And..." he added, "I may have been working on it with Mike a little bit."

Kurt tried not to smile _too_ much. "And?" he urged Blaine to just come out with it.

"I want to do it this week," Blaine admitted. "In glee."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Okay everyone, very exciting news!" Mr. Schu announced at the start of the next glee rehearsal. "Due to the collective spirit of this club, particularly the hard ad sales work of Kurt and the generosity of the entire Hummel-Hudson household, it's my pleasure to announce that we have raised the money to do West Side Story this year!"

Kurt basked in the attention for a moment as everyone applauded and voiced their approval.

"Blaine, you actually had something you wanted to say, right?" Mr. Schu added.

"Yes, I do," Blaine confirmed as he stood up and walked to the front of the room. Kurt could tell he was both nervous and excited.

"I just wanted to acknowledge that we've all had a really rough week what with Mercedes leaving," Blaine said kindly. "So, I prepared a little something to show what Mr. Schu just said – that the magic is still here. So this is to remind us of what glee is all about, which is just... fun."

Kurt was happy to see Blaine's confidence returning. He had been a little shy since joining New Directions, but as he was growing more and more comfortable with the group he was starting to open up again.

Blaine and Finn had been butting heads more often lately, and Kurt was interested to see how _that_ would work out. He had considered stepping in on Blaine's behalf, but had decided against it. One thing Blaine had been wonderful about Kurt had first come to Dalton was giving advice while simultaneously allowing Kurt to find his own way. Blaine was one of the most capable people Kurt knew, so he had decided to let Blaine and Finn work things out on their own.

Blaine turned and pointed at the band, and Kurt smiled as the other boy started to dance to the opening music. Blaine had not yet voiced to Kurt his opinion on New Directions' dancing. But, based on the fact that Blaine was _always_ dancing lately, Kurt thought he was probably enjoying the opportunity to stretch his dancing abilities.

"_There's a stranger in my bed. There's a pounding in my head..."_

As they sang and danced around the room together, Kurt thought about how much he had missed this when he had returned to McKinley without Blaine. And, he realized, this was the first time Blaine had ever led New Directions.

When the song ended, most of the other students seemed to share Kurt's enthusiasm for the way New Directions sounded with Blaine's voice leading the way.

"You guys, that song is amazing! I think we should do it for Sectionals!" Rachel exclaimed.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"So, no concerns about showcasing any other voices this year in the competition?" Santana retorted, standing up.

"Oh, come on Santana," Mr. Schu chided. "You were featured last year at Sectionals."

"Yeah, I know," Santana replied as she approached Blaine, "And we _won_."

Blaine bit back the urge to correct her. New Direction had, in fact, tied for first place at Sectionals the year before. With the Warblers.

"Oh, no, you know what? I get it," Santana continued. "Since Mercedes is gone this year it's going to be the Blaine and Rachel show. Yay! You all know it's true."

Silence.

"Noted," Santana said, "Good to know."

She patted Blaine's back briefly and turned to leave the room.

"Thank you, Santana," Mr. Schu said as she disappeared.

Blaine was starting to understand the problem. From some of the other students' points of view, Blaine had swept in at the start of the year to steal the spotlight. It bothered Blaine that they weren't taking the time to get to know him well enough to know that he didn't want that. He wanted to be part of a winning team and he wanted to enjoy singing and dancing together.

He wasn't sure what to do about it except to continue trying to be as nice as possible to all of them in the hopes that they would come around.

"Just to clarify, New Directions didn't exactly 'win' last year at Sectionals," Kurt piped up from his seat at the back of the room.

"Yeah, well, neither did _you_," Finn snapped.

Blaine and Kurt locked eyes briefly, and they were both fighting back huge smiles as Blaine moved back to sit between Kurt and Finn and grabbed one of Kurt's hands.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Okay, Blaine, can you sing that bit again?" Artie asked. "It's easier to hear you when Rachel's not here... even when she's not singing it's like I can _hear_ her mind analyzing everything. It's so distracting."

Blaine laughed. "Sure."

Kurt, who was sitting in the front row of seats in the auditorium watching this portion of the rehearsal, smiled at Blaine as he sang.

"_Today, all day, I had the feeling a miracle would happen. I know now I was right_," Blaine sang.

"_For here you are_," Kurt joined him from the audience, "_and what was just a world is a star tonight_."

"Thank you, Kurt," Artie scolded, "but the point is to hear Blaine _without_ anyone else."

Kurt shrugged, and Blaine gave him a thumbs-up before Artie turned back around to look at him.

"By yourself," Artie instructed.

Blaine sang the lines twice more, and Kurt was reasonably certain that Artie was about to ask him to sing it once more when Rachel returned to the stage with Santana.

"Alright, Blaine, I think that's all for you today," Artie said. "Good work!"

They high-fived as Blaine moved to hop down off the stage to sit beside Kurt. Artie, Rachel, and Santana began rehearsing _A Boy Like That_, and Kurt leaned over to speak quietly to Blaine.

"Getting excited about the big opening night next week?" Kurt inquired.

"Right now?" Blaine said. "Yes. Lying in bed at night letting all my worst fears consume me? No."

"You're amazing," Kurt scolded. "And you know it. It's going to be perfect."

"Don't get me wrong, I love Rachel, but I wish you could play Maria," Blaine turned to grin at him. "Or... Mario?"

"Mario is Italian," Kurt corrected.

"I didn't know you were an expert," Blaine teased. Kurt ignored him.

Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he shimmied down in his seat so he could retrieve it. He could feel Blaine's eyes on him as he straightened back up and examined the phone.

_Hey, Kurt and Finn, can you two come by the shop on your way home?_

"I've gotta go," Kurt said to Blaine. "Dad wants me and Finn at the shop."

Blaine nodded. "I should probably go home and do my homework at a reasonable hour for once, anyway."

"Text or call me if you get bored," Kurt winked as he stood up.

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt was mildly alarmed to find Finn _and_ Carole at the shop when he arrived.

"Is Dad okay?" he asked as he hurried over to where they were standing.

As if on cue, Burt suddenly appeared from inside the shop. "Hey boys," he said, "thanks for coming."

Kurt was suspicious as Burt led them into his small office and the four of them sat down at a little table in the corner.

"So..." Burt looked briefly at Carole and then back at the two boys, and Finn fidgeted nervously.

Finn glanced nervously at Kurt and then back at the two adults. "Oh god, you're not p–"

Kurt brought his booted foot down on Finn's toes so hard that Finn yelped in pain and turned an accusatory gaze on his step-brother. Kurt glared back at him, daring him to finish the sentence.

"Oh my– _no_, it's not that," Carole stammered.

"I'm gonna run for Congress," Burt announced.

There was a moment of silence as Kurt and Finn absorbed the news.

"Woah," Finn said.

"Can you even get on the ballot at this point?" Kurt asked.

Burt nodded. "We can't get my name on the ballot, but we can organize a write-in campaign."

"Congressman Hummel," Finn said distractedly. "Cool."

"I've gotta get back to work in a second," Burt said, "so for now details will have to wait, but we wanted to tell the two of you first before anyone else."

Kurt nodded. He could feel the shock of the announcement settling into his chest, but it was coupled with some excitement. There would be so much to do. So much that his father could do for Ohio and the entire country if he was elected.

"We'd love for you both to be involved," Burt said.

"Of course, Dad," Kurt said automatically. Finn opened his mouth to agree, but Kurt shushed him with his hand. "As long as I get to be your campaign manager," Kurt added quickly.

Burt laughed. "Deal."

They were all silent for another moment until Burt stood up.

"Alright, then," he said. "There's going to be a lot to think about, so let's plan on a nice dinner out soon where we can talk about it, huh?"

Kurt and Finn nodded.

"Thanks, you two," Burt said, his eyes lingering on Kurt.

"Go get 'em, Dad!" Kurt smiled at him, and stood up to follow the adults out of the room.

He went straight to his car and drove straight home, excited to call Blaine and tell him the news. He ran up the stairs to his room, tossed his bag on the floor, and flopped down onto his bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Blaine's number.

"Howdy," Blaine answered in his best Southern accent.

Kurt laughed. "Hey," he said excitedly, "big news!"

"Yeah?" Blaine said. "Let's hear it."

"My dad's going to run for Congress against Sue!"

"Wow," Blaine sounded as shocked as Kurt had felt half an hour ago.

"I know," Kurt agreed.

"Wow," Blaine repeated. "That's awesome, Kurt! But wait– would you move to Washington?"

Kurt smiled. Of course Blaine's first worry was that they would be separated. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I doubt my dad and Carole would want to make the move permanently so I'm sure we'd still have the house here."

"Good," Blaine approved.

They spent the next hour chatting on the phone. About how Kurt would decorate his father's office in Washington if he made it. About what they would do if they ever came face-to-face with the President. About potential campaign slogans and logos and what Burt should wear to seem both well-groomed and down-to-earth.

"Wait," Kurt said eventually, "didn't you have a bunch of homework?"

"You _said_ I could call if I was bored," Blaine reminded him.

"Yeah," Kurt replied, "but _I_ called _you_."

"I've drawn a gorgeous vine all around the edges of my math homework," Blaine offered proudly.

"I'm hanging up on you now in an effort to encourage good grades," Kurt teased.

"Yes, sir!" Blaine acknowledged. "And congratulations on having a future Congressman as a father."

They both laughed.

"Goodnight, Kurt," Blaine said through his laughter.

"Love you," Kurt replied, and he ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Dude, your dad's gonna be on TV!" Finn announced as if the realization had just dawned on him. "He's like... famous."

Blaine, leaning on the armrest of the otherwise-unoccupied couch, rolled his eyes.

"This is northwestern Ohio," he said.

"Hey," Kurt scolded from the chair beside the couch. He threw a handful of popcorn at Blaine, and Blaine casually ate the few pieces that didn't fall to the floor as he motioned for Kurt to get up and come sit with him.

As Kurt reached the edge of the couch, Finn spoke up again.

"Do you think–"

"Shhhhh!" Kurt suddenly waved an arm, cutting Finn off mid-sentence as Burt's face appeared on the television screen.

"There he is!" Rachel squealed.

Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt around the waist, gently pulling the other boy down beside him to snuggle on the couch as Burt began his segment. Kurt met Blaine's eyes briefly, and Blaine felt warm and content as he absorbed the excitement in Kurt's expression.

They were all completely silent as they listened to Burt's speech about the importance of encouraging kids to be creative and the value of the arts.

"Yeah, Burt!" Finn hollered as the segment ended. Rachel applauded, and Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek as Kurt squirmed happily in his arms.

"On behalf of the Hummel family," Kurt said ceremoniously, "I thank you all for your support."

Blaine dipped his head down to press a few gentle kisses to Kurt's neck until Kurt dodged and moved in for a real kiss. Finn made a noise of disapproval, but was quickly silenced by a smack on the arm from Rachel.

"We're going to make out now, Finn," Kurt said lightheartedly, "so feel free to leave."

"I hope Mom and Burt catch you," Finn mumbled, and he turned off the television as Rachel pulled him to his feet and they disappeared up the stairs.

"Even if they leave the studio right this second," Kurt said as Blaine returned to kissing his neck, "it's a fifteen minute drive home."

Blaine hummed his agreement and reached up to gently pull on the hair on the back of Kurt's head to ask him to tip his head back. As Blaine kissed along Kurt's jaw line, he both heard and felt Kurt let out a happy little sigh, and he tried not to think about it too much.

To his surprise, Kurt suddenly pulled away and grabbed Blaine's face in his hands so he could crush their lips together.

"I wish I could kiss you like this in public," Kurt whispered against his lips.

"What?" Blaine pulled away slightly and tried to remember how to speak when Kurt's face was only inches away.

Kurt blushed. "I don't know," he backtracked.

Blaine sat back a little more so he could really look at Kurt's face.

"When we win Nationals," Blaine said seriously, "I am going to kiss you in front of everyone."

He held up a hand as Kurt opened his mouth to protest. "_Not on stage_," he clarified. "But somewhere."

Kurt looked like his brain had stopped working completely.

"Okay?" Blaine realized that, although he didn't mean it as a threat, it might've come out sounding more forceful than he intended.

Kurt nodded instantly, and the movement seemed to bring him back to life.

"For now, though," Kurt said, reaching out to grab a fistful of Blaine's shirt to pull him closer, "I don't want you to stop kissing me until we hear my dad's car in the driveway."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Yeah," Kurt said, "Santana _and_ Brittany."

"Wait," Burt said, "so everyone's abandoning New Directions? I thought you were all friends and stuff?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That's what we _all_ thought, Dad," he replied. "But apparently what we are is a bunch of egomaniacs."

"Well," Carole said, "maybe this will be a nice chance to make some new friends!"

Kurt didn't feel like arguing, so he just smiled at her. "Hopefully," he said.

Burt took a drink of his water and changed the subject, "Let's talk about this Congress thing... so anyway, I know this happened really fast. I figured you might have some questions. I mean, _I_ have some questions..."

"Yeah, um, if we win what happens?" Finn asked. "Do we just move to Washington?"

"Well, it'd be maybe half-and-half," Burt said. "You know, Kurt's gonna be in college and, you know, you're gonna be technically an adult too. You know, like a football scholarship or, I dunno... gonna need a lot of help at the tire shop."

"Like, running it?" Finn asked in disbelief.

"Only if that's something _you_ want," Carole stressed. "This should be good for all of us, not just Burt and me. But for now, we need to support your dad."

Burt noticed that Kurt had stopped talking when the subject changed to the run for Congress.

"Pretty quiet over there," he said to Kurt.

Over the past few days, Kurt had started to imagine what running for, and potentially becoming a member of, Congress would be like for his father. Burt already worked so hard at the shop, and now he would have to add traveling to campaign and heated exchanges and all kinds of things that weren't exactly ideal for a man who nearly died of a heart attack a year earlier.

"I want you to do this, Dad," Kurt explained. "But think about the stress. I mean, you were _just_ in the hospital. Almost dead. And Sue's going to make your life a living hell."

"I know she will," Burt said, and there was a hungry gleam in his eyes. Kurt understood the desire to push a bully back into his or her place, but...

"She's going to have a field day with this whole having a gay son thing," Kurt added sadly.

"I'm proud of you Kurt," Burt said loudly. "Don't care who knows it. And yeah, I almost died. But a thing like that makes you really realize what matters. And when things are in the dumps like this we've gotta stand up and fight, right? You understand. You taught me that!"

They were interrupted by Sue, who deposited an massive pile of meat, cheese, and bread on the table and announced that she was going to push back against Burt's pro-arts stance with a pro-special education platform. When she finally left, Finn couldn't take his eyes off the plate in front of Burt.

"Anyone mind if I just dig in?" he asked.

Burt nodded his approval, and Finn started to eat the huge burger. Kurt met his father's gaze across the table.

"Kurt," Burt said forcefully, "I'm going to be fine. There's good stress and there's bad stress, you know? _This_? This is the kind of stress that you live for."

Kurt glanced at Finn, happily eating the massive burger, before looking back at his father.

"Say something," Burt demanded.

To Kurt's surprise, he felt tears stinging in his eyes. "I'm just irrationally worried," he managed.

Finn stopped eating and turned a nervous gaze on Kurt as if he was planning whether or not to escape before Kurt could start crying properly.

"Oh, honey," Carole said, "Your dad's not going to do anything he can't handle, okay? Especially not with you and I there to keep him in line, right?"

Kurt nodded.

Their food came at that moment and the conversation shifted to lighter topics, but Kurt felt a little better. He was no longer the only person in Burt's life who could take care of him. It was going to be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, your dad is planning to be gone a lot next week, right?" Blaine asked casually over the hum of the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed. "He and Carole are going to do some campaign stuff. You should see the clothes I helped them pick out; they deserve to win on style alone."

Blaine nodded approvingly. "Well, if you're bored, my parents agreed that you can stay at my house all week if you like."

The invitation was a pleasant surprise for Kurt. He had never spent more than one night at a time at the Anderson house. He knew that it was a struggle for both of Blaine's parents to _really_ accept their son's sexuality. So, inviting "the boyfriend" over for a week was, in Kurt's mind, a good sign.

"I don't know," Kurt pretended to hesitate, "I'm really looking forward to some brotherly bonding time with Finn."

"Whatever," Blaine shrugged, a huge smile on his face. "I'll just hang out by myself while my parents are out of town from Friday 'til Monday next weekend."

"Wait," Kurt was suddenly yanked out of the light mood by a realization, "but that's when we're putting on West Side Story!"

Some of the joy drained out of Blaine's eyes too. "To be fair, they planned this trip to Miami long before school even started," he sighed.

"I'd love to stay with you," Kurt returned to the previous subject, not wanting Blaine to have to dwell on his parents' absence any more than he probably already was.

Blaine grinned. "Thanks."

"See you after school for glee," Blaine smiled as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. He grabbed Kurt's tray in addition to his own and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey you," Kurt said happily as he sunk into the chair beside Blaine in the choir room. "How was your afternoon?"

"Fine," Blaine smiled at him. "Better now."

Before Kurt could respond, Rachel was suddenly shoving him over away from Blaine.

"Woah, what– hey!" Kurt was forced all the way into the next seat, and Rachel occupied the chair where had had just been sitting.

"It is imperative that Blaine and I be as comfortable as possible together in order to maximize our chemistry on stage," Rachel explained when Kurt turned a disbelieving glare her way. Blaine smiled widely and threw his arm over her shoulders.

"You two are so annoying," Kurt mumbled halfheartedly.

When Mr. Schu came into the room, Blaine pulled his arm back and they all turned their attention to the teacher.

"Alright, guys," Mr. Schu said, "one week from today is opening night for West Side Story!"

The room erupted into a hum of applause and excited chatter.

"Awful lot of empty chairs in here," Mike said sourly when the noise died away.

"This is a disaster," Rachel added. "This is not the way that senior year glee club was supposed to be."

"Look, guys," Mr. Schu said. "I know this is gonna be hard. This isn't how I pictured starting out this year either."

"Then I guess we've got our work cut out for us," Finn suddenly appeared with the new student Kurt had heard was staying with Brittany.

"What happens when the Pope dies?" Finn asked.

"Heaven, you'd think," Kurt quipped.

"You get a new Pope," Finn ignored him. "There's always new talent to be found. Always a new voice, right Mr. Schu?"

"Yeah," the teacher agreed.

"Well, everybody," Finn said, "I'd like to introduce my friend Rory Flanagan. He's interested in joining the glee club."

"Can this kid even sing?" Quinn voiced the concern of everyone in the room. Kurt remembered Sugar Motta's audition on the first day of school and prayed that they weren't in for another embarrassing audition.

"I sing at Mass every Sunday," Rory explained. "I love American music. If you don't mind, I'd like to dedicate this song to my family, who I miss so much."

Rory was a talented singer, much to everyone's delight. When he finished his song, they gave him a standing ovation.

"Welcome to New Directions, Rory!" Mr. Schu said as the applause died away.

"Thank you, Mr. Schuester" Rory smiled. "Thanks, everyone."

"Hey," Mike leaned back to look at Blaine, "now you're not the new kid anymore."

The smile on Blaine's face made Kurt want to melt into the floor with joy. When Rachel hopped out of the way to run and talk to Rory, Kurt stepped over and nudged Blaine's shoulder with his own.

"You'll fit right in," he echoed Blaine's words to him nearly a year earlier.

There was a flash of something indistinguishable in Blaine's eyes, and Kurt barely had time to move quickly enough to catch Blaine as he threw himself into Kurt's arms and squeezed him so tightly that he could barely breathe.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I love how Santana gets all upset and argues that she deserves to be featured because they "won" at Sectionals last year when she sang Valerie... no, Santana, you actually tied for first place. WITH BLAINE. So that's probably not the best example to use in an argument about why you, rather than Blaine, deserve a solo. Anyway...<strong>_

_**Up next: 'The First Time'!**_


	22. 3x05: The First Time

_**Hey guys! Sorry about the extra day of waiting... it just wasn't ready! But now it is, yay!**_

_**Just FYI, there will be a nice fade-to-black eventually. The goal here is to be believable in the sense that I try to write things that I think could be included in the show (I dunno if they'd show Kurt and Blaine actually making out, but let's pretend that's okay). So, all the graphic details will have to live in your imaginations. Or in the many M-rated fics that exist in the Klaine universe. ;) But hey, this way I don't have to join the top/bottom debate! Hallelujah.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"_I feel pretty, oh so pretty. I feel pretty and witty and gay!_" Kurt sang along to the West Side Story soundtrack that was blaring from Blaine's radio. "_And I pity any girl who isn't me today!_"

Blaine, sitting on the edge of his bed, was laughing so hard that there were tears in his eyes.

"_I feel charming, oh so charming. It's alarming how charming I feel. And so pretty that I hardly can believe I'm real._"

Blaine jumped up and grabbed Kurt mid-twirl to crush their mouths together, and Kurt caught him and spun him around to push him against the wall.

They kissed roughly until their lips were swollen and Kurt was starting to sweat a little under all his layers of clothing.

"Thank god I'm not part of that scene in the show," Blaine said as Kurt released him. "I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face."

"Oh, yes you would," Kurt smirked at him, "because otherwise Rachel might kill you."

Blaine grinned. "True," he allowed. "But it would be a struggle."

"I can't believe it's this week," Kurt sighed happily.

"Me neither," Blaine admitted. "But I think we're nearly ready."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Are you gonna cry every time we sing?" Blaine asked as he and Rachel finished rehearsing with Coach Bieste, Ms. Pillsbury, and Artie.

"I'm such a girl," Coach Bieste said, and Blaine took it as a confirmation that yes, she was going to cry every time.

"My only note is more teeth," Ms. Pillsbury added.

"Can I be honest?" Artie chimed in, "This song is about sexual awakening, as is the entire musical. You two lack passion. Have either of you two actually..."

The two teachers clambered to their feet and rushed off in a flurry of mumbled words as Artie's implication set in, but Blaine hardly had time to feel embarrassed for them through his own nervousness.

"Look, I remember my first time with Brittany," Artie ignored the departing teachers in favor of continuing his conversation with Rachel and Blaine, "The excitement, the way it made me feel like a man... even though she called me the wrong name like four times during and after. What was it like for you guys?"

Blaine turned desperately to Rachel, hoping she would find a way to deflect the question, or at least answer first so he could just kind of shrug and say nothing. But she looked just as panicked as he felt.

"I– I'm waiting for the right time," he admitted.

"Yeah," Rachel said, "Yeah, me– me too."

"I'm so glad that you're my Tony," she whispered to Blaine.

"Look, as your friend I support your strange aversion to fun," Artie said. "But as your director, I'm concerned."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"Well, how do you expect to convey the human experience to an audience when you haven't even opened yourself up to one of humanity's most basic and primal ones?" Artie asked.

Blaine had never thought of it that way before, but he wasn't sure that he agreed.

"I'm not sure that's a fair assessment," he surprised himself by voicing his concern. "Rachel and I aren't immigrants, and neither of us has ever lived in a big city, but you don't seem concerned about our ability to bring those aspects of our characters to life."

"You're right," Artie agreed, "and a great actor can make the audience believe the situation regardless of real life experience. But in _this_ case, I'm finding both of you to be too innocent."

"And having sex is going to suddenly change all that?" Blaine argued.

"Yes," Artie replied. "Look, I'm not saying that you will suddenly become an entirely new and more badass person once you've had sex for the first time. But opening yourself up to another person that way feels _good_. And not just physically. You will never be as vulnerable as you are in that moment, and _that_ is the kind of emotional complexity that Tony and Maria require."

Blaine didn't know what to say.

"Anyway," Artie said as he turned to leave the auditorium, "your prudishness aside, great rehearsal today! Vocally, you two are going to blow the audience away."

"Okay," Rachel said briskly. She turned and hurried away, squeezing Blaine's shoulder briefly as she passed.

"Thanks," Blaine muttered, and he was suddenly alone on the stage.

He walked over and sat on the piano bench facing away from the piano, rested his elbows on his knees, and dropped his face into his hands.

"Hey."

Kurt's voice snapped him out of his whirling thoughts, and he smiled as the other boy approached him.

"Ready to go yet?" Kurt asked. He was staying at the Anderson house all week, so they were carpooling to school together.

"Yeah," Blaine said. "Let me just grab my bag..."

He didn't want to get all worked up over one comment from Artie. Kurt wasn't ready for anything more than what they had been doing, and that was the end of it.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Mmm, God," Blaine said, "Roxy Music makes me want to build a time machine _just_ so I can go back to the '70s and give Bryan Ferry a high five."

Kurt barely even heard the words as he watched every part of Blaine's body as the other boy danced casually around the room. He had no idea how Blaine could think clearly enough to move and speak at the same time... no matter how hard he tried, it was becoming increasingly impossible for Kurt to think about anything but how much he _wanted_ Blaine when they were alone together.

"Do you think I'm boring?" Kurt asked, hoping to ease a confession out of Blaine without having to actually admit his own overwhelming urge to do things that, a few months before, would've made him want to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. Maybe Blaine was just better at hiding his desire.

"Are you crazy?" Blaine exclaimed? "You're the single most interesting kid in all of Ohio."

Well, Kurt thought, it was a good start.

"I mean, like... sexually," Kurt clarified, sitting up. "I mean, we are playing it very safe by not granting our hands visas to travel south of the equator."

"Well, I thought that's what we wanted...?"

It _was_ what they wanted. They had made the decision one afternoon not long after the end of the school year...

"_Mmmmm," Blaine hummed against Kurt's mouth, an ambiguous answer to Kurt's question about what they should do for dinner. They were curled up together on Kurt's bed, relishing a short span of time alone in the house. Burt had shouted "be back in fifteen minutes, boys!" from the bottom of the stairs before leaving, which was his usual way of reminding them that he wouldn't put up with what he generally referred to as "funny business"._

"_Okay," Kurt responded, content to think of nothing but kissing Blaine until his father walked back into the house and they were forced to return to reality._

_Blaine nuzzled his nose against Kurt's and Kurt squirmed happily at the sweet gesture. He loved lying in bed with Blaine like this; just looking at each other and kissing and snuggling._

_Kurt scooted closer to Blaine and kissed him until he needed to pull away and shift onto his back to breathe properly._

_But Blaine didn't stay where he was when Kurt pulled away. He followed, pushing himself up with one arm and swinging his other arm across Kurt's chest so he was suddenly balanced above Kurt on his hands and knees. As Blaine lowered his upper half down to kiss Kurt again, the inexperienced part of Kurt's brain panicked and he withdrew slightly into the pillow._

_Blaine noticed the small movement and paused, hovering just above Kurt's face._

"_I– I –" Kurt stammered, "Can we– I'm not sure– this is– I–"_

_Blaine smiled and kissed the end of Kurt's nose before pushing himself back over onto his side beside Kurt._

_Kurt's face burned with embarrassment, but Blaine just played absentmindedly with the buttons on Kurt's vest for a moment before letting his hand fall still on Kurt's stomach. They both watched Blaine's hand rise and fall as Kurt breathed until Kurt felt like he _had_ to say something._

"_Sorry," he mumbled._

"_Don't be sorry," Blaine replied immediately. "I am perfectly content to snuggle up beside you and kiss you senseless for all of eternity."_

_Kurt knew it wasn't the truth. Somehow, Blaine's well-intentioned lie made the whole thing worse. He sat up._

"_I'm just not..." he sighed in aggravation at how nervous this conversation made him, "I'm not ready for... _stuff_."_

_Blaine sat up too and Kurt tried to look anywhere but at the other boy._

"_I want you to feel safe with me," Blaine said quietly, reaching out to trace his fingers across Kurt's jaw line. "You _are_ safe with me, Kurt. So how about some rules?"_

"_What?" Kurt finally turned his gaze on the other boy._

"_I know how you like a schedule. Or a list. Or a strict set of rules," Blaine smiled at him. "You'll be the most comfortable if you know what is – and is not – going to happen."_

"_A rule," Kurt clarified, "about... this." He waved his hands vaguely at his lower half and hated himself for blushing as he did so._

_Blaine nodded._

_Kurt chewed on his lip, conflicted. In a general sense, he was still far too shy to allow anything more heated than what they did already. But there were always those moments when he felt like all he wanted was _everything_ and he wondered if this rule might stifle the chance of "everything" ever happening at all._

"_For _now_," he clarified, "... maybe stick to, um, this upper area?" he gestured to his torso and head, and Blaine caught both of his hands mid-flail._

"_That's perfect," Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hands._

"_What you did before..." Kurt knew he had to just force the words out and face the mortification if he stumbled through it, "... that's okay. I just wasn't–"_

"_You weren't sure what was going to happen," Blaine interrupted kindly._

_Kurt was grateful for Blaine's understanding. Blaine wanted him to be able to fully relax when they were together and... doing things. And the only way that was going to happen was if Kurt _knew_ that Blaine already knew the boundaries. Kurt wouldn't have to wonder, or worry, about things getting out of control; he trusted Blaine to remember this moment._

"_Thanks," Kurt smiled at the other boy._

_Blaine smiled in return and shoved Kurt gently over onto his back again so he could lean over and kiss him until Burt returned from the store._

"It is," Kurt confirmed. "I'm just wondering... have you ever had the urge just to rip off each other's clothes and get dirty?"

"Uh, yeah," Blaine admitted immediately. "But that's why they invented masturbation."

A wave of heat washed over Kurt. He wasn't sure if it was hearing the word, or the mental image of Blaine that accompanied it, or the secret fear that Blaine could read his mind and would know that it was usually Kurt's solution to his desire as well.

"It's so hot in this room," he gasped. "Could we– could we open up a window?"

"Hey, I'm serious!" Blaine pressed, making his way over to the bed to climb on and sit beside Kurt. "We're young; we're in high school. And yeah, we have urges."

Kurt was proud of himself for not just attaching his face to Blaine's as the other boy approached.

"But whatever we do I– I want to make sure that you're comfortable," Blaine reminded him with a gentle hand on his back. "So I can be comfortable."

Kurt could only smile at him through the wave of emotions – gratitude, lust, love, delight – that was crashing around in his brain.

"And besides, tearing off all of your clothes is sort of a tall order," Blaine teased.

"Because of the layers?" Kurt guessed.

"Because of the layers," Blaine confirmed playfully. He leaned forward and captured Kurt's face in his hands, pressing a kiss to Kurt's lips with a sweet "mwah!".

When Blaine released him, Kurt grabbed his shoulders and gently forced him to scoot over and lie down on his back on the bed. There was no way he was going to be able to do much more talking without at least a little more physical contact.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine was surprised when Kurt flipped him onto his back, and was even more surprised when Kurt settled his entire body down on top of Blaine to kiss him urgently. Kurt had never done anything so forward before, and Blaine had definitely never felt the weight of Kurt's entire body on top of him. Blaine squirmed with delight as Kurt's hands explored his ribs and his shoulders and finally his face as they kissed.

"Okay," Kurt gasped after a few minutes, "we have to stop."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, letting his eyes slide closed and trying to slow his breathing as Kurt scooted away to the other side of the bed.

Blaine didn't realize he had fallen asleep until Kurt's gentle hand on his shoulder woke him up.

"Hey," Kurt grinned at him, "your parents ordered us some pizza..."

The scent of the pizza – Kurt had apparently gone downstairs to get the box and bring it back up to Blaine's room – meant that Blaine had no problem waking up.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

"About an hour," Kurt told him.

Blaine grabbed a slice of pizza and moved to sit with his back against his headboard. Kurt, already halfway done with his current slice, sprawled out on his stomach on the bed and let his feet swing around in the air.

"Hey," Blaine said casually, "I'm gonna head down to Dalton tomorrow afternoon... do you want to come?"

Blaine had been debating over whether or not he wanted to ask Kurt to come to Dalton with him to ask the Warblers to come and see West Side Story. On one hand, Blaine wanted Kurt there because he _always_ wanted Kurt there. But, on the other hand, there was a large part of Blaine that wanted to go alone. He had texted with his friends from Dalton a bit since his departure, but he had not seen them since the day he announced that he was leaving. He was grateful that the other boys had not yet pressed the issue – as many of them had transferred into Dalton at some point, they knew to give him space to adjust – but he was pretty sure that he had reached the point where he could go back to Dalton without being crippled by homesickness.

He saw understanding in Kurt's eyes.

"No, that's okay," Kurt said, "I wouldn't want to distract from the return of their savior."

He winked, and Blaine threw his balled-up napkin at him, but Blaine felt grateful that Kurt always seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine arrived at Dalton, he decided to make a detour on the way to find his friends. He made his way up a back staircase to the door of the last classroom he had been in before meeting Kurt nearly a year earlier. It was empty as he stepped inside, but it looked exactly the same.

A bell signaling the end of classes rang out in the empty room, and Blaine jumped in surprise before laughing quietly at himself. It was a familiar sound, but it was no longer part of his routine.

He didn't see anyone he knew as he stepped out into the hallway and followed a few students to the building's grand staircase. As he descended the stairs, Blaine felt a rush of nostalgia. And, for the first time since they met, he imagined what Kurt had probably thought of this place when he had come to spy. With the distance of more than a month at McKinley, the hallways at Dalton were _just_ unfamiliar enough for Blaine to see them through an outsider's eyes.

He hadn't let anyone know that he was coming, but he knew where he would find all of his friends. Blaine heard their music before he saw them, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest as he turned a corner to see the Warblers rehearsing a new song. Billy Joel's _Uptown Girl_.

It wasn't unusual for other students or teachers to come by to watch the Warblers rehearsing, so none of the Warblers took notice of Blaine right away. He leaned on the doorframe and let the nostalgia wash over him. This performance had been discussed on the first day of school. The last day Blaine was a Warbler. Blaine thought it sounded wonderful with Nick in the lead.

A Warbler he didn't recognize spotted him after a few moments, and Blaine didn't protest much as he was dragged into the room and back into the world he missed so much.

Blaine let himself relax and enjoy the singing and dancing as the Warblers swept him out into the hallway and back into the room again. As he took a seat to allow them to finish the song properly, Blaine noticed the new student watching him closely.

"_You know I'm in love... with an uptown girl._"

Nick pointed at him happily as the song ended, and Blaine jumped up to embrace his friend.

"You guys _killed it_, as always!" Blaine complimented happily as everyone rushed over to greet him.

"We'd sound so much better with you back in the mix," Trent stressed, "Is this your triumphant return to Dalton? Please?"

The sentiment settled into Blaine's chest and he wished that he had returned sooner. He missed all of them so much.

"Actually," he clarified, "I'm here to invite you guys to my opening night at McKinley. West Side Story. I reserved a whole block of tickets just for the Warblers. It would mean the world to me if you guys could come."

The animosity that some of them had expressed the day he left seemed to have disappeared in the weeks since, because all of them nodded enthusiastically and reached for the tickets in Blaine's hands.

"We'll be there," the new student spoke up above the others. "Once a Warbler, always a Warbler, right?"

With a murmur of agreement, the group dissipated, leaving Blaine alone with the tall new student.

"Blaine Anderson," the other boy greeted him, "Sebastian Smythe."

"Hi," Blaine said. "Are you a freshman?"

"Do I look like a freshman?" Sebastian replied vaguely.

Blaine was surprised at how this new acquaintance made him feel so nervous. He didn't know what to say.

"I transferred to Dalton a few days after you left," Sebastian offered. "What do you say we finish this conversation over a quick coffee date?"

"Uh, sure," Blaine agreed.

They didn't speak during the short walk to get their coffee, but Sebastian started up again as they sat down at small round table.

"So, you're a legend at Dalton," Sebastian said.

"Well..." Blaine wasn't sure whether he should feel flattered or embarrassed.

"Don't be modest," Sebastian chided. "I was like 'I don't know who this Blaine guy is, but apparently he's sex on a stick and sings like a dream, so... sucks that I missed him'."

Blaine couldn't believe this was happening, but it did feel nice for someone to think he was worth looking up to after all the crap he was getting from Finn in New Directions.

"Alright," Sebastian continued, "since I'm working to recreate your meteoric ascent, I need to ask... why did you leave Dalton? Were you bored with all the preppies around here? Or is it that you broke too many hearts to stay?"

Blaine laughed, both embarrassed and amused by the assumption. "Uh, it wasn't like that," he clarified. "Let's just say that I miss Dalton every day, but McKinley is where my heart is now."

"That is delightfully vague," Sebastian replied. "Must've been quite something for these boys to give you up without a fight."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. He was surprised that Sebastian hadn't just heard about his departure from the other Warblers. Perhaps he had and he just wanted to hear it from Blaine.

"And what about you?" Blaine hoped to change the subject. "Why did you come to Dalton?"

"My father went here," Sebastian explained, leaving out any answers about the timing of his transfer. Blaine didn't know what to make of the way they weren't really saying much of anything.

Sebastian glanced at a clock on the wall.

"I have to go. Lacrosse practice," Sebastian explained. "But... could we meet again? I could really use some more insights from you, Blaine. You know, Warbler to Warbler."

Blaine wasn't sure why he hesitated, so he overrode his initial instinct to say no. "Sure."

Blaine halfheartedly waved goodbye as Sebastian grabbed his bag and left the room.

As Blaine stayed at the table to finish his coffee, he let his mind wander back to what Artie had said to him after rehearsal the day before. He was still conflicted over whether or not he could be believable as Tony if he was still a virgin, but he knew that he was ready for the next step with Kurt.

"Hey man," Nick's voice suddenly sounded from behind him, "you're still here!"

Blaine twisted around in his chair to see Nick, Jeff, Trent, and David entering the room.

"Yeah," Blaine said, "it's nice being back."

"May we?" Trent asked, motioning at the empty chairs at Blaine's table.

"Don't even ask," Blaine scolded. "Please."

"So," David asked as they sat down, "how's McKinley? We heard that you made quite a stir on your first day."

Blaine laughed. "Maybe," he allowed.

"Gotten a slushy to the face yet?" Jeff joked. As soon as Kurt had explained it to them, the slushy to the face had become a source of endless fascination for the boys at Dalton.

"Actually, yes" Blaine laughed, and the other boys gasped in a mixture of horror and delight.

"It wasn't so bad," Blaine admitted. "Kurt's an expert getting it off, so he had me cleaned up in no time."

The other boys exchanged not-so-subtle glances, and Blaine rolled his eyes.

"We're happy for you, man," Nick said, clasping Blaine on the shoulder. "But you have got to come back and visit more often."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt felt like a prisoner to his anger at Rachel every time he walked down the hallways at school. Her face was everywhere, smiling out at him from her campaign posters.

He was glad to see that Blaine was still at his locker. They both had a lot of homework to do this week, so they had decided that Kurt would go to his house after school and get some work done before returning to Blaine's house for the night, but Kurt was glad he would get to talk to Blaine before they left for their respective homes.

"If you see any of Rachel's campaign posters, feel free to tear them down," Kurt whined as he leaned against the wall of lockers and rolled his eyes to emphasize his point.

"Do you think we're too sheltered as artists?" Blaine asked as if he hadn't heard Kurt at all.

Kurt wasn't sure what to say, so he just gave Blaine a curious glance.

"I'm serious," Blaine stressed. "West Side Story is all about living outside of your safe little world. Don't you want to wake up every day and be adventurous? Experience everything in life you can?"

"Of course," Kurt confirmed. "That's why I made a bucket list. Okay, are you ready for this?" He pulled out his phone to find the list he had created more than a year ago during a particularly boring math class.

"Okay," Blaine agreed, and his mood seemed to lighten a bit.

"Alright, here we go," Kurt started. "Number eighty-seven: become CEO of Logo."

"Of course," Blaine said.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Number sixty-three," Kurt continued, "lay a rose at the birthplace of Noël Coward. Okay, number five. Okay, this is really embarrassing," Kurt looked at Blaine briefly, "I wrote this before I met you... have relations on a dewy meadow of lilac with Taylor Lautner before he gets fat."

Blaine was sure that his surprise was written all over his face, because Kurt suddenly looked bashful.

"Uh, yeah, I know. It's stupid," Kurt laughed.

"No," Blaine replied, "it's not. It's hot."

Blaine could see that Kurt was taken aback by his reaction, but he was having a difficult time concentrating when all he wanted to do was crush Kurt against the lockers and kiss him.

"Well, anyway," Kurt said, "we're young. So we've got all the time in the world to be adventurous."

"Don't you think _now_ is the time to be adventurous?"Blaine countered, "While we're still young?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

That shocked Kurt even more than Blaine's approval of his fantasy. As Blaine turned and started to walk down the hallway toward the parking lot, Kurt watched him walk away.

It was the closest Blaine had ever come to _asking_ Kurt if they could have sex. Kurt thought about the bucket list and his entry about Taylor Lautner. When he had written it, he had been imagining the emotions, not the action. He had imagined a tasteful movie montage of passionate kisses and shirtless torsos, but not the sex itself.

Now, though, he was starting to realize that he wanted the real thing. The more he educated himself about what sex really meant, the more comfortable he felt with the whole idea. He rubbed the back of his hand gently as he admitted to himself that, while he still wanted the romance, he really wanted to experience all the physical stuff too.

He realized that Blaine was almost at the end of the hallway, and he snapped out of his thoughts to run after the other boy. When he reached Blaine's side, he put a hand on Blaine's arm. "I..." he cursed himself as he fumbled over his words in his haste to say them before he panicked and kept quiet, "I'll think about it."

Blaine stopped walking and turned to face him, and Kurt was so over stimulated by Blaine's scent and every little feature on his face that he hoped his body could stay alive without the use of his brain.

"I want you, Kurt," Blaine said passionately. "I want _everything_ with you. But I'll still want you when you're ready. We can wait."

Kurt would've rolled his eyes if he could've remembered how.

"That's very chivalrous of you," he managed, surprised at how steady his voice sounded.

Blaine stepped forward, forcing Kurt to take a step back, and Kurt's pulse pounded in his head as Blaine backed him up until his back hit the wall right beside the door.

"I think I might faint," his mouth said without his brain's permission.

Blaine smiled, and his eyes blazed with a mixture of desire and affection.

"We'll see," he whispered in Kurt ear as he reached out with one hand to push the door open. Kurt felt as if his feet had been cemented to the ground as Blaine slipped away without another word.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine walked quickly to his car and hopped in, throwing his head back against the headrest.

"_We'll see_?" he mocked himself, pounding his head back on the seat a few times. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid_."

He started his car and, despite the cool weather, turned the air conditioning on full blast. He needed to cool off by the time he reached the Lima Bean for his coffee with Sebastian.

As he drove, he thought about Kurt's words. _I'll think about it_. Blaine knew that Kurt was feeling the same urges that he was feeling, but Kurt had always been less willing to think about how he might satisfy those urges than Blaine. The idea that Kurt was reaching the point where he would even consider moving past their current "above the waist" rule made Blaine feel things he had never felt before.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

By the time Kurt finally managed to send a signal from his brain to his legs that he needed to walk to his car, Blaine was already gone.

Part of Kurt was glad. He needed to think. He needed to go home and deal with his frustration and _attempt_ to do his homework.

He decided to stop for coffee on the way home in the hopes that some caffeine would help clear his mind. When he reached the Lima Bean, his heart rate accelerated as he noticed Blaine's car in the parking lot.

"_Great_," he whined halfheartedly. At least he knew he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally losing all control of his actions in the middle of the crowded coffee shop.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine was still flustered as he and Sebastian ordered their coffee, but it was much more manageable in the presence of a near-stranger.

"I can't believe you asked for a shot of Courvoisier in your coffee," Blaine said as they moved to find a table.

"I figured with how lame this town is..." Sebastian said. "when I lived in Paris, I drank it like it was mother's milk."

"When you lived– okay, wow," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"What?" Sebastian asked.

"You're just so... you know, you're out there," Blaine confessed. Sebastian was so... _forward_. Blaine wasn't used to people just saying exactly what they were feeling all the time. It was hard to keep up.

"And your whole bashful schoolboy thing?" Sebastian replied. "Super hot."

Blaine thought immediately of Kurt. A little subtle flirting was one thing, but he needed to stop this before Sebastian got the wrong idea about why they were here.

"Look, Sebastian," he explained, "I have a boyfriend."

"Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you," Sebastian responded immediately.

"No, I mean, I really care about him," Blaine elaborated.

"He doesn't need to know," Sebastian suggested.

Blaine wasn't sure how to articulate how much he wanted Kurt and only Kurt, and he was rapidly starting to feel like things were getting out of hand.

"I just never want to mess my thing up with him in any way," Blaine explained, "He's really great."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt strolled into the Lima Bean, he scanned the room for Blaine. He didn't see him immediately, so he walked among the tables for a moment until a familiar blue and red blazer caught his eye.

A boy in a Warblers blazer. Sitting with Blaine.

All the emotions he was feeling from his encounter with Blaine a few minutes ago fled his mind and were replaced with a huge dose of uncertainty. He stepped closer to the pair and overheard Blaine's last few words to the other boy.

"He's really great," Blaine said.

"Who's really great?" Kurt interrupted.

The look on Blaine's face was not as casual as Kurt wanted it to be. "You!" Blaine replied. "We were just talking about you. Sebastian, this is Kurt, my boyfriend who I was just– wow."

"Got it," Sebastian said, and every warning bell in Kurt's mind went off as he noticed the way the Dalton student looked at Blaine.

Kurt reached out to shake Sebastian's hand.

"Pleasure," he lied before turning his attention back to Blaine.

"And how do we know Sebastian?" he inquired.

"We met at Dalton," Sebastian answered before Blaine could say anything. "Was dying to meet Blaine. Those Warblers just won't shut up about him. Didn't think he could live up to the hype, but as it turns out..."

Kurt knew this game. He had been intimidated enough to know that Sebastian wanted him to get flustered and leave, so he reached out to grab a chair and sat down beside Blaine.

"Yes, he's even more impressive in the flesh," Kurt agreed. He linked his arm thought Blaine's in an attempt to show Sebastian that Blaine definitely wasn't available. Kurt wasn't sure what to make of Sebastian's face as he looked at their interlocked arms.

"Hey, what're you guys doing tomorrow night?" Sebastian asked.

"Well," Kurt said to keep Blaine from saying something that would suggest that either of them would be free to do something with Sebastian, "we're rehearsing for the school musical and then at bedtime we do a rigorous skin-sloughing regimen over the phone together."

"And, as sexy as that sounds," Sebastian said critically, "what do we say we shake things up? I get you guys a couple of fake IDs and we head over to Scandals in west Lima."

"Scandals?" Blaine repeated. Kurt didn't take his eyes off Sebastian, but he saw Blaine turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye. "Uh, that's the gay bar."

Kurt knew that Sebastian had some sort of goal in mind, but he wasn't sure what it was yet so he remained silent.

"The last time I was there I met the man of my dreams on the dance floor," Sebastian added.

"That's so sweet... and are you two still together?" Kurt asked, knowing that it was a futile question but unable to resist.

"Sadly, no," Sebastian said, not sounding sad at all. "We broke up about twenty minutes after we met."

Kurt wanted to jump across the table and strangle the other boy.

When Kurt and Blaine did not respond, Sebastian spoke again. "Come on, guys, live a little!" he said.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine. Although he _really_ didn't want to go, Kurt knew that he couldn't speak for Blaine in this situation without acting like an out-of-control jealous boyfriend.

"We would love to, Sebastian, thank you for the offer. That's very nice of you, but that just isn't our– our kind of thing," Blaine managed.

Blaine hesitated enough times that Kurt knew he wanted to go. One glance at Sebastian told Kurt that the Warbler knew it, and Kurt decided that maybe the whole "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" idea applied to this new threat.

"Let's do it," he said lightly.

"What?" Blaine recoiled a little in shock, but the corners of his mouth turned upward in a little surprised smile.

"Yeah!" Kurt said brightly. "I mean, we have a whole bunch of first to start crossing off our lists."

Kurt turned to look directly into Sebastian's eyes, and he hoped that he looked as threatening as he felt. "We're in."

"Great," Sebastian confirmed.

"Great," Blaine echoed.

"So, Kurt," Sebastian turned his attention on him with a smirk, "I hear you're the one responsible for dragging this guy out of Dalton."

"Oh, come on," Blaine disagreed. "It's not like that."

Sebastian threw his hands up in a mock surrender. "Okay, okay. Sorry."

"Kurt was a Warbler, too," Blaine offered, trying to lighten the conversation.

"Oh?" Sebastian replied, "I had no idea. They've never mentioned you," he said to Kurt.

The conversation continued for another half an hour. Sebastian mostly wanted to hear stories about the Warblers from Blaine, so Kurt didn't learn much except that Sebastian's family was wealthy and that he _definitely_ had his eyes on Blaine. By the time the Warbler had to leave to return to Westerville, Kurt was mentally exhausted.

"Let's just go back to your house," Kurt said as brightly as possible as he and Blaine exited the coffee shop, "screw homework."

"Okay," Blaine smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hi," Kurt waved as they passed Blaine's parents in the kitchen.

"We're on our way out for dinner, boys," Blaine's mother said. "Want us to bring you back something later?"

"No thanks, Mom," Blaine said, and he grabbed Kurt's hand as soon as they were out of sight of his parents to drag him up the stairs.

"I really need to kiss you," Blaine breathed as soon as he closed his bedroom door behind them. Kurt barely had time to register the words before Blaine's lips were crushed against his, but he quickly recovered and tried to kiss Blaine back with as much love and passion as he possibly could.

"I love you," Kurt reminded him.

"I love you," Blaine echoed.

Before he could even think, Kurt pushed Blaine back and gestured at Blaine's sweater. "Get all of that off," he requested, and was surprised at how steady his voice sounded.

"What?" Blaine asked, but he was already unbuttoning his sweater as Kurt replied.

"Off," Kurt said again, reaching up to unbutton his own shirt.

Blaine didn't ask again, and by the next time Kurt looked up at him he wasn't wearing anything above his waist.

It wasn't a new sight for Kurt; they had been to the pool multiple times over the summer. But this was different. Kurt struggled with his own shirt a little until finally he was shirtless too.

"What are we...?" Blaine asked as Kurt grabbed him by the arm and dragged him onto the bed.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "Just..." he fell onto his back on the bed and pulled Blaine down on top of him.

They kissed and touched each other's bare skin until they were both out of breath and ready for more.

Kurt reached down and grasped at the fastening on Blaine's pants, and Blaine froze.

"I don't– I don't know if I'm ready for the actual... the real thing," Kurt admitted, "but I'm changing the rule. I want the whole world."

To his surprise, Blaine laughed, and the vibration of Blaine's laughter against his chest left Kurt so out of breath that he couldn't even think about speaking again.

"I'm more than okay with anything you're comfortable with," Blaine said happily. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As he and Blaine got out of the car in the parking lot of Scandals, Kurt hurried to stay close to the other boy. He was nervous, but he tried to remind himself that just because it was a bar didn't mean it was full of serial killers.

He was also scared of what his father would say if they were caught. Burt had allowed him to stay at Blaine's house all week under his normal condition: "no funny business". Kurt knew that the vague statement left room for different interpretations, but Kurt was sure that using a fake ID to get into a gay bar was not on his father's list of acceptable ways to spend his time.

"Chaz Donaldsworth?" Kurt said skeptically has he looked at his fake ID. "This doesn't even look like me."

"Don't worry, mine says I'm 38," Blaine replied. "They'll work."

Kurt tried not to think about how much trouble he would be in if they _didn't_ work.

"Aloha!" he greeted the doorman, mentally punching himself for how stupid he sounded but unable to remain silent when he was so nervous. The man barely looked at him or Blaine, and to Kurt's intense relief they were allowed to enter the bar.

"Enjoy," the doorman said, "It's drag queen Wednesday."

"Great," Blaine thanked him, and they moved into the dark room.

"It's not very scandalous," Blaine commented as Kurt tried to look as casual as possible.

"Au contraire," Kurt teased. "Look at all the, uh, glamorous drag queens. Look, there's Cher and Tina Turner. And... is that Lucy or Reba?"

"That is Ginger from Gilligan's Island," Blaine surmised.

"Of course," Kurt agreed.

Kurt spotted Sebastian sitting at the bar. "I really don't like that guy," he admitted as he and Blaine walked over to where Sebastian was waiting.

"He's harmless," Blaine countered, and Kurt almost grabbed his arm and demanded to be taken home immediately. Blaine was too trusting; Kurt knew that Sebastian's motives for inviting them to this bar weren't even close to as pure as Blaine's motives for accepting the invitation.

"A beer for Blaine," Sebastian greeted them from his seat at the bar. "And for Kurt, a Shirley Temple with extra cherries. Heard you're the designated driver. Like, all the time."

Kurt knew he was just going to have to suffer through Sebastian's insults. Blaine wanted to be here.

"Cheers, boys," Sebastian said. "To the glamorous life."

The early part of the evening passed much as Kurt anticipated. They sat at the bar and Sebastian did his best to ignore Kurt completely while Blaine seemed to like Sebastian more and more with every sip of his drink.

As Kurt ran his finger in circles around the rim of his cup and daydreamed about setting fire to the bar, Blaine suddenly turned to him with a big smile on his face.

"Wanna dance, Kurt?" he asked sweetly.

"No," Kurt admitted.

"Okay," Blaine said cheerfully, and he turned back to Sebastian.

"Absolutely," Sebastian said before Blaine could even ask the question. He winked at Kurt before following Blaine to the dance floor, and Kurt hoped that the rage he was feeling was evident in his eyes as he glared back.

As Kurt watched the two boys dancing, he hated himself for allowing them to come here. He knew that Blaine wasn't _trying_ to hurt his feelings, and the other boy _had_ asked him to dance first, but his heart ached with memories of watching Blaine make out with Rachel and all of the rejection he had felt that night.

"Better watch your boyfriend," a familiar, and completely unexpected, voice suddenly piped up from the stool beside him. "Can I get another beer, please?"

Kurt swiveled around on his stool to see David Karofsky, and was surprised when he felt pleased to see him rather than annoyed or afraid. They exchanged smiles, and Kurt was glad to see nothing but casual happiness in Karofsky's eyes.

"So, how's life at your new school?" Kurt asked.

"Fine," Karfosky replied. "You know, I just want to have a normal senior year and play football without my teammates hearing rumors about me."

Kurt couldn't remember the name of the school where Karofsky was now a senior, but he knew that it was even farther away from Lima than Dalton. Kurt guessed that Karofsky came back to Lima's gay bar to greatly reduce the chances of his new classmates seeing him.

"Just to let you know," Kurt said, "I never would have told anyone. It's not who I am."

Karofsky nodded, and Kurt glanced out at Blaine and Sebastian briefly before returning to the conversation.

"So, you come here all the time?" he inquired.

"People like me here," Karofsky explained. "I feel accepted. I'm what they call a bear cub."

"Because you look like Yogi?" Kurt guessed.

"Nah, because I'm burly or something," Karofsky replied.

Kurt wasn't sure what to say to that, and his lack of a response seemed to agitate Karofsky.

"What, so is this the point where you judge me?" he said.

"No," Kurt corrected, and he realized that Karofsky still had a long road ahead of him to true self-acceptance. "As long as you're not beating people up I am all for being whoever you have to be at your own speed."

Kurt glanced at Blaine again, and Karofsky looked too.

"Right now I'm just trying to get through high school," Karfosky admitted.

Kurt sighed in agreement.

"Here's to baby steps," Karofsky said, reaching over with his bottle to clink Kurt's glass.

"Baby steps," Kurt agreed. This whole evening was a baby step toward getting out of the mostly innocent bubble in which he lived.

He looked at Blaine once more, and as Blaine noticed and smiled at him Kurt decided. He wasn't going to literally sit by and let Sebastian take his boyfriend. Abandoning his drink, Kurt hopped off the barstool and went to dance with Blaine.

As they danced (and Kurt did his best to keep Blaine away from Sebastian) Kurt had to admit that dancing with Blaine was fun. Blaine was so excited and, even though Kurt knew that part of it was the alcohol, seeing Blaine having so much fun made the whole situation more fun for Kurt, too.

They made it through the evening without any serious incidents, and just after midnight Kurt decided that it was time to leave.

"Hey you," he wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist from behind. "It's time to go."

"Past your bedtime, Kurt?" Sebastian asked. Kurt ignored him.

"Everyone is so nice here," Blaine sighed.

Kurt smiled. "Okay, let's go," he said, releasing Blaine's waist and making sure that Blaine was following him as he made his way to the door.

"Bye," Blaine waved at Sebastian across the room. Kurt didn't turn to see what Sebastian did in return as he pushed the door open and made sure Blaine continued to follow him.

"This is the best night of my life," Blaine announced as they exited the bar.

"Okay," Kurt laughed. In the end, Kurt decided, this hadn't been a terrible idea. Sure, Sebastian had been incredibly annoying, but Blaine hadn't really done anything except drink a few beers and dance with anyone who looked approachable. And now he was happy and rambling, which Kurt thought was a good way to end the evening. He wrapped his arm around Blaine as they walked across the parking lot.

"It's the best night of my life," Blaine reiterated. "I wanna live here. I wanna live here and I just wanna make art and help people."

"Well you could certainly help people make fires with your breath," Kurt laughed as he got a whiff of the alcohol on Blaine's breath.

"Hey, come on, I only had one beer," Blaine argued.

"Sure you did," Kurt said. He had seen Blaine drink at least two beers, and he had a feeling Sebastian had probably slipped him a third when Kurt wasn't looking.

As they reached Blaine's car and Kurt pulled open one of the back doors to help Blaine climb in, Blaine reached out and placed a gentle hand on Kurt's hip.

"Hey," Blaine said.

"What?" Kurt turned to face him.

"Kiss me," Blaine requested. "Kiss me."

"Oh, no," Kurt said. He was surprised that it had taken so long for Blaine to ask someone for a kiss, and he was glad it was now when they could just go home and Kurt wouldn't have to fight anyone off.

"Come on," Blaine begged, leaning into Kurt to kiss his neck, "kiss me."

"No, no, no, no, come on," Kurt said. "You're riding in the back. Come on, lie down... less likely to throw up that way. Been there."

"Alright, alright," Blaine said, and Kurt wondered how much of this Blaine would remember the next morning.

Kurt wasn't really paying attention as Blaine seemed to acquiesce and get into the car, so he was surprised when Blaine's hands suddenly tightened around his own and Blaine yanked him forward into the car.

The next few seconds passed in a blur as Kurt tried to prop himself up with Blaine holding him down and kissing his neck.

"Come on, come on," Blaine begged. "Hey Kurt, let's just do it. I want you. I want you so bad."

"No. No," Kurt said as Blaine's hands roamed over his face and arms. "Please no. Stop it!" When Blaine didn't stop, Kurt felt a little panic settle into his chest. He knew that Blaine wouldn't force himself on anyone, but with the alcohol in his system Kurt wasn't sure how easy it would be to get Blaine to back off. "Stop it. Stop, stop."

"Hey listen," Blaine said desperately, "I know you wanted to do it in a field of lilacs with Sting playing in the background and all that, but who cares where we are? It's all about us."

The discomfort and jealousy that Kurt had been feeling all night exploded within him, fueled by panic that things were rapidly getting out of hand.

"Right, it's about us!" He shouted, crawling back out of the car into the cool evening air. "Which is why I don't want to do it on a night that you spent half of dancing with another guy!"

Blaine had followed him to the edge of the seat, but did not stand up.

"And that you're sober enough to remember it the next day!" Kurt added.

"Why are you yelling at me?" Blaine asked darkly.

"Because I've never felt _less_ like being intimate with someone!" Kurt shouted, "And either you can't tell or you just don't care!"

He regretted the last bit as soon as the words left his mouth. Blaine _did_ care. This was the alcohol and Blaine's hormones talking, and it wasn't okay but Kurt could see that his words had really hurt the other boy's feelings. Nobody cared about Kurt the way Blaine did.

Blaine stood up and pushed past Kurt to walk away into the parking lot.

"Where are you going?" Kurt called after him.

"I'm sorry I'm trying to be spontaneous and fun!" Blaine retorted, throwing his hands in the air.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Kurt didn't know what to do or say. He felt betrayed and embarrassed and worried about how he was going to get them both home safely.

"I think I'm just gonna walk home," Blaine said, and he turned to walk away.

"Blaine!" Kurt called after him. Blaine's house was too far away to walk to _ever_, much less in the middle of the night after a few beers.

As Kurt climbed into the driver's seat of Blaine's car and quickly adjusted the seat and mirrors, he wanted to call his father. Burt was out of town, but he would know what to do.

But calling his dad would mean telling him where they had been.

His mind raced to think of a solution as he started the car and pulled out into the parking lot. He couldn't lose sight of Blaine or there would be no point in planning at all because Blaine would just walk off into the night all alone.

Kurt felt tears stinging in his eyes as he thought about what could happen if he couldn't convince Blaine to get back in the car. Blaine was so trusting. He might accept a ride from a stranger or something and disappear forever.

Blaine hadn't quite made it out of the large parking lot by the time Kurt caught up with him. Unsure of what else to do, Kurt pulled over against the curb and jumped out of the car to stand in Blaine's path.

"Please," Kurt begged putting both of his hands out palm-forward, "_please_ let me just take you home."

Blaine ignored him and tried to walk around him, but Kurt stepped sideways to block his path.

"Get out of my way," Blaine said angrily.

"It's not safe," Kurt pleaded. "You can pretend that you're in a taxi... I'll be silent the entire ride home. Just please, honey. _Please_ get back in the car. You _know_ you can't walk home from here."

With an annoyed roll of his eyes, Blaine spun around and walked over to his car to climb into the back seat.

Kurt's vision blurred with tears of relief as he ran back to the car and jumped in. He could see that Blaine had taken his advice and was lying on his back across the back seats, and by the time they stopped at a red light a few minutes later and Kurt glanced back at him again, Blaine was sound asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

When they returned to Blaine's house, both of Blaine's parents' cars were there. Kurt didn't know what to do. The house was dark – Blaine had told them that he and Kurt were going to a friend's birthday party and that they'd be home late – but Kurt had no idea if they would wake up and come out of their bedroom to investigate when they heard Kurt and Blaine coming up the stairs.

Kurt considered just leaving Blaine to sleep the rest of the night in his car in the driveway. But his desire to know that Blaine was safe in his bed won out in the end, and Kurt quietly got out of the car, ran over to make sure the door to the house was unlocked, and returned to wake Blaine.

"Blaine?" he leaned into the car and shook Blaine's shoulder gently. "Blaine? We're home."

Blaine moaned but did not wake up. Kurt wished that Finn could teleport to the scene; the last time they had returned home with a sleepy, intoxicated Blaine, Kurt had forced Finn to carry him up the stairs to Kurt's bedroom.

"Okay," Kurt mumbled to himself, "you're not stumbling drunk so you have _got_ to get up and walk to your bed."

He shook Blaine again, and this time the other boy groaned unhappily and his eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes.

"Let's get you inside," Kurt said, reaching out with one hand. He was glad when Blaine grasped it and allowed Kurt to help him sit up.

"Can you make it?" Kurt asked. Blaine avoided his eyes, but he nodded. Kurt pulled him the rest of the way out of the car and wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist to make sure he was steady as they made the walk to the house.

"Shhhh," Kurt reminded him as they opened the door and entered the house. Much to Kurt's relief, Blaine was absolutely silent the entire way to his room, and he allowed Kurt to remove his shoes before he climbed onto his bed and fell onto the pillows. He was asleep almost immediately.

Kurt pulled a blanket out of Blaine's closet and draped it over the other boy before stepping back to watch Blaine sleep for a moment.

He knew he needed to leave. He didn't even care if he walked into his house and caught Finn and Rachel doing something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He needed to be alone in his own room. He gathered all of his stuff from Blaine's room and the guest room where he had been sleeping, and quietly locked the door behind him as he left the house to drive home to Lima.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine felt so terrible – both physically and mentally – the next morning that he decided to just skip school entirely. The thought of driving all the way to Lima made him feel sick, and the thought of seeing Kurt made his chest ache with regret.

When he shuffled out into the kitchen to fill his water bottle and grab a box of crackers out of the pantry, his mother was alarmed at his disheveled state, but he reassured her that it was just food poisoning and that she definitely did _not_ need to stay home with him.

Once he was alone in the house, Blaine ate two crackers and drank a little water before deciding that he would rather just feel sick. He fell onto the couch and put on a random show about alien conspiracies, and he was asleep again before it reached its first commercial break.

His phone vibrating in his pocket woke him up a few hours later. As he opened his eyes and reached for the phone, he was relieved to find that he was starting to feel better.

Blaine was disappointed when it was Artie's name on the screen instead of Kurt's. _Where the hell are you?_

_Food poisoning,_ he lied, _I'll be back tomorrow for sure. Sorry._

_Next time tell Kurt or something!_ Artie replied. _I'm too young for this kind of anxiety attack._

Artie had asked Kurt where Blaine was and Kurt hadn't told him the real reason why he had skipped school. As Blaine stared at the ceiling and tried to think of what he should do next, his phone vibrated again.

_You okay?_

Kurt.

_Yeah,_ Blaine replied, _you?_

_I'm okay,_ Kurt responded.

Blaine wanted to apologize and beg forgiveness and tell Kurt how much he loved him, but he was still too ashamed of himself to even bring it up. And he didn't want to do it over text messages, anyway.

_See you tomorrow,_ he sent instead.

The little smiley face that Kurt sent as a response gave Blaine a little spark of hope that maybe he hadn't messed things up completely.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Kurt and Blaine passed each other in the hall between their first and second classes, exchanging awkward "hello"s, and Blaine was _sure_ that Kurt wouldn't be waiting for him for lunch on the stairs where they always met.

But he was.

"Hey," Kurt said as they started the walk to the cafeteria.

"Hey," Blaine echoed.

They didn't really speak directly to each other all day after that. It was, Blaine thought, a strange mixture of awkward and completely normal. He felt comfortable sitting beside Kurt, and sometimes he would catch himself turning to say something to the other boy only to remember that they were in some kind of weird fight.

Blaine didn't see Kurt backstage as he arrived that evening to prepare for their opening night of West Side Story. He sat down at his station beside Rachel and started applying his makeup.

"Just so you know, your Maria has disappointed you," Rachel said after a few minutes of silence. "I'm still a virgin."

"And your Tony has disappointed you," Blaine said sadly. "Me too."

"Look, the audience is smart!" Rachel said nervously. "The only sensible solution is to just cancel the show. I'd rather send everybody home than give a false, inauthentic performance."

"Five minutes!" Artie interrupted, "Rachel, darken your eyebrows. Blaine, tone down the blush."

"My eyebrows are fine," Rachel argued as she turned back to look at herself in the mirror.

Blaine added a little more blush just to spite the universe before he stood up and wandered aimlessly until someone grabbed him and pulled him over to where the cast was congratulating Artie on his job as their director.

Kurt was still not around, and Blaine didn't know how to feel. Kurt wasn't going to skip the show because of what had happened, was he? Why would he have spent lunch in Blaine's presence only to blow off this huge event in order to avoid him?

"Alright, everyone," Artie announced, "here we go! Find your places..."

Blaine felt a gentle hand on his arm, and he turned to find Kurt standing beside him. He was all dressed and ready to go in his Officer Krupke uniform.

"Good luck tonight," Kurt said softly.

Blaine wanted to kiss him or hug him or _something_, but after what he had done two nights before he decided that the best thing for now was just to mirror what Kurt was comfortable doing. He reached out and clasped Kurt's shoulder.

"You too."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"_Make of our hands one hand. Make of our hearts one heart. Make of our vows one last vow. Only death will part us now._"

As Kurt watched Blaine and Rachel's duet, he felt so much pride for the boy he often fantasized about marrying that he thought he might explode. He wasn't sure what was going on between them after what had happened at Scandals, but he knew that he wanted to make things better. They needed to talk about it.

When the show ended, everyone was incredibly hyper, and Kurt couldn't see Blaine thought all the craziness.

"See you at Breadstix!" Artie shouted after they had put everything away. The crowd quickly dissipated, and still Kurt couldn't see Blaine.

After a quick search of the backstage area and the choir room, Kurt assumed that Blaine had gone ahead to the after-party. But, as he was about to leave, he heard the sound of someone thumping around on the stage.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine tried to dance out all of his frustration, he suddenly noticed Kurt standing off to the side watching him

"Shouldn't you be celebrating?" Kurt asked.

"I'm going over this move..." Blaine explained. "I messed it up tonight. I know I can do it better."

"Beauty of the stage," Kurt acknowledged. "You get to do it all over again tomorrow night."

Blaine knew that they weren't just talking about the show. He hated the way he felt a little uncomfortable with Kurt now. He wasn't sure how to fix it.

"Personally, I thought both of you guys were perfect," Kurt continued.

"Thank you," Blaine replied, "Your Officer Krupke killed. Brought the house down."

"Well, I can't help but pull focus, sorry," Kurt teased lightly.

"Don't apologize," Blaine responded. "It was great."

The conversation paused for a moment, and Blaine wasn't sure what to say.

"All your friends were here tonight," Kurt said before Blaine could think of anything, "The Warblers... Sebastian."

"Yeah," Blaine breathed. He could feel an apology bubbling to the surface as he thought about the difference between his friends and Kurt. He liked his friends, but he _loved_ Kurt. Nothing involving any of the Warblers was worth hurting Kurt like this.

"They were all loving it," Kurt offered, and Blaine knew that passive-aggressiveness was Kurt's way of pushing Blaine to talk even if he didn't want to.

"Come here," Blaine said. He walked up to Kurt and grabbed his hand. "Give me your hand, and hold it to your heart," he said as he gently pushed their hands against Kurt's chest.

"Just like the song?" Kurt asked.

"Like the song," Blaine confirmed, continuing to hold Kurt's hand against Kurt's chest.

"Kurt," Blaine said, looking directly into Kurt's eyes, "Sebastian doesn't mean _anything_ to me. And you were right. Our first time shouldn't be like that. I was drunk, and I'm sorry."

"Well," Kurt teased, "it sure beats the last time you were drunk and made out with Rachel."

Blaine let his head fall forward, both in embarrassment and relief.

"But I'm sorry too," Kurt added. "I wanted to be your gay bar superstar. But, try as I might, I'm still just a silly romantic."

Blaine didn't think it was silly. In that moment, Blaine never wanted to do anything again except romance Kurt until he _actually_ fainted.

"It's not silly," Blaine disagreed, and he stepped forward to kiss Kurt like he had wanted to since the moment he woke up on Thursday morning. Blaine felt Kurt's arms wrap around his neck, and he relished the familiar feeling of Kurt's embrace and Kurt's lips on his.

"You take my breath away," Kurt said as he pulled away from the kiss. "And not just now, but tonight on that stage. I was so proud to be with you."

Kurt put his hands on Blaine's shoulders and shook him gently as he spoke, and Blaine's chest and throat constricted unexpectedly. There was nothing in the world that Blaine wanted more than for Kurt to be proud of him.

"I hope so," he admitted tearily. "I want you to be."

As he looked at Kurt, Blaine knew that they had made it through this. Their first major hurdle. He wanted to smother Kurt with kisses and hold on to him and never let him go again, but he needed Kurt to know that he loved him for so much more than what they had physically.

"Um, Artie's having an after-party at Breadstix," Blaine reminded the other boy. "Would you accompany me?"

"No," Kurt said immediately, "I want to go to your house."

Blaine felt a rush of surprise. He knew that Kurt didn't want to skip the party to watch movies on the couch. This was something else.

"Okay," he acknowledged, unable to think of anything else to say that could express all of the emotions that he was feeling.

Kurt reached out and grabbed Blaine's hand, intertwining their fingers so he could lead Blaine out of the auditorium and outside to the parking lot. When they reached their respective cars, Blaine hesitated.

"I have to, uh, stop on the way," he said, surprised to feel heat spreading up his neck and across his cheeks at the thought of buying the things that they would need _if_ Kurt wanted to do anything serious.

"I've got it covered," Kurt said lightly, squeezing Blaine's hand.

"You–" Blaine lost all ability to think as Kurt fidgeted and his eyes sparkled with confidence.

"I may be a hopeless romantic," Kurt said as a hint of bashfulness crept into his eyes, "but I'm a modern variation."

Blaine pulled their entwined hands up to his lips to kiss the back of Kurt's hand. His mouth was too dry to answer, so he hoped his face said it all.

As soon as Kurt shut his car door behind him, Blaine turned and ran to where his car was parked and jumped inside. The drive to his house felt like it took an entire week as Blaine tried to concentrate on not killing himself or anyone else instead of letting his mind run away with him with visions of what was going to happen when they reached his house.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt arrived at Blaine's house first, so he turned off his car and grabbed a small box that was hidden under his seat.

The day after they had been at the bar, Kurt had missed Blaine so much that he had spent the entire day thinking about him. About _them_. And he had realized that the only thing keeping him from experiencing everything physical with Blaine was his own fear. His fear of the total vulnerability involved and his fear of making a fool of himself because he had no idea what he was doing.

But this was _Blaine_. Kurt loved and trusted the dark-haired boy more than he had ever imagined he could possibly love or trust another human being.

So, after school on the day when Blaine had skipped, Kurt had gone to the store and bought everything they would need. He had researched different brands online that morning before school, and had ended up buying two different brands of everything. Just in case.

A flash of light from Blaine's headlights brought Kurt back to the present, and he locked his car and turned to wait for the other boy. Blaine's eyes landed on the box in Kurt's hands for a moment as he passed, and Kurt felt his heart starting to race. He trusted Blaine. He loved Blaine. He _wanted_ to do this. But he was still so nervous.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As soon as Blaine locked the front door behind them, Kurt grabbed a fistful of Blaine's shirt and pulled him up the stairs to his bedroom.

Even though they were alone in the house, Blaine kicked the bedroom door closed as they entered the room. He didn't think he could handle the door being open even if he knew nobody would walk by.

They kicked off their shoes, and Kurt slid a hand up between Blaine's stripped shirt and his undershirt, encouraging Blaine to remove the outer layer. Blaine laughed nervously as the shirt got tangled around his head.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered, stepping forward to kiss the side of Blaine's face.

"For what?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nuzzled his nose on Blaine's ear. "For waiting for me."

"I'd wait for you forever," Blaine exhaled, feeling suddenly out of breath.

He felt Kurt's lips curl into a smile against the side of his face before Kurt stepped back. The taller boy's eyes shone with certainty.

"No more waiting," Kurt said seriously. He reached down and unbuttoned his vest, sliding it off and tossing it on the floor by Blaine's disregarded shirt.

There was a tiny moment of awkwardness as neither of them knew what to do, so Blaine decided to just do _something_.

"Okay, come here," Blaine grabbed Kurt and pulled him over onto the bed.

Blaine ended up on his back with Kurt snuggled up against him on his side. They stayed like that for a few minutes, shifting around into slightly different positions and smiling and blushing and playing with each other's hands and shirts, until Kurt shifted to rest his chin on Blaine's chest.

"What now?" he asked shyly, rubbing his thumb over the fabric of Blaine's shirt.

Blaine reached out and placed his hand over Kurt's chest. He could feel Kurt's heart pounding rapidly, and he knew that the other boy was as nervous and excited as he was.

He pushed himself up off the bed and threw one of his legs over Kurt's body so he could settle down on Kurt's hips before he leaned down and mashed their lips together.

Almost immediately, he felt Kurt's hands fumbling with the fastening of his pants, and he paused briefly to sit up and look at the other boy.

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked.

Kurt pulled Blaine back down for another long kiss before allowing Blaine to pull away for a breath.

"Yes," Kurt answered, "I'm absolutely sure."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

When Kurt woke up the next morning, he was snuggled up against Blaine's side with one arm slung across the other boy's chest. Blaine was still soundly asleep, so Kurt gently moved over and rolled onto his back beside Blaine to stare at the ceiling.

Exactly one year ago, he had been miserable. He had been shoved around and emotionally abused and hadn't been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel that was his life.

And then Puck had told him to go spy on the Warblers.

Kurt didn't realize he was crying until he heard Blaine shift on the mattress beside him and turned his head to find the other boy's eyes, wide with worry, staring back at him.

"Kurt," Blaine scrambled into a sitting position, "what's wrong?"

Kurt sat up too, but just long enough to grab Blaine's arm and pull him back down to lie beside him.

"One year ago right now I didn't know you," Kurt whispered.

Blaine visibly relaxed as he realized Kurt was crying happy tears. "But one year ago this afternoon you did," he replied, grabbing one of Kurt's hands and squeezing it tightly.

"Happy anniversary," Kurt teased.

Blaine reached out and brushed his hand through Kurt's hair. "I love you, Kurt," he said softly.

Kurt grabbed his arm and pulled him closer so they could kiss.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," Kurt gushed. "I love you so much."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wow, you two, BE MORE IN LOVE. I just adore the way they interact in this episode.<strong>_

_**Alright, so I'm absolutely sure that Kurt did not just let Blaine walk home after Scandals. It doesn't even matter how far away Blaine lives... Kurt would not have let sweet, drunk Blaine walk all alone in the dark for even five minutes. I will never be convinced otherwise.**_

_**I hope this was okay! It's a big episode for Kurt and Blaine! And the fact that they woke up after their first time and it was the one-year anniversary of when they first met is just too cute.**_

_**Up next... 'Mash Off'!**_


	23. 3x06: Mash Off

_**Alright, a good chunk of this is just me making stuff up (because Kurt and Blaine only had a few lines in this episode), so hold on to your hats! ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hello!" Rachel, ready said brightly as she fell gracefully into her chair and examined her face in the mirror.

"Good afternoon," Blaine greeted her.

So much had changed in the twenty-four hours since they had last occupied these chairs, Blaine thought as he tried to act like everything was still just the same. Begrudgingly, Blaine admitted to himself that Artie had been at least _partially_ right. Blaine felt so alive and so confident that he wanted to jump on top of the piano and tell everyone about what he and Kurt had done the night before. He thought briefly about what Kurt would say...

"What's going on?" Rachel asked. When Blaine looked up at her in the mirror she was looking at him like he might be a little bit crazy.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"What're you smiling about?" Rachel rephrased. She looked as relaxed as Blaine felt. He shrugged.

"Thinking about Kurt," he admitted.

Rachel chewed her lip briefly in contemplation before grabbing her chair and scooting over so she was right beside Blaine. She looked around briefly before leaning in close to his ear.

"Finn and I had sex last night!" she squeaked.

Blaine turned his head to look at her so quickly that they knocked heads.

"Ow!" Rachel gasped, and as they both reached up to rub their heads Blaine started laughing and couldn't stop.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Rachel hissed, smacking his arm. Blaine could barely breathe, so he just shook his head.

"Hey!" Kurt's amused voice suddenly joined the conversation, "Hands off my boyfriend."

Blaine and Rachel looked up as Kurt walked over and took a seat on Blaine's lap. When Blaine raised an eyebrow at him, Kurt stood up and settled back down, this time straddling his legs so they were facing each other. Blaine tried to get control of his laughter as Kurt grabbed both collars of Blaine's jacket and pulled him into a kiss.

They kissed slowly for a moment, and Rachel was so silent that Blaine briefly forgot she was there.

"Wait," Rachel said suddenly. "Wait, oh god. Did you– we–"

Kurt turned to look at Rachel, and Blaine saw the realization dawn on Kurt as he looked at his friend.

"Oh my _god_," he moaned. "We are literally the same person."

Rachel tried to repress a laugh, but it escaped from her lips as a weird little burp and Blaine lost it completely. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's back and buried his face in Kurt's chest to muffle his laughter.

"Excuse me!" Artie's frantic voice came from behind Blaine, "Get your makeup-covered face off my police uniform!"

Blaine obeyed, choosing instead to pick Kurt up and stand up, depositing the other boy on the edge of the small table. Kurt wrapped his legs around Blaine's lower half to hold him close for another long kiss. Blaine didn't object; they _never_ did this in public, _ever_, but he felt completely invincible.

Artie watched them carefully. "Huh," he said after a moment, and he rolled away without another word.

"So..." Rachel began.

"No," Kurt broke the kiss to wave a hand at her. "You don't deserve the details."

Blaine vaguely remembered that Kurt and Rachel were in a bitter dispute over the senior class presidential elections, but he didn't really care.

"Blaine," Artie's voice returned, "I'm happy for this sexual awakening you seem to be having, but we really don't want Tony to look like he's been making out with someone in a back alley at the start of the show, okay?"

"Mmmmm," Blaine hummed in protest as he kissed Kurt one more time before Kurt relaxed his legs and allowed Blaine to take a step back. He had never seen Kurt look so casual and confident before, and it made him feel insane.

"Kurt?" Quinn's voice suddenly called from somewhere out of sight. "Kurt?"

"Yeah?" Kurt shouted back.

"I ripped the seam of my dress!" Quinn called back, "Help?"

Kurt sighed and shook his head in amusement. "Duty calls," he said, hopping down off the table and kissing Blaine once more before hurrying off to help Quinn with her wardrobe crisis.

Blaine returned to his seat and scooted back up to the desk to finish his makeup, and Rachel glanced at him with a delighted smile on her face.

"Tonight's show is going to be _so_ much better than last night," she said.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

After the show, Kurt and Blaine slipped away as quickly as they could. They had considered staying and hanging out with their friends, but had ultimately decided that there would be plenty of socializing the following night at the party Artie was throwing to celebrate the end of the show.

By the time they made it to Blaine's bedroom and slammed the door, their shoes, socks, and shirts were already gone. After their first time the night before, all of the awkward uncertainty had melted away and left only adrenaline and confidence in its place.

"We should switch this time," Kurt said as they stumbled onto the bed. "I mean, if you want to."

"Sure," Blaine said breathlessly.

Kurt squirmed his way up to the pillows as Blaine reached out and grabbed a condom and threw it in Kurt's direction before reaching for the little bottle on the nightstand. But he misjudged the distance, and instead he sent the little bottle flying off the table and onto the floor.

"_Ugh_," Blaine moaned unhappily. He climbed off the bed and disappeared for a moment as he searched for the bottle on the floor.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Kurt giggled. "I feel like James Bond... sneaking off for a salacious rendezvous with my lover when I should be socializing."

Blaine reappeared and hopped back onto the bed, and Kurt's amusement turned quickly to something else as he absorbed the desire on Blaine's face.

"I –" he started, but it turned into a squeak of surprise as Blaine grabbed the front of the waistband of his pants and tugged him forward until Kurt sat up.

"Shhhhhh," Blaine said as Kurt opened his mouth again. He placed a gentle finger over Kurt's lips for a moment.

"But –" Kurt didn't really want to argue, so he had no idea what he planned to say, but Blaine's lips crashing into his made it impossible to speak anyway. Instead, Kurt reached out and pulled Blaine toward him.

Blaine didn't quite have time to catch himself, so he fell awkwardly into Kurt and Kurt allowed them to fall all the way over onto the bed. Before he could think or move, Blaine's hands were at the fastening of his pants again.

"Okay?" Blaine asked, out of breath with a huge, dopey smile on his face. For a second Kurt considered telling him no just to watch his reaction, but instead he nodded.

"Hurry up," he teased. "We've got to leave time for _some_ sleep if we want to have a decent closing show tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"... so thank you all so, so much," Artie said. "To the best musical McKinley High has ever done!"

Everyone clinked their glasses together, and even the staff of Breadstix stopped to applaud. Rachel, who was sitting beside Blaine, leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she said.

Blaine tried to ignore the way that Kurt, sitting across from him, and Finn, sitting across from Rachel, were rolling their eyes. "You too," he replied sincerely.

The musical really _had_ been something special for Blaine. All the rehearsals, the late nights spent singing and dancing around his room with Kurt, the hilarity of trying to learn to do his own makeup after school with Rachel and Quinn, the actual weekend of performances. He felt like he _belonged_ in this group. And Rachel, especially, had become a friend.

Finn was a different story. He hadn't been involved in the musical because he was spending more and more time working at the tire shop, and it was part of the reason Blaine had enjoyed the musical so much. Finn wouldn't stop giving him a hard time. About coming from Dalton. About being a new kid. About everything. It was all incredibly confusing for Blaine because when they were in a casual setting Finn was usually pretty neutral toward him.

"Yeah," Finn said, "you guys were great."

He could even be kind of nice. Blaine didn't know what to make of his attitude.

"To the best Tony," Kurt raised his glass in Blaine's direction, "...and Maria that ever graced the stage."

"I'll toast to that!" Rachel said primly as the four of them clinked their glasses together in the center of the table.

Blaine tried not to smile too broadly at Kurt and Rachel's tension. He was unhappy with Rachel's decision to run against Kurt in the senior class presidential election, but he had a feeling that they would find a way to be friends again eventually.

They chatted and ate and had a great time, and Blaine felt a little sad as he and Kurt strolled out the door into the cool evening air.

"That was nice," Kurt commented as they walked into the parking lot.

"Yeah," Blaine said, turning his head to look at the other boy. "Thanks."

"Thanks?" Kurt turned to meet his gaze.

"I know it wasn't easy for you," Blaine said quietly. "Watching me play the role you wanted so badly."

Kurt shrugged. "Watching you play Tony was amazing," he clarified. "But thanks for saying that."

They reached Blaine's car first, and Blaine sighed heavily. They had to return to their respective homes tonight. Blaine's parents would be home a little after midnight, and they had school the following day.

"Next time," Kurt said lightly, "we're doing it at my house."

Blaine laughed. "Deal," he agreed.

Kurt glanced around before risking a quick peck on Blaine's lips. "Congratulations, Blaine," he smiled as he straightened up.

"See you tomorrow," Blaine pouted.

Kurt laughed. "Bye."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

It was strange and also completely normal to be back at school the next day. As Kurt walked down the familiar hallways, he thought about how weird it was that he had experienced a huge, life-changing thing over the weekend and nobody knew. The students in his classes didn't know. His teachers didn't know. Most of the students in glee didn't know, which he found especially amusing as they watched Puck, Blaine, Mike, and Finn perform _Hot For Teacher_ after school.

The best thing of all, Kurt thought, was that nothing was different with Blaine. When Kurt had finally returned home and spent the first night in what felt like an eternity in his own bed, Kurt had let himself worry. He had worried that somehow his emotional relationship with Blaine would change now that their physical relationship had changed. He had spent the night tossing and turning over nightmares about Blaine suddenly losing all interest because there was nothing left to wait around for.

As soon as Kurt had seen Blaine the next morning, though, he had known it was all in his mind. By lunchtime a few days later, Kurt had forgotten that he ever worried at all.

"I'm just saying," he said to their lunch group. "what gives Sue the right to lie about my father that way?"

"She's _Sue_," Mike said. "She doesn't care."

"Clearly," Kurt huffed. "I tried to talk to her and she just got all 'it's not personal'. Well you know what? Yes it is."

"I'm proud of you," Blaine said, rubbing his back briefly. "For not sinking to her level."

Kurt sighed. "I can't wait 'til my dad beats her," he said.

"_I_ can't wait until we crush the Troubletones at the mash off," Artie said. "I'm sick of them acting like they're so much cooler than us."

"I'll second that," Tina said.

"Hey," Mike said to Kurt and Blaine as the others continued to talk about the best strategies for beating the Troubletones, "Tina and I were wondering... we're heading to the mall after school and we thought maybe you guys might want to come along?"

Kurt glanced at Blaine for confirmation. "Yeah, sure!" he said when Blaine nodded his approval.

"Our first real double date," Kurt sighed happily as Mike returned to the discussion about the Troubletones.

Blaine laughed. "What about all those times we went out with Rachel and Finn?"

Kurt pretended to be annoyed. "Finn's my _brother_, Blaine," he scolded. "That's not the same."

"Ohh," Blaine teased in return. "I see. Well, then, I'll pick you up by your car after school, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"This is the best thing I've ever eaten," Mike announced as he, Tina, Blaine, and Kurt sat at a table in the mall's food court eating soft pretzels.

"I agree," Blaine said seriously. "Kurt and I get these every time we come here."

"We've gotta beat the Troubletones at this competition," Tina sighed. "Or we'll never hear the end of it."

"I'm more worried about Sectionals," Kurt argued. "How are we going to find enough members to compete at all?"

"Got any blackmail material on any of the Warblers?" Mike teased Blaine. They all laughed.

"We'll figure something out," Blaine said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

"Here's the perfect scenario," Kurt said dreamily, "assuming that we end up with enough people. Tina gets a solo, Blaine and I sing a romantic duet, and we do a big group number at the end."

"Wait, I can't have a solo?" Mike pouted.

"No," Kurt said.

"What about me?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt said. "Romantic duet with yours truly or nothing at all."

"Okay," Blaine said happily. "I accept."

"This is fun," Tina commented, motioning at the four of them together at the table. "We need to do this more often."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Well, how about this," Finn said in glee practice the next day as the group tried to pick a song to sing for their portion of the mash off. "People think Hall and Oats are famous for their cool puffy hair and that dude's bangin' 'stache. But also they're awesome for staying together over the long haul."

"Just like us," Rachel said. "Despite all their differences."

Blaine liked that idea. But he knew that voicing his support would probably only result in some kind of reprimand from Finn, so he stayed silent.

Finn moved in his direction anyway.

"I think we should give the solo to the new guy," Finn said. "Get him prepared for what's in store when the stakes get high."

As everyone turned to look at him, Blaine felt a surge of surprise and hope. Maybe Finn _had_ just needed to get to know him better and this was his way of apologizing.

"Rory, I think you'll do a good job," Finn added, and Blaine remembered immediately that the newest member of New Directions was sitting directly behind him.

Embarrassment rushed into Blaine's mind, and he was glad that he hadn't said anything before Finn had been able to finish speaking. Of _course_ Finn didn't mean him. He wasn't the new kid anymore.

But then Finn's eyes flickered briefly to Blaine's and Blaine realized Finn had done it on purpose. To get his hopes up.

Rage coursed through Blaine's veins. But, as always, he reminded himself that he was _not_ going to sink to Finn's level. Finn _wanted_ him to explode and make a fool of himself in front of everyone, and Blaine was definitely _not_ interested in giving Finn anything that he wanted.

"Thanks, Finn, but I don't think I'm ready for that honor just yet," Rory replied, and Blaine channeled his rage and disappointment into his sincerest voice.

"C'mon," he disagreed as he twisted around to look at Rory. "You're totally ready, Rory. You'll kill it. We'll all help you."

Rory smiled at Blaine's confidence in him, and Blaine turned back to Finn. "It's a great idea, Finn," he said, locking eyes with the taller boy.

"Thanks," Finn replied.

As soon as glee was over, Blaine snatched his bag and left the room before Kurt could stop him and talk him into doing something nice. He didn't want to ignore it. He didn't want to talk about it. He wanted to rage.

After about ten minutes of pummeling one of the gym's punching bags, Blaine was feeling much better when Mike suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Hey man," he said, "Kurt didn't want to come in here so he sent me... we're havin' a dodgeball showdown with the Troubletones in the gym in about fifteen minutes if you want to come."

Blaine stilled the bag and reached for his water bottle. "Sure," he nodded. "I'll just –" he motioned in the direction of his locker, and Mike gave him a thumbs-up before retreating to the hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt tied his shoes before the dodgeball showdown, Rachel's voice was suddenly chattering away beside him.

"This could be deadly!" She said. "I mean facing our foes head on without any adult supervision..."

Kurt ignored her. She was his competition now, and he was still so hurt by her betrayal that he didn't want to speak to her.

"So, uh, you know that our NYADA applications are due next week," she reminded him. "I only need one more letter of recommendation... I wrote to Patti LuPone on her website but I haven't heard from her yet, so..."

Kurt knew that she was rambling in the hopes that he would reply, so he remained silent. He hated that he _wanted_ to forgive her, and he hated that he missed her. He didn't need Rachel Berry.

"I– I really– I– I really miss you, Kurt," Rachel admitted unexpectedly. "And I just– I just– I really want to be your friend again."

"Well maybe you should've thought of that before you walked all over me in your borderline sociopathic climb to the top," Kurt said. He stood up and walked away, not trusting himself to speak to her more.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Dude, are you wearing girl shorts?" Puck asked critically as he studied Blaine's gym uniform.

"Fashion has no gender, Puck," Blaine replied, and he saw the corners of Kurt's mouth turn up in approval further down the line.

Puck looked around. "I guess you're not the only dude in those shorts," he admitted. Blaine laughed as Puck gave up trying to understand and walked away.

Blaine hadn't played dodgeball in years, and he had a great time playing against the Troubletones. It also helped quite a bit with his frustration over Finn, and by the end he was once again feeling like things were under control in his life.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt wasn't a huge fan of dodgeball... it was more aggressive than he preferred. But he played with the rest of his friends, and was secretly glad when it was over.

But as he turned to walk away, he heard the rapid thudding of balls hitting a soft target and turned to see the girls of the Troubletones pelting Rory with as many of the dodgeballs as they could find.

"Stop it!" Kurt shouted as he ran over to stop the attack. "Stop it! For God's sakes, he's bleeding! Maybe that's how the others treat us around here, but we don't do this to each other. We're better than this."

"God, calm down grandma," Santana said.

"This game's over," Kurt said, helping Rory up and leading him away from the girls.

"Thanks, Kurt," Rory said. "Those girls are kinda scary."

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked, turning Rory to face him so he could see if the other boy's nose was still bleeding.

"Oh my gosh, Rory," Blaine suddenly appeared beside them. "What happened?"

"_They_ happened," Kurt said angrily, waving a hand in the direction of the Troubletones girls as they walked out of the gymnasium.

"I'm okay," Rory said. "It sucks that those girls aren't nicer, but my nose isn't even bleeding so much."

He turned and walked away, and Kurt realized that he had found a cause to fight against for his presidential campaign.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt wondered if he was having a stroke.

On his way to meet Blaine for lunch, he had overheard two girls in the hallway gossiping about Finn outing Santana in a hallway full of students.

It brought back so many emotions and memories that Kurt never wanted to think of again. But this time, Kurt decided, he had the strength to speak up _now_ rather than later.

Forgetting about Blaine completely, Kurt walked as quickly as he could to Finn's locker. The other boy was there, shoving all of his books away so he could go to lunch. Kurt stormed up to him.

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" Kurt snapped.

"Woah, dude," Finn frowned at him as he closed his locker. "What's up?"

Kurt looked around. They couldn't have this discussion in the middle of the hallway.

"Come with me," he commanded, and he led Finn into an empty classroom and closed the door.

"If this is about Rachel..." Finn started.

"This isn't about _Rachel_!" Kurt snapped at him, making sure the door was latched properly before turning and advancing on the taller boy. "This is about _you_ dragging Santana out of the closet without her permission."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on," he said. "Everyone already knows!"

Kurt suddenly remembered Blaine, and he wished that he had gone to get the other boy before coming to confront Finn. Blaine always knew how to calm Kurt down. And Kurt was nowhere near calm now.

"Are you _serious_?" Kurt shouted at him. "This is someone's _life_, _Finn_. Not some silly piece of trivia like what color underwear she wears!"

"I did her a favor," Finn retorted. "Now she can stop acting like she's not sleeping with Brittany or whatever."

To Kurt's dismay, he felt tears stinging in his eyes. "Didn't you learn _anything_ last year?" he accused.

"Whatever," Finn said.

The other boy's flippancy brought an entirely new wave of fury to Kurt, and he knew he couldn't continue this conversation without things getting _really_ out of hand.

"You had _no_ right," Kurt said furiously. "I hope one day you'll realize what a self-absorbed... _jerk_ you're being. Now get out."

"Wha –"

"Get out!" Kurt screamed at him.

Finn didn't argue again. He walked quickly past Kurt and slammed the door closed behind him as he left the room.

Kurt fell into a chair and burst into tears.

He _hated_ remembering all the shame and fear and worry. The feeling of never knowing how people would act around him or when he might get slammed into a locker or tossed into a dumpster. Or if something worse was just around the corner. He still carried some of that fear – it was why he and Blaine rarely kissed in public – but as his confidence had increased the fear had become more manageable.

The door creaked open, and Kurt frantically wiped at his eyes and prayed that it was just the teacher who belonged in this classroom so he could make up some stupid reason for crying and run away to the safety of a bathroom stall.

It was Blaine.

Blaine didn't say anything, but he closed the door quickly behind him and rushed over to scoop Kurt into a tight hug. The action, and all the things it symbolized, just made Kurt cry harder.

"Tina saw you and Finn come in here," Blaine explained quietly after a minute of just holding Kurt and rubbing his back. "But only Finn came out, so..."

"Thanks for coming to find me," Kurt managed, pulling out of the embrace to look at Blaine.

Blaine pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Kurt. "Would you like to talk about it?" he offered.

"Finn outed her," Kurt said miserably. "Santana."

"Oh," Blaine realized sadly.

Kurt knew he didn't need to tell Blaine not to mention it to anyone. Blaine had experienced his share of fear regarding his sexuality. In some ways, Kurt mused as he looked at the sorrow on Blaine's face, Blaine's experience had been even worse than his own.

"Let's see what happens," Blaine said quietly, reaching out to fix the front of Kurt's hair where it had been messed up during their embrace. "Maybe it won't be so bad."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Blaine!" Tina squealed, "Your hair looks _adorable_!"

Blaine blushed at the compliment as they prepared for their portion of the mash off competition. He was incredibly self-conscious about his curly hair, but somehow it didn't bother him so much when everyone else's hair was big and curly too.

"Thanks," he smiled at her.

"You should wear it with less gel more often," she said sweetly. "I think it's cute."

Blaine laughed nervously. "We'll see," he lied.

She studied him for a moment, and just as he was starting to feel self-conscious she spoke again.

"I'm glad you came here," she said.

The kind words caught Blaine off guard, and he felt a warm rush of gratitude.

"Thank you, Tina," he reached out and hugged her briefly. "I'm glad to be here."

Mike approached the two of them and extended a fist for fist bumps from both Tina and Blaine. "Let's kill this."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Later, as Kurt stepped up to the microphone at the senior class presidential debate, Blaine hoped that Finn (who had, for some reason, decided to sit beside him) couldn't hear his heart pounding.

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt introduced himself. "Um, the past few weeks, I've tried to address the real problem of obesity at this school. But my opponents chose empty promises and smear tactics. Although she knows it to be untrue, my opponent Brittany stated that my face was used as a template for Hasbro's successful line of My Little Ponies."

"Well," Kurt continued. "I refuse to be bullied. In fact, I refuse to let anyone be bullied."

As Kurt elaborated and used dodgeball as an example of generally accepted forms of bullying, Blaine felt overwhelmed. Almost exactly a year earlier, Kurt had been so afraid of the student body at this school that he had transferred to Dalton. Blaine knew that the fear was still there, but now Kurt's coping mechanism was fighting back rather than running away to safety. Blaine knew that, somewhere in this school, there were students who would notice and who would find their courage through Kurt, and his heart ached with pride.

"... and send a strong message that violence isn't okay," Kurt finished.

Blaine was happy that Kurt got a standing ovation from many of the teachers, students, and parents in the audience. He clapped along, and when Kurt turned to glance at him on his way back to his seat Blaine gave him a double thumbs-up.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"... vote for Kurt."

As Rachel finished withdrawing herself from the race and urging everyone to vote for him, Kurt didn't know how to feel. Rachel returned to her seat beside him, but they didn't look at each other.

"Thank you, students," Principal Figgins said. "And best of luck to you all."

The room was suddenly buzzing with activity. Rachel jumped out of her chair and disappeared into the crowd before Kurt could say anything, and he stood up to follow her.

"Why'd you do it?" Kurt asked as he found her at her locker a moment later. She was removing her campaign poster from the inside of the locker door.

"I should have withdrawn from the race when I got the lead in the musical," she admitted. "You needed the resume boost to get into NYADA. You're already so spectacular, but being senior class president will just put you over the top."

Kurt was so relieved, and was amused that she had chosen to withdraw herself from the race in such a public way. "Only Rachel Berry could perk up an old, boring high school debate with such a riveting twist," he teased.

"Drama queen, I know," Rachel said.

They smiled at each other, and Rachel continued.

"I just– I _hated_ you hating me," she said. "It was..."

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "Scowling gives you forehead lines and I am way too young for Botox."

"I guess I was just, you know, focusing on my dream of going to New York and getting into NYADA," Rachel said. "But then I realized that part of that dream is going there with you. So, now I am all about helping you win. Consider me your campaign slave."

Kurt smiled at that. He couldn't wait to get to New York and experience everything that they never could in small-town Ohio.

"I'm gonna hug you now, okay?" Rachel said, and she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Kurt.

"Thank you," Kurt said. He was so glad they were going to be able to put this behind them and just be friends again.

"So about the whole 'pasty' thing," Rachel said as they walked arm-and-arm down the hallway, "I –"

"Let's just quit while we're ahead, doll" Kurt interrupted.

"Okay," she agreed.

Blaine and Finn suddenly appeared around the corner, and Rachel released Kurt to kiss Finn hello.

"Hey," Kurt said happily as Blaine hugged him.

"That was amazing, Kurt!" Blaine gushed.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled at him.

"I'm so proud of you," Blaine stressed. "Your courage. Your strength. You're going to be the best class president this school has ever seen, for sure."

Kurt wiggled his head playfully. "Well," he said, "I learned from the most courageous man I know."

"I'm going to kiss you for that later," Blaine replied, gesturing helplessly at the other students in the crowded hallway.

"Noted," Kurt winked at him.

"And what about Rachel, huh?" Blaine said, and Kurt realized that Rachel and Finn had walked away. "She came through in the end."

"Don't even give me any of that 'I knew she was good all along' crap," Kurt threatened, "or I will not be open to _any_ kisses in the near future."

Blaine laughed.

Kurt noticed one of Rachel's campaign posters on the wall, and he stepped over to rip it down.

"I can't wait to rip these all off the walls," he said happily.

"We'll replace them all with yours," Blaine said excitedly. "And soon you'll be ruling this school."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As the Troubletones finished their number for the mash off competition, Kurt noticed Finn whispering to Rachel.

Santana noticed too.

"What did you just say to her?" Santana snapped as she jumped down from the stage to confront Finn.

"I said I thought you were great," Finn explained.

"No, you're lying," Santana accused.

"No, he literally just said that," Rachel confirmed.

"You tell her too?" Santana asked. Kurt's heart broke as he heard and saw the familiar panic and fear in Santana as she struggled to figure out how to deal with people suddenly knowing her sexuality.

"Santana," Mr. Schu warned.

"Everyone's gonna know now," Santana snarled at Finn. "Because of _you_."

That was the difference between Kurt and Santana. Kurt had come out on his terms. Santana had not had a choice.

"The whole school already knows. And you know what? They don't care," Finn argued.

"Not just the _school_, you idiot," Santana screamed at him. "Everyone!"

"What are you talking a –"

_SMACK._

Santana's hand slapped across Finn's cheek, and Kurt exchanged a quick, sad glance with Blaine.

"Santana!" Mr. Schu snapped. "Finn! Principal's office. _Now_."

As the two students left the room with the teacher, Blaine turned to Kurt.

"What should we do?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted.

"At least she has Brittany," Blaine said hopefully.

Kurt looked at Blaine and, as he did almost every day, he thanked the universe for allowing them to meet and fall in love. He had no idea where he would be if he hadn't found Blaine.

He nodded. "At least she has Brittany."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I have all the TinaBlaine friendship feelings, okay? I hope they'll be the leaders of New Directions in season four! They're both so sweet, gosh.**_

_**I was conflicted about whether or not Kurt knew about Finn outing Santana before that slap at the end of the episode... but if you look at Kurt's face during that scene at the end, he looks upset but not really surprised. So I decided that he must've heard about it beforehand. And having him fight with Finn about it provided a nice moment for a little reminder of all the crazy things that happened to Kurt last season, plus hugs from Blaine, so... I went for it!**_

_**Up next... 'I Kissed A Girl'!**_


	24. 3x07: I Kissed A Girl

_**Wow, this is a stressful episode for Kurt. Poor guy! If only he had won the election... who knows what would've been different! But this isn't an AU, so...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"How's the concession speech going?" Jacob Ben Israel suddenly appeared beside Kurt at his locker on Monday morning. "Can I print an early copy on my blog?"

Kurt was already unbearably annoyed with the whole election process, and the actual voting wasn't for another few days.

"Who says I'm ready to concede?" Kurt countered. "I'm leading that hockey-playing kid by ten percent!"

"Well, that's mostly because he's in a medically induced coma after being brutally checked in a game last week," Jacob explained. "Also, you're trailing Brittany by seventeen points. If this was a horse race, you'd be glue."

"The glue that keeps this school together when he gets elected president," Rachel suddenly piped up from behind Kurt.

"Oh my god, it's Brittany," Jacob said, noticing the Cheerio over Rachel's shoulder. "Madame President!"

As he rushed away, Kurt wondered why he had ever decided to run in the first place. It was just a stupid popularity contest, and the only time he had ever won one of those at this school he had been utterly humiliated.

"Don't worry about it okay?" Rachel encouraged. "We still have the rest of the day to change the minds of the voters."

"What's the point?" Kurt asked. "I'm gonna lose unless I pull a JFK."

"You're gonna shoot Brittany?" Rachel gasped.

"No," Kurt replied, wondering how Rachel had ever managed to pass a history class, "No, when Kennedy ran against Nixon in 1960, he had all his mob buddies in Chicago stuff the ballot boxes so that he would win Illinois. It won him the Presidency."

"Wait, no!" Rachel chided. "No, I can't let you do this, okay? Come on, can't we just do, like, a great duet in the cafeteria or the library to just drum up some support?"

"I have Kennedy's impeccable hairline," Kurt said.

"I know," Rachel agreed.

"Why can't I have his 'ends justify the means' mentality?" Kurt wondered. "If I lose and my resume remains blank, I'm not gonna get into NYADA. And I can't accept that."

He had no idea what he would do if he didn't get into NYADA. He didn't _want_ to have to think about what he would do if he didn't get into NYADA.

"You're seriously considering cheating?" Rachel asked.

"What choice do I have?" Kurt replied.

As he turned and walked away, Kurt knew he was being ridiculous. He couldn't cheat. He wished that he didn't care so much about doing the right thing. He had spent his entire morning skincare routine imagining the best ways to stuff the ballot boxes without being detected, dreaming of a version of himself who didn't care about laws or morals or anything but getting what he wanted.

Lost in his daydreams of winning the election by any means necessary, he walked right by Blaine in the hallway and didn't even notice.

"Bad day?" Blaine's voice asked from behind him as the other boy spun around to walk behind him.

Kurt thought about the day Blaine had transferred to McKinley, and he felt a little better. Having Blaine around always made him feel more optimistic, as if he absorbed some of Blaine's eternal positivity just by being in his presence.

"Can it be a bad day when school hasn't even started yet?" Kurt whined.

"Stop it," Blaine demanded taking a few quick steps so he finally appeared in Kurt's peripheral vision. "Kurt, hey..." he put a hand on Kurt's forearm, encouraging him to stop walking.

"I'm gonna lose," Kurt explained.

"You don't know that," Blaine replied.

"Does it ever get tiring seeing the world as a perpetually beautiful place?" Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Not when I'm around you," Blaine replied sweetly, and Kurt mentally slapped himself for allowing a smile to turn up the corners of his mouth at Blaine's encouragement.

Blaine beamed up at him, but then his face grew more serious.

"You never know what's right around the corner, Kurt," he said. "One day nothing is going your way..."

"... and the next day I'm passing you on the staircase at Dalton," Kurt acquiesced. "Point taken. I _know_. I'm just panicking."

"I know," Blaine winked at him.

"Shut up," Kurt mumbled.

The warning bell rang, and Blaine turned to walk away to his first class.

"Hey," Kurt stopped him. "Um... my dad's going to be gone overnight doing some last-minute campaigning and Carole's working late, so..."

"Finn and Rachel?" Blaine inquired innocently.

"We'll think of something," Kurt said.

Blaine smiled and crinkled his nose approvingly. "See you after school, then."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Over dinner that night, Finn made a comment about Santana and suddenly he and Kurt were arguing.

"I'm just trying to help, okay?" Finn snapped.

"Yeah, well, good job with that," Kurt retorted.

"Boys, boys, please," Rachel said calmly. "Let's not fight."

Blaine reached out to grasp Kurt's hand under the table, hoping to calm him down. "What's important here is Santana," he said gently. "This isn't going to be easy for her, and we need to make it clear that we're there for her."

"I have an idea," Finn said.

"No," Kurt replied.

Blaine elbowed him in the ribs, and Kurt rolled his eyes but motioned for Finn to continue.

"We should sing girl songs all week," Finn said eagerly. "You know, to show her that liking girls is cool."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kurt said.

Rachel was silent.

"Look, I'm all for singing songs meant for female voices..." Blaine hesitated.

"What he's trying to say it that it's completely patronizing," Kurt interrupted.

"Kurt..." Rachel said, glancing to Blaine for help.

"Whatever," Kurt said briskly. "I don't care what you do."

He released Blaine's hand and stood up, and Blaine hurried after him, mouthing "sorry" to Rachel as they left the room.

"What's going on?" he asked as they reached Kurt's room. "Hey, Kurt... hey, look at me!"

"Do you know me _at all_?" Kurt snapped, turning around and recoiling his arm as Blaine reached for him.

The harsh accusation hurt Blaine more than if Kurt had turned and physically smacked him across the face. He didn't realize that he was backing up until Kurt took a few quick strides forward and grabbed his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Kurt gasped. "I'm _sorry_. I didn't mean that. Nobody else knows me like you do, Blaine. I'm _so_ sorry."

Blaine nodded. "It's okay," he said, glad that his voice sounded reasonably stable.

"It's _not_ okay," Kurt replied, still holding Blaine's shoulders. "What is _wrong_ with me lately? All I can think about is how much _I_ need to get into NYADA and how much _I_ wish that Finn had stuck up for _me_ like this a year ago and..." he trailed off and Blaine suddenly realized why Kurt was so upset with Finn. It wasn't just the morally questionable act of outing Santana without her permission. It was that Finn was _so_ keen to make sure that everyone supported and protected Santana. Which he hadn't done the year before when Kurt had been tormented and chased out of school for his sexuality.

"Kurt," Blaine led them over to the bed so they could sit down, "I didn't even..."

"It's stupid," Kurt interrupted. "I know it's stupid. I'm just overreacting because I'm so stressed about the election and everything else."

"You're wrong," Blaine argued. "You were emotionally abused and physically assaulted, and nobody ever organized support quite like this. You have every right to feel upset."

Kurt was silent.

"You should talk to him," Blaine encouraged gently.

Kurt shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't think so. What he wants to do for Santana, despite the epic flaws in his logic and the fact that all of this is only happening because he's too careless to keep his mouth shut, is the right thing to do. I'm not interested in whining about the past."

"It's up to you, of course," Blaine allowed.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Kurt sucked in a huge breath and closed his eyes in an attempt to relax.

"Here," Blaine climbed onto the bed to sit on his knees behind Kurt and massage his shoulders.

"You are the best boyfriend in the history of the world," Kurt breathed as Blaine's hands rubbed over his shoulders and the back of his neck.

"I doubt that," Blaine smiled, "but thanks."

"I'm really sorry about before," Kurt said. "Snapping at you like that."

"It's truly okay," Blaine said. "I should've–"

"No," Kurt said suddenly, twisting around to look at Blaine. "It's not your job to take care of me all the time."

"I want to," Blaine admitted.

To his surprise, Kurt scrambled onto the bed and grabbed his yellow cardigan to yank him forward for a rough kiss.

"What about," Blaine gasped when Kurt released him for a breath, "Finn and Rachel?"

"They can leave if they want to," Kurt replied, shoving Blaine over onto his back. "I'm done talking."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Despite his reservations about the whole idea of singing "girl songs" to make Santana feel better, the next morning over breakfast Kurt had insisted that he and Blaine be allowed to sing to her first. If this was going to be a patronizing exercise, he wanted to start with a song that _also_ had meaning regardless of gender or sexuality.

He and Blaine had discussed it at length via text message after Blaine had gone home for the night, finally deciding on the ideal song to express how they hoped Santana would eventually feel about herself.

"Santana," Blaine said, "Kurt and I have a song we like to sing to each other in the car and we want to sing that for you right now."

"While there's nothing I'd love more than having two pretty ponies serenade me," Santana retorted, "I think we'd get further staging a 'gelervention' for Blaine than singing lady music."

Kurt hated that Santana always turned her discomfort into insults, but he knew this wasn't the time to reprimand her for making fun of Blaine.

"I know it's hard," he said instead. "It was hard for me too. But you can get through this."

"If you'd stop being so defensive," Blaine added.

"I'm trying, but your hideous bowties are provoking me," Santana replied.

Kurt hoped that, maybe, somewhere inside they were actually getting through to her. Because he hated the idea that Santana was going to spend her entire life being this hateful every time someone tried to show her some love.

"Wait, are we talking lady-on-lady or girl-on-girl?" Puck suddenly said. "Because there's a big difference."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"_Made a wrong turn once or twice. Dug my way out, blood and fire. Bad decisions, that's alright. Welcome to my silly life._"

As Kurt started the song, Blaine moved to lean on the piano and thought about how they had started singing this song to each other one day over the summer...

* * *

><p>"<em>... and I don't see what the big problem is, anyway! I mean, god, if women walk by holding hands it's 'oh, they must be best friends, how adorable'... but two men? We're all going straight to hell!"<em>

_Kurt paused and turned to look at Blaine as he put on his seat belt._

"_Aren't you angry about this?" he asked._

_Blaine sighed. "Embarrassed more than angry," he confessed._

_It was always a cycle, Blaine thought. They would be really careful with their public displays of affection for a while, but their desire to hold hands or link arms as they walked would eventually win out. They would get too comfortable. And then someone would make a comment or gave them a severely unkind glance, and the cycle would start over again._

_This had been a particularly unpleasant end to the cycle. They had spent the afternoon shopping at the mall, and as they were leaving Kurt had reached out and interlaced his fingers with Blaine's._

_As they had passed a bench full of teenagers on their way to the door, one of them had stuck his foot out and tripped Blaine._

_With one of his hands trapped in Kurt's hand and the other carrying two shopping bags, Blaine couldn't catch himself, and he had fallen ungracefully to the ground, pulling a surprised Kurt down on top of him._

"_Whoops," one of the boys on the bench had said. "Too bad your hands weren't free."_

_Kurt, as always, had tried his very best to ignore them. He had quickly climbed to his feet and helped Blaine up, pausing only to cast a brief glare in the direction of the boys on the bench before grabbing Blaine's hand defiantly and leading him away._

_Now, sitting in the car, Blaine's knee had started to hurt where he had landed on it, but he knew better than to mention it to the other boy._

"_Ugh," Kurt exhaled. "I'm so sick of this _stupid_ place."_

_They fell into silence as Blaine started the car and began the drive back to Kurt's house, but Blaine could tell that Kurt was still incredibly upset. He tried to think of something he could say or do to remind Kurt of how perfect he was._

_Oh._

"Made a wrong turn, once or twice_," Blaine started to sing._

_He could almost _feel_ Kurt's shock from beside him. "No," Kurt turned to shake his head rapidly. "No, no, no..."_

"Dug my way out, blood and fire_," Blaine continued, ignoring him. "_Bad decisions, that's alright. Welcome to my silly life._"_

_He paused, and as they stopped at a red light he turned to look at Kurt._

"_No," Kurt pouted._

"_Kurt," Blaine said, "you're the one who always says 'sing everything you feel', so we are not getting out of this car until you sing this song with me."_

_He could tell that he was breaking Kurt's resolve because Kurt turned his head away to look out the side window to hide his face._

_The light turned green, and Blaine continued driving. And waited._

"_Fine," Kurt gave in._

"Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood. Miss 'no way, it's all good'. It's didn't slow me down_," Kurt sang. "_Mistaken, always second guessing. Underestimated. Look, I'm still around..._"_

_He paused and Blaine knew Kurt had turned to look at him so he picked up the song._

"_Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than, less than perfect. Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing. You are perfect to me."_

_He glanced at Kurt again, and this time Kurt was smiling._

"_You are a dork," Kurt said, "but I love you."_

* * *

><p>It had become a thing for them after that. At first it was just a matter of finding the song on one of their iPods and singing along, but eventually they had started adapting it so that they could sing it properly without the music. By the time school had started, they had perfected their arrangement.<p>

"_...you are perfect to me._"

As they finished the song, Blaine grabbed Kurt's shoulders and squeezed him happily. It was the first time they had ever performed the song for an audience, and Blaine thought it had gone wonderfully. Santana was smiling, and he hoped that the song had lifted her spirits in the way that it always lifted his and Kurt's.

"Thank you guys," Santana said. "Thank you Finn, especially," she added turning to look at the tall boy.

Blaine felt a twinge of annoyance as he remembered that this had been inspired by Finn's lesson plan for the week, but he told his mind to get over it.

"You know, with all the horrible crap I've been through in my life..." Santana continued turning back to look at Kurt and Blaine, "now I get to add that."

She clapped her hands sarcastically, and Blaine felt sad for her. He knew there was a sweet girl behind Santana's hard exterior, and he hated that she wouldn't show that person to them very often.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"God, I feel like a lamb waiting in line to be slaughtered," Kurt whined as he stood with Rachel and Finn in the gymnasium the next afternoon waiting for everyone to cast their votes for senior class president.

"Chin up, Kurt," Finn said. "It's not over 'til all the votes are counted."

"Yup, and you're gonna get loads," Rachel encouraged. "Look, look! Quinn is going into the voting booth right now. She's definitely gonna vote for you."

"I wish Blaine was allowed in here," Kurt moaned.

The seniors had all been given a pass to skip their last class of the day to come vote in the class election, but the rest of the school was on a normal schedule so Blaine was stuck in class.

"Alright," Rachel said excitedly as the crowd started to thin, "go for it, Finn!"

Finn voted, and Rachel insisted that Kurt go next.

_If I lose, I don't have a chance of getting into NYADA,_ Kurt thought as he entered the voting booth. _It's not fair. The difference between my dreams coming true and managing a Sonic worker depends on how many people check a stupid box._

He checked the box beside his name and dropped the paper into the ballot box. There was nothing he could do now but cross his fingers and hope for the best.

"You're up last," he said gloomily to Rachel as he exited the booth.

"Okay," she said brightly. "Why don't you and Finn go ahead and head on to the choir room for glee practice... I'll be there once I've voted and, uh, used the ladies' room."

Kurt nodded, and the bell signaling the end of classes rang as he and Finn reached the choir room.

"Hey!" Mike greeted them as they entered. "I have a good feeling, Kurt."

"Thanks," Kurt replied with an attempted smile. He walked to the very back of the room, sat down, and willed Blaine to hurry up.

Blaine walked through the door less than a minute later, and he smiled as he hurried to sit beside Kurt.

"Hey," he said, a little out of breath, "how was it?"

"I'll tell you when it's over," Kurt teased.

"When will they announce the winner?" Blaine asked.

"Tomorrow at the end of the school day, I think," Kurt replied.

Blaine nodded but, before he could continue the conversation, the girls of New Directions and the Troubletones came flooding through the door, already a few lines into a song.

"_I'm_ _curious for you. Caught my attention! I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry Chapstick._"

Kurt and Blaine exchanged an excited glance as they watched the girls dancing and singing. Santana looked happy and relaxed.

Kurt reached for his phone, and laughed softly as he saw that Blaine was doing the same.

"You take video and I'll take photos," he whispered to Blaine.

By the end of the song, Kurt was feeling much better about his chances in the election. Or, at least, he was feeling like his life might not end on the spot if he didn't win.

As Santana told them that her parents were okay with her sexuality, Principal Figgins entered the room.

"Excuse me, New Directions and Troubletones singing group," Figgins interrupted. "Mr. Kurt Hummel, I need to see you in my office immediately."

Kurt had no idea what was going on. He turned to look at Blaine, but the other boy's face looked just as confused as Kurt felt.

"Uh, okay," he said, quickly gathering up his things and hurrying to follow the principal out of the choir room. He glanced back at Blaine as he reached the doorway, and Blaine gave him a small wave of encouragement.

"Wait here, if you please," Principal Figgins said as they reached the lobby of the principal's office. Kurt sank into a chair and looked around the room for some indication of why he was here.

Had he won the election? Maybe they were bringing him down for paperwork or to congratulate him or something. There had only been one box for the ballots, so the votes could've been counted already, right?

He sat there for half an hour without any explanation from the receptionist or anyone else. Principal Figgins was in his office with Coach Bieste, but Kurt couldn't tell what they were doing.

Suddenly, his father walked through the office door and Kurt jumped to his feet.

"Dad! Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Hey, Kurt," Burt said. "I should ask you the same thing."

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Figgins called me down here," Burt said. "I hope this is important because I can't just leave the shop like this, Kurt."

"I..." Kurt racked his brain for any possible reason why the school had called him, not to mention his _father_, to the principal's office, and he couldn't think of anything.

Burt shrugged. "I guess we're about to find out."

As they walked into Figgins' office, Kurt noticed that the student class president ballots were on Figgins' desk. A surge of hope rushed through him. But he still had no idea why they needed his father.

"First of all, Mr. Hummel, congratulations on your early exit poll numbers," Principal Figgins said. "Things are looking very good indeed for you."

"Thank you, Figgins," Burt said. "Now, can you tell me why I'm here today?"

"There seems to have been some irregularities with the student council ballot boxes," the principal explained.

"What do you mean by 'irregularities'?" Kurt demanded.

"Kurt won, but by a hundred and ninety votes," Coach Bieste explained.

"Well that's great!" Burt exclaimed, but the other adults didn't look happy. "Right?"

"The problem is... there's more ballots than there are seniors," Coach Bieste said. "And Kurt won by a suspiciously wide margin."

Kurt felt like his mind turned to a mush of anxiety as he realized that they had called his father out of work because they were about to punish him for cheating to win the election.

"No, no. I– I didn't do it," he babbled. "I– I didn't cheat! I mean, I thought about it, but I– I–"

He wanted to bite his tongue off as the words escaped from his mouth. When he got nervous and started rambling, he tended to just say whatever came to his mind. And in this moment all he could think about was that he had _thought_ about cheating and now he was going to get in trouble for it even though he hadn't gone through with it.

"What do you mean you 'thought about it'?" Burt asked immediately.

"I... I thought about it because I wanted to win so badly and I– I was worried that I wouldn't," Kurt stammered. "But– but I didn't cheat. I worked really hard on this. I didn't cheat."

"Kurt," Burt said sternly, "I want you to look me right now and tell me the truth."

Kurt was starting to feel incredibly outnumbered as all three adults' eyes locked onto him.

"I _didn't cheat_," he said to his father.

Burt stared into his eyes for a moment before turning back to the principal.

"Can you prove who did this?" he asked.

"Not yet," Coach Bieste replied. "But we're looking into it."

She looked at Kurt. "Kurt, honey, we'll all understand if you panicked and did this. But now's the time to come clean, okay? It's only going to be worse later on if–"

"I didn't cheat!" Kurt said, feeling like a broken record. "I _didn't_!"

Figgins and Bieste looked at each other for a moment.

"As we are presently unable to prove who rigged this election," the principal said gravely, "you are free to go. But when we get to the bottom of this, the student responsible for this immoral act will be suspended."

"And," Coach Bieste said, "I'm sorry Kurt, but we're going to have to disqualify you. There's no tellin' how many of these votes are real, and _someone_ cheated on your behalf..."

Kurt opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again without saying anything. He felt furious and devastated. Why were they disqualifying him when he hadn't even done anything? They weren't even going to wait to find out the truth?

"Thank you," Burt said, and he grabbed Kurt's arm to drag him out of the room.

When they were once again in the lobby, Burt turned to face Kurt.

"I. didn't. cheat." Kurt said severely.

"I believe you, Kurt," Burt said. "Because you're not a liar. But _if_ evidence comes to light that proves that you did it, I feel obligated as your parent to say that there will be severe consequences."

Kurt felt tears stinging in his eyes. "I didn't do it, Dad!"

Burt nodded. "If you didn't do it, then try not to worry, okay? I'm sure they'll figure out the truth."

Kurt nodded miserably.

"I've gotta get back to work," Burt said gently. "You goin' back to glee club or whatever?"

Kurt looked at the clock on the wall. "Uh," he tried to remember what time he had left, "I guess. If it's still going."

Burt pulled Kurt into a brief hug. "Love you, Kurt."

"I love you, Dad," Kurt sniffled. "Sorry."

Burt shook his head. "I trust you, Kurt. Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

Kurt nodded, and Burt clasped him on the shoulder before he turned and disappeared into the hallway.

Kurt felt numb as he walked down the hallway and saw Finn and Rachel waiting nervously by his locker.

"Someone stuffed the ballot boxes," he explained as he approached them. "They think I did it. If they can prove it I can be suspended."

"Oh my god, Kurt," Rachel gasped.

"And I lost. I lost the election," Kurt added. "I lost the lead in West Side Story. I can forget about New York and NYADA because they'll never take me now. You know, the worst part is that I really, for a second, thought I won."

Rachel looked devastated. "Kurt, I'm so sorry," she said, stepping forward to grab his arms.

Kurt didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to talk to anyone but the one person who could always make him feel better. And he could tell that he was about to burst into tears, which he didn't want to do in the middle of the hallway.

"I have to find Blaine," he said, and he brushed by her and rushed to the choir room.

He was so relieved to see that Blaine was still in the choir room – still sitting in the chair at the back of the room, reading a novel from one of his classes – that Kurt started to cry before he even made it halfway across the room toward the other boy.

"Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed, tossing the book on the chair beside him and jumping up to meet Kurt halfway. "Oh my god, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"They think I cheated," Kurt sobbed, throwing his arms around Blaine's neck and grateful for the comfort of Blaine's arms squeezing around his waist. "On the election."

"What?" Blaine said. "Kurt, hey, okay..." he pulled out of the embrace and grabbed Kurt's hand to lead him over to sit down. "Talk to me. What happened?"

"They called my _dad_," Kurt said. "And they took us both into Principal Figgins' office and said that someone had stuffed the ballot box and I–"

He froze, strangling off mid-sentence as an idea came to him.

"Kurt?" Blaine squeezed his hand. "Kurt!"

"They did it," Kurt breathed. "Like at prom."

"No," Blaine said, although he didn't sound sure. "No, I can't imagine..."

Kurt could see in Blaine's eyes that he _could_ imagine. But he didn't want it to be true.

"I'm so sorry," Blaine said miserably.

"I didn't cheat," Kurt said dully. "I didn't even cheat and I'm going to be suspended."

"Wait, _suspended_?" Blaine replied.

Kurt just nodded.

Blaine scooped him up into another hug as a fresh round of tears started to fall, and Kurt didn't know how he was going to show his face at this school ever again.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Later that evening, after Kurt had climbed into bed to attempt what he knew would be a restless night of sleep, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, expecting Blaine's name, but was surprised to see Santana's name instead.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Kurt?" Santana asked. Her voice sounded strange, and Kurt was suddenly completely awake.

"Santana?"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know who to call," she said miserably. Kurt frowned and sat up.

"Santana, what happened? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," she said, and Kurt realized that she was crying. "I mean, yes, I'm 'okay', but... I came out to my grandmother tonight."

"Oh," Kurt breathed. He relaxed a little, glad that she wasn't calling from some horrible part of town to ask for a ride or something.

"She banished me from the house," Santana admitted, so quietly that, if Kurt hadn't been expecting it, he might not have understood.

"I'm so sorry," he said, trying to think of something more helpful to say.

Santana didn't respond.

"If I told you that 'it's going to be okay'," Kurt said, "I'd be lying. I don't know what's going to happen. But, Santana, you're not alone, okay? I'm glad you called me."

"What should I do?" Santana cried. Kurt wished that they weren't having this conversation on the phone, but he knew that if she wanted to see him in person she would've asked if they could meet somewhere.

"The only thing you can do is be yourself," Kurt advised. "As ridiculous as that sounds... you've got people who love you. Your parents were awesome about it, right? And you've got all of us at school too. We all love you no matter who _you_ love."

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Santana said abruptly.

"What?" Kurt asked. "It's okay, I wasn't even sleeping yet anyway."

"No," Santana sniffled. "The song. When you and Blaine sang that stupid, adorable song to me at the start of the week... I just– I didn't know how to react. I'm not used to this. All of this attention on what I'm _feeling_. I'm so overwhelmed."

"I understand," Kurt said gently. "_Believe me_, I understand. _We_ understand. But thanks. I hope you know that both Blaine and I are always here for you if you ever want to talk about it."

He heard her take a long, deep breath.

"Thanks, Kurt," she said.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" Kurt said.

"Yeah," she said.

"And Santana?" Kurt added before she could hang up.

"It gets easier," Kurt said. "And we're here to help you along the way."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

His father won the Congressional election.

Kurt felt terrible for not feeling outrageously happy as he celebrated at lunchtime the next day with his father, Mr. Schu, and Finn. But he was so worried about his own future that he couldn't even fake it.

He could tell that Burt understood, and after a few minutes Burt sighed and looked his way.

"Go find Blaine, kiddo," he said.

Kurt didn't need to be asked twice. He hugged his dad and hurried away to the cafeteria.

"Hey!" Blaine greeted him as he fell into his usual place at the lunch table. "I thought you were celebrating?"

Kurt sighed. "I'm too much of a downer for their party," he admitted.

Blaine looked at him for a moment, and then he seemed to make a decision.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Kurt's arm as he stood up.

"What?" Kurt asked. "Where are we going?"

"To finish your NYADA application," Blaine explained as they walked out of the cafeteria. "Because I am _not_ letting you give up on yourself."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I haven't given up."

"Yes," Blaine said sternly, "you have. Not overall, maybe, but you're having a hard time remembering what is still possible."

Kurt just grunted a vague disagreement as Blaine led him into the library.

Blaine stood over him and encouraged him through all the paperwork that he had been procrastinating. And Blaine had been right; it did help. While part of Kurt still felt like NYADA was going to toss his application into the recycle bin the second it arrived, seeing the New York address and remembering his dream helped to remind him that it wasn't definitely out of his reach yet.

Blaine rubbed his back as he finished.

"You've got this, Kurt," Blaine said firmly. "Before you know it they're going to be sending you a letter begging you to audition for them."

Kurt stood up and kissed Blaine lightly on the lips, not caring if anyone saw.

"I love you," he said softly. "Thanks for this."

"I love you too, Kurt," Blaine smiled. "Now let's go see if we can join the end of the celebration with your dad."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As Kurt formally conceded the race to Brittany that afternoon in glee club, Blaine knew it took a lot for Kurt to do so. He was still reeling, not only from the loss of the class presidency, but also from the possible suspension that was still up in the air.

"You're still the most unicorn of them all," Brittany said as Kurt said back down, "so..."

"Maybe I could put that on my NYADA application," Kurt said dryly to Blaine as he settled into his chair.

"Don't give up hope, ever," Blaine chided, reaching out to whack Kurt's shoulder with his hand. "We'll figure something out."

As they watched Santana singing the final song of the week, Blaine hoped that he was right about Kurt's chances. He hoped that NYADA would want Kurt, because he wasn't sure how Kurt's self esteem would take the hit if they didn't even ask him to audition.

Everyone applauded when the song was over, and as Brittany stepped forward to embrace Santana, Blaine noticed Rachel in the doorway.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Rachel?" Mr. Schu asked as they all noticed the girl's tear-streaked face.

"I just, um, told Principal Figgins that I rigged the election so that Kurt would win," she confessed. "Kurt, please don't hate me; you're totally in the clear."

To his surprise, Kurt didn't feel any anger. Instead, he felt a huge rush of surprise and relief, as well as a sensation that he thought would probably eventually become one of a thousand questions he would have to ask her.

"What'd he say?" Finn asked.

"He said that he had no choice but to put it on my permanent record and that I'm suspended for a week," Rachel explained.

Kurt didn't know whether he should feel relieved for himself or devastated for Rachel, so he just felt kind of numb as he looked at the sadness on Rachel's face.

"Also," Rachel added, "he said that I was banned from competing at Sectionals."

A hush fell over the room.

"We're gonna lose," Puck said matter-of-factly.

"Shut your mouth," Artie scolded.

Kurt stood up and walked over to where Rachel was standing.

"_Kurt_," Rachel whispered.

"I know," Kurt said. He did know. He knew why she had done it. He had been able to rein in his desperation just enough not to go through with it, but Rachel hadn't managed to do the same. Kurt wasn't sure if he would feel angry at her later for ruining the whole thing, but for now he just felt sad for her. And for New Directions.

"We don't even have enough people as it is!" Tina said desperately.

"Well," Mercedes said arrogantly as she stood up and moved toward the door, "Good luck with that."

"That's _enough_," Shelby scolded, also standing up. "Come on, ladies."

The Troubletones left the room, and everyone turned to look at Rachel and Kurt standing at the front of the room.

Puck let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry to be such a broken record, but I'm just saying what we're all thinking," he said sourly. "We're screwed."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know, Santana apologizing is a stretch. But I just cannot believe that she REALLY didn't feel all warm and fuzzy inside after Kurt and Blaine serenaded her with that song. So I had to do something! ;)<strong>_

_**Thanks for reading, as always! See you on Monday for 'Hold on To Sixteen'!**_


	25. 3x08: Hold On To Sixteen

_**This episode is kinda the final step in Blaine's integration into New Directions...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Rachel and I might as well get used to a life of barista work and summer stock," Kurt whined as he filled out a Lima Bean application. "There's no way we're getting into NYADA now. If we don't win at Sectionals, I pretty much have nothing to live for."

"New Directions is a mess," Blaine agreed. "And we're gonna lose, Kurt. And I can't do a _thing_ about it. Every time I open my mouth, Finn gives me these looks like 'what does he think he's doing?'. I _know_ what I'm doing."

"Hey guys!" Sebastian's voice suddenly joined the conversation, and Kurt felt like the universe _had_ to be out to get him as he looked up at the tall Warbler. "So crazy... I'm sitting over there checking out this guy, and all of the sudden I'm like 'wait a second, I know that hair'." He sat down at the table and turned to Blaine. "What's up, buddy? Haven't seen you online."

"Hi Kurt," he added with a quick glance across the table.

Kurt hadn't spoken to or seen Sebastian since their night out at Scandals, but Kurt's relationship with Blaine had never felt stronger so he didn't think about Sebastian much.

He still hated being in the other boy's presence, though.

"We've been really busy with glee club," Blaine explained.

"Practicing for Sectionals," Kurt added quickly. "_Together_."

"Congrats on the Warbler win at your Sectionals," Blaine said kindly. "We're up this week," he explained with a grimace in Kurt's direction.

"Yeah," Sebastian acknowledged. "Well hey, if there's one guy who can whip New Directions into a legitimate threat it's Blaine Anderson, right?"

"Right," Blaine huffed. He shook his cup a little and stood up. "I need another coffee."

As Blaine departed, Kurt realized that this was the first time he had ever really been alone with Sebastian. This was his chance to let the other boy know that Kurt wasn't going to put up with any of his crap.

"I don't like you," Kurt said simply.

The confession seemed to surprise Sebastian, but he recovered quickly. "Fun," Sebastian said, sitting up straighter, "I don't like you either."

"I don't like the way you talk to my boyfriend," Kurt elaborated. "I don't like your smirky little meerkat face. I don't like your obnoxious CW hair. I'm on to you."

"Let's get a few things straight," Sebastian replied. "Blaine's too good for you, New Directions is a joke, and one of us has a hard-luck case of the gay face and it ain't me. Odds are, by the end of the school year I'll have Blaine and a Nationals trophy, and you'll have khakis and a Lima Bean apron and that gay face."

"You smell like Craigslist," Kurt insulted.

"What're you guys talking about?" Blaine reappeared with his new coffee, and Kurt couldn't decide if he felt glad or annoyed that he and Sebastian couldn't continue to speak privately.

"Duh, the next time we're all going out drinking, killer!" Sebastian said.

"Uh oh," Blaine said, glancing at Kurt to gauge his reaction. Kurt just shrugged at him and tried not to grimace _too_ intensely.

"Well, I've gotta run," Sebastian said, "but you take care of that Warbler, Kurt."

As Sebastian winked at him and stood up to leave, Kurt tried to think of something to say in return. But he couldn't think of anything that wouldn't upset Blaine.

He was relieved to see that Blaine's facial expression was mostly skeptical as Sebastian walked away.

"I don't care what you say," Kurt couldn't resist saying to Blaine after Sebastian was out of earshot, "I don't like him."

"He's something, I'll give you that," Blaine said.

"Let's just go back to my place," Kurt said, pushing his chair back to stand up. "The air here is tainted."

Blaine laughed, but he stood up to follow Kurt out the door.

Carole was home when they arrived.

"Hi, boys," she greeted as they walked past the kitchen. "Can you come in here for a second?"

"Your dad's at the shop," Carole explained to Kurt as he and Blaine sat down at the kitchen table across from where she was sitting. "He's trying to put in some extra hours to make sure that everything is going to be okay when he's not there."

Kurt nodded. This wasn't new information.

"Anyway," Carole continued, "Finn and Rachel just called... they found Sam, and they've convinced him to come back to Lima!"

"Awwww, that's great!" Blaine said excitedly.

Kurt knew there had to be more to it than that or Carole would've just let Finn and Rachel explain when they got home later in the evening.

Carole nodded, seeing the hesitation on Kurt's face. "You dad and I talked about it, and..."

"He's staying with us." Kurt said. It wasn't really a question so much as a verbal acknowledgement.

"Yes," Carole confirmed. "Through the end of the school year, at least. I spoke to his parents on the phone, and they were incredibly nice but also, understandably, concerned about their son living away from them. So we're going to be his surrogate family while he's here, okay?"

"Sure," Kurt said. He remembered how desperate Sam's situation had been the year before, and he was glad that Sam could come and stay with them.

"You'll like Sam," he turned to Blaine. "I mean, I know you two have met a few times, but once you get to know him I think you'll like him even more."

Blaine nodded. "And one more person for New Directions," he smiled.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not sure even the return of Sam Evans can save us now," he said sourly.

He turned back to Carole.

"That's it," she anticipated his question.

Kurt stood up and reached for Blaine's hand to lead him upstairs.

"Bye," Blaine said kindly as he and Kurt left the room.

Kurt's amusement at Blaine's charm vanished the second he walked into his bedroom.

There was a condom wrapper on the ground beside his bed.

"Oh my _god_," he gasped, rushing forward to grab it and throw it away. He yanked a tissue out of the box on his vanity to throw on top of it so it was hidden from view.

Blaine laughed. "Is there something I should know, Kurt?"

"God, _no_," Kurt squeaked, "it must've ended up under the bed or something– oh _god_, what if my dad or Carole...?"

"You don't think they know?" Blaine mused.

"What?" Kurt gasped. "No, they don't _know_."

Blaine shrugged. "Don't you think they'd be glad that you were being safe?"

Kurt felt incredibly flustered. "That is _so_ not the point!"

Blaine climbed onto the bed to sit against the headboard.

"Want a hug?" he teased as Kurt paced around the room mumbling about the horrors of his father possibly seeing a condom wrapper in his bedroom.

"This is the biggest turn _off_ in the entire world, Blaine Anderson," Kurt scolded, "so no."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "So we can't even cuddle now?"

Kurt paused and felt his resolve slipping.

"No," he said.

"Yes," Blaine encouraged.

Kurt refused to make eye contact with him, but he saw Blaine extend his arms and knew he was going to give in.

"Get over here, Kurt," Blaine said.

"Only because you're so cute," Kurt muttered.

He climbed onto the bed and admitted to himself that it had been a good choice when Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's upper body and squeezed him tightly.

"Happy?" Kurt pretended to pout.

He felt Blaine's breath on his neck as the other boy laughed.

"Happy," Blaine confirmed. "Really happy."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey, great news everybody!" Mr. Schu announced as he entered the choir room for rehearsal the following day. "Sectionals is going to be a challenge, but we have a secret weapon."

"Mr. Schu," Kurt interrupted. "We all appreciate your endless supply of affirmations, but all the sparkling cider in the world can't deny the fact that the Titanic has hit the iceberg and now we're on a sinking ship."

"Not if I can help it!"

As Sam Evans walked through the door, Blaine was excited about the possibility of another friend in New Directions. He hadn't ever really interacted with Sam enough to really _know_ the other boy. But, based on what he had heard from everyone else, he thought he would get along well with the returning student.

"His name is Sam," he heard Kurt explaining to Rory as everyone rushed forward to welcome Sam back.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Finn and Rachel," Sam explained. "I sort of, uh, lost my way, but true friends help you find your way back."

"Let's hear it for Sam Evans!" Finn cheered, opening a bottle of sparkling cider.

"Alright, enough of the sentimental stuff!" Sam said, grabbing a guitar. "It's time y'all get a little country back in this joint."

As Sam sang _Red Solo Cup_ and New Directions sang along, Blaine was happy that they could all relax and have fun like this despite the stress of Sectionals at the end of the week. He also took joy in teasing Kurt, who was judging all of them as they sang the song. Blaine knew that Kurt was secretly enjoying it.

He wasn't sure what to make of Santana's strange "welcome back" poem when the song was over, but the fact that she had come into the choir room to read it to Sam made Blaine think that maybe she had missed the returning student more than she wanted to admit. Sam seemed to think so too, and he stepped forward to hug Santana before she left the room.

"Hey man," Sam approached Blaine as things quieted down, "Finn and Rachel told me about your transfer on the drive back."

"Yeah," Blaine said, not sure if it was a question or if Sam was just saying hello, "welcome back."

They shook hands.

"Thanks a million times for letting me crash with you," Sam said as Kurt appeared beside Blaine.

"I'm surrounded by Finn and this one," Kurt nudged Blaine's side, "all the time, so what's one more?" Kurt smiled. "I'm glad you're back."

Sam nodded. "I'm glad to be back." He glanced over his shoulder before turning all his attention on Kurt.

"So what do you know about Mercedes and that football player...?"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I don't know what's going on with him," Tina sighed. "He's a dancer. He just _is_. Not that he wouldn't be a brilliant doctor – I'm sure he would be amazing! – but he's going to spend the rest of his life filled with regret if he doesn't pursue dance."

Blaine nodded and reached out to grab a handful of popcorn. Burt was headed off to Washington DC the following day, so he had insisted on a family dinner to welcome Sam into their home. As a result, Blaine had a free evening. He had mentioned it at lunch, and Tina had jumped at the chance to ask him to help her finish designing the costumes for Sectionals at her house after school.

"It's complicated, though, right?" he asked. "With his parents."

"With his _dad_," Tina clarified.

Blaine sighed and grabbed another handful of popcorn.

"Don't tell me you have the same situation with _your_ dad," Tina whined.

"Not exactly," Blaine explained. "At least not for now."

"I wish I had _your_ problem," Tina sighed. "Kurt's so hell-bent on getting to New York that I doubt even God himself could stop him."

Blaine laughed. "Let's hope you're right. _I_ certainly think he's going to be taking the Big Apple by storm a year from now."

"The main problem is that applications are due this week," Tina said. "And he refuses to even apply."

"Well," Blaine suggested, "you don't have to turn in applications in person..."

Tina gasped so loudly that she immediately clasped a hand over her mouth to silence herself. Blaine shrugged and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"That's _it_," Tina whispered loudly when she recovered. "I'll just forge his signature."

Blaine suddenly felt like he should backtrack.

"Okay, but wait," he said. "That's completely illegal and I don't want to be responsible for –"

"For Mike getting the opportunity to live the life of his dreams?" Tina interrupted.

Blaine stared her down for a moment, but he was satisfied that she wouldn't tell anyone about his involvement if she ended up in trouble.

"You're the best," Tina said. "Thank you."

"I'm not bailing you out when you end up in jail," Blaine teased.

"Now we can actually work on these costumes," Tina said, gesturing to everything that was strewn around on the table. The swatches of fabric, the drawings, and the list of costumes they already had that could be altered.

Blaine felt a little overwhelmed. "Why didn't you ask Kurt to help you with this, again?" he asked.

Tina rolled her eyes. "I want _help_," she said, "not a takeover."

Blaine laughed. "Good point."

"I was thinking black and white," Tina said thoughtfully. "We already have plenty of black pants and skirts, so we wouldn't have to make or order any of those. But for the tops..." she trailed off, uncertain.

Blaine picked up the list of what they already had and scanned down the page until he had an inspiration.

"The white blazers," he said, putting the paper down on the table so he could point to the item.

Tina thought about it for a second before nodding. "Yeah," she said, "and we can add some black to the lapels."

She grabbed a few small pieces of black fabric off the table and examined them until she decided on the best one.

"Ties?" she asked, looking up at Blaine again.

He wiggled his head playfully and pretended to adjust his bow tie even though he wasn't wearing one.

"Bowties," she clarified. "Great."

They were silent for a moment as Blaine examined some of the fabrics on the table and Tina scribbled down the plan so she could confirm it with Mr. Schu the following day.

"Do you ever get homesick for Dalton?"

The question caught Blaine off-guard.

"Um..." he tried to think of the best way to explain his evolving feelings about his former school, " yeah, I guess. Sometimes. Why?"

"The blazers," Tina motioned at what she had just written down.

Blaine felt a blush spreading across his face. "Uh, no," he said bashfully, "that's not why."

He felt ridiculous as he looked up to see her watching him expectantly.

"Finn," he explained. "He's always telling me that we're not the Warblers and that we don't wear blazers and all that... so..."

By the time Tina recovered from her fit of laughter, she was lying on the floor beside her chair and Blaine's face was buried in his arms on the table.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day at glee rehearsal, Tina and Quinn were in the auditorium working on the costumes while the boys brushed up on their dancing.

It wasn't going well.

"What does it even matter anyway?" Puck said. "It's not like we have a chance of winning. Not without the girls."

A few of the band members had agreed to step in and temporarily join New Directions so that they would have enough people to compete, but it meant that the group was made up of nearly all guys.

"Sure," Rory agreed. "Girls smell better than ham. And when they're dancing and bouncing around, you can't help but watch them."

"Well, that's it, then!" Mr. Schu encouraged. "We'll take what's most appealing about us as a group and we'll use it to our advantage."

Blaine wanted to point out that the Warblers did just fine without _any_ girls, but instead he decided to try to contribute something positive.

"Yeah, how about, you know, something like, um..." he danced across the room in a little sequence that he thought might fit the song, "like something like that."

"Cute!" Kurt commented.

"I like the spin, I like the spin," Mr. Schu agreed. "Try it, you guys."

As the boys tried the spin, and mostly failed, Sam stood up.

"God, okay, stop. Stop!" he turned to Blaine. "Look, Blaine, _this_..." Sam spun around in place and threw his hands up sarcastically, "is totally boy band. What we need to sell here is sex."

He demonstrated a move that drew attention to his body, and Blaine rolled his eyes.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"That's a– it's a body roll," Sam explained.

"That's not a body roll," Blaine mumbled.

"_That_," Sam said, gyrating his hips, "is sex."

Some of the other boys tried Sam's move, and they seemed to approve.

"Man's not wrong," Artie said. "I've got light tingles where it's only fifty-fifty for tingling."

"Yeah," Finn concurred. "Yeah Sam, that's awesome. That's exactly what we need."

Finn's immediate jump to praise Sam's idea pushed Blaine over the edge. He could feel the rage and hurt bubbling to the surface, and he fought to stay calm.

"No, that's not– that's not what we need," he argued. "We don't have to resort to... _that_. It's cheap, you know, it's selling out."

"Look, I came back here to win," Sam scolded. "When you're desperate, sometimes you've gotta, you know, use your assets and do what you've gotta to do to get back that advantage. _This_," he did the body roll again, "is the advantage."

"Of course that's what _you_ think," Blaine snapped, "You have to think that in order to sleep at night."

He didn't regret it right away, but somewhere in is brain he knew he would regret it later.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam threatened, stepping forward.

The part of Blaine's brain that held the memories of all the times he had been bullied and put down threw up a mental barricade, and he stepped forward to assert himself. He was done being treated like he didn't matter.

"It _means_," he snarled, "that I'm not for sale!"

Sam lunged at him, but Blaine was ready. He flipped Sam's hands away with the practice of someone who had flown through multiple self-defense and boxing classes, and he wanted nothing more than to let it escalate into a full-on fight. He was no longer a helpless little boy who couldn't defend himself. He was confident that he stood a chance against Sam.

But Mr. Schu and Finn stepped in, and Blaine knew he had to walk away or risk doing something that would get him suspended.

"Forget it," he scoffed, throwing his hands in the air as he turned for the door.

Nobody tried to stop him as he left the room, and he was glad. He didn't even want to talk to Kurt. He wanted to break something. Or someone.

He should never have transferred, he thought to himself as he stormed into the locker room. He had Kurt, and he loved Kurt more than anything, but Blaine's opinions had no weight in New Directions and he was sick of being overlooked. They weren't even giving him a chance to show that he was a good leader because Finn was just the leader by default. It made him feel incredibly self-conscious, and he wanted more than anything to just leave and return to the Warblers where he felt like he mattered.

He didn't even bother folding up his clothes as he yanked them off to change into attire appropriate for boxing. He just tossed them into his locker and slammed the door so he could go and punch something that wouldn't get hurt or punch him back.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The room fell silent as Blaine stormed out, and suddenly everyone couldn't decide if they wanted to look at Finn and Sam or at Kurt.

Kurt stayed silent. He also stayed in his seat, although he could tell that everyone expected him to jump up and run after the other boy.

But Kurt knew Blaine well enough to know that Blaine didn't want to be coddled. When Blaine was _sad_, he wanted Kurt. When Blaine was _angry_, he wanted to box. Alone. Also, Kurt thought, if he had run after Blaine, the other boy would've felt like he had to tone himself down and find a reasonable solution. Kurt wanted to let him release some of his anger before they talked about it.

"Alright, boys, settle down," Mr. Schu reprimanded.

"Someone needs to go talk to him," Mike said.

"_Finn_," Kurt added.

Finn turned to look at him. "Me? He's your boyfriend, dude."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Are you really so oblivious that you think Blaine is content only ever talking to or hanging out with me? He wants to _belong_, Finn."

"You _are_ sorta mean to him sometimes," Rory said quietly. "And he's nice to be around."

Everyone turned a surprised gaze on Rory, and he just shrugged unapologetically.

To Kurt's surprise, Finn didn't argue again. He just turned and left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

After a few minutes of attacking the punching bag with all his might, Blaine was sweaty and breathing a little harder than normal. But the anger and frustration wouldn't go away.

He noticed Finn coming through the door, but he ignored him. If Finn had arrived to give him a hard time, Blaine was going to continue to ignore him until he just went away.

"Is that Sam's face?" Finn asked.

"Yup," Blaine said. "Yours too."

Finn looked intrigued as he watched Blaine punching the bag.

"Don't act so surprised," Blaine said. "After getting bullied so much I took up boxing. I also started the Dalton branch of Fight Club. Which I, obviously, can't talk about!"

With every word, Blaine's anger swelled in his chest, and he didn't want to hold it in anymore.

"What is your problem with me, anyway?" he shouted at Finn, turning to face the other boy. "Ever since I got here, you've given me _nothing_ but _crap_!"

It felt so good to get it out in the open. Like he had released a secret that shouldn't have made him feel ashamed, but that had been controlling him anyway.

"Honestly, dude, I was kinda jealous," Finn admitted.

Blaine let out a little laugh of disbelief.

"I felt threatened," Finn continued. "Your talent kinda freaked me out. Made me question whether or not I was good enough."

This was not even remotely how Blaine thought this conversation was going to go. Finn had been verbally pushing him around because he was _jealous_? Blaine hated himself for being a nice person as a sliver of compassion wormed its way into his mind. He had tried so hard _not_ to be a threat to Finn, but somehow Finn had felt threatened anyway.

"Look, Blaine," Finn said, "I'm sorry. I've been acting like a jackass to you. But with Rachel gone, you're the most talented, well-rounded member of this team and now, more than ever, we need to be on the same page. United."

An apology, a compliment, and a request. More than anything, Blaine wanted to _really_ be part of New Directions. If Finn was willing to change, Blaine would give him a chance to show that he was truly sorry. And, although he still felt that he could do the job well, Blaine knew that he was no longer the leader of his group. He had to help the team now by actively following. By supporting the decisions of the captains and by making things right with Finn.

"Tell me what you need me to do," Blaine allowed.

"We have an opportunity," Finn said. "An opportunity to be remembered at this school for the rest of our lives for doing the impossible. But it all starts right here with you and me. I just wanna be able to look across that stage at you and know that we did everything we could. No regrets."

No regrets. It was what had brought Blaine to McKinley in the first place – the knowledge that if he stayed at Dalton he would've held on to his regrets about running away and would've gained regret over not making the most of his life when he had the chance.

Now he had the opportunity to work _with_ Finn, not against him. And Finn was asking for his help.

Blaine removed his glove and stepped forward to make peace, but he hesitated one final time. Finn had been so unkind to him... was this a sincere apology or a ploy to get Blaine to open up just so Finn could call him out again in front of everyone?

He had to give it a chance.

"Let's get back to work," he said, offering his fist.

"Alright," Finn smiled as they fist-bumped.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Blaine glanced down at his clothes.

"Don't worry about it, man," Finn said. "We're just rehearsing."

Blaine shook his head. He looked crazy.

"You go ahead," he said, "let me dry off and change back into my other clothes and I'll be right there."

Finn nodded, and as he was just about to walk out the door, Blaine called out to stop him.

"Hey Finn?"

The tall boy twisted around to look at him.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

When Finn came back into the choir room alone, Kurt wondered how bad the conversation must have been. He tried not to grimace as Finn glanced his way.

"He'll be back in a minute," Finn said lightly.

That was a pleasant surprise for Kurt. Somehow, Finn had talked Blaine into coming back.

When Blaine walked through the door a few minutes later, a hush fell over the room.

"Sorry guys," Blaine ducked his head bashfully. He looked at Sam. "I'm sorry."

Sam extended his arm and they shook hands, and Finn stepped to the center of the room.

"Okay," he said, "I say we incorporate both Blaine's and Sam's ideas. I mean, Blaine was in the Warblers. And they were pretty badass even though they had no chicks at all. And Sam was... uh... he's really talented too so we shouldn't dismiss his ideas either."

Kurt felt as if his jaw had just come unhinged. Finn had just mentioned Blaine and the Warblers in the same sentence. And, rather than using it to put him down, Finn had suggested that Blaine's past with the Warblers was a _good_ thing. He reached out to tug on Blaine's shirt.

"What happened?" he mouthed silently.

Blaine smiled widely and slipped into the seat beside Kurt to reach out and squeeze his hand. Kurt knew he was going to have to wait for the story of what had happened between Blaine and Finn, but he wondered if he might explode with curiosity first.

"Hey Artie?" Finn changed topics, "what do you think about making the second number a duet?"

"I am _not_ singing Janet with you," Artie said skeptically.

"Not me," Finn clarified. "With Blaine."

"Okay," Kurt had to interrupt, "what is happening right now?"

Blaine surprised him by turning, grabbing Kurt's face, and planting a warm, wet kiss on his lips.

"We worked it out," he said contently as he settled back into his seat.

"That way," Finn ignored them and continued the conversation about the song with Artie, "none of the songs are actual solos. It's one big team effort."

Artie looked at Blaine for a moment, as if he was sizing him up. "Okay."

"Great!" Mr. Schu said, clasping Finn on the shoulder. "Let's get back to work!"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt sank into his seat to watch the first group at Sectionals that weekend, he couldn't help turning to grin at Blaine.

"What?" Blaine asked, but he was smiling just as broadly.

"I love you," Kurt said. "I'm so glad you're here. _Thank you_ for being here."

Blaine's eyes were suddenly unfocused and his mind was far away.

"Remember our first competition together?" he said quietly. "Who would've thought back then that we'd be here together a year later?"

"Certainly not me," Kurt agreed.

"I'm glad," Blaine's gaze returned to the present. "I'm really glad I'm here, Kurt." His eyes were so bright and happy that Kurt wondered if he was just now discovering that he could _really_ feel at home away from Dalton.

"Oh also," Blaine added after a moment, nudging Kurt's shoulder with his own, "I love you too."

The lights dimmed, and they were forced to stop talking as the first group took the stage.

As soon as the lead soloist started to sing, Kurt was shocked to realize that he recognized her.

"Oh my god," he leaned forward to whisper in Rachel's ear, "it's the Gerber baby."

He couldn't see Rachel's face, but he knew that she was reliving the nightmare of the NYADA mixer with him.

"Oh my god, she's _good_," Kurt added.

"This is torture," Rachel replied. "_I_ should be singing that song!"

As the Unitards finished their set and exited the stage, Kurt was surprised to see Rachel jump out of her chair and hurry away. He wondered if she was going to try to talk to Harmony and considered chasing after her, but Blaine's hand on his arm distracted him.

"They were good," Blaine said, "but not as good as us."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you're certainly feeling confident."

Blaine nodded.

"We're going to win."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Oh my god," Kurt gushed as they finished their set and hurried off the stage. "That was perfect."

"I told you so," Blaine teased.

"We haven't won yet!" Kurt smacked his arm.

"You were amazing," Blaine complimented as they entered the choir room.

"No, _you_ were amazing," Kurt said before he was even finished with the sentence.

"Great job, everyone!" Mr. Schu said.

"Okay, Mr. Schu," Kurt said, splitting from Blaine to go talk to their teacher, "I was wrong... there was hope for us after all!"

Blaine smiled and turned his attention to Finn.

"Gave it our all," he said, happy that he could shake Finn's hand and feel like they were _really_ a team.

"Yeah, we did," Finn said. He grinned and opened his arms for a hug.

"Yes, we did," Blaine confirmed happily as they hugged briefly, and suddenly Sam was beside them.

"Top dogs!" Sam exclaimed. "This is what I was missing!"

"Glad you're here, man," Finn said. He turned back to Blaine. "Glad we're _all_ here."

Blaine suddenly remembered that he had chosen the white blazers to stick it to Finn, and he had to suppress a laugh. That would have to stay his and Tina's little secret.

Kurt reappeared at Blaine's side. "So," he said, dropping an arm over Blaine's shoulders, "how does it feel to compete with New Directions?"

"Feels good," Blaine confirmed.

Before Kurt could say anything else, they were both momentarily distracted by Mike's dad coming through the door, and Blaine felt his face flushing a little as he remembered that he had encouraged Tina to forge Mike's signature on applications to dance schools. It didn't seem like such a good idea here in the room with the older man.

"Hey, everyone?" Finn's voice carried above the others. "Come over here..."

As Mike, Tina, and Mr. Chang left the room, the remaining members of New Directions gathered in a big circle so they could all hear what Finn had to say.

"No matter what happens, guys, that was _amazing_," Finn said. "Now let's go out there and claim our trophy!"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

They won first place.

As he and Blaine arrived at the Hummel-Hudson house that evening – Blaine's parents had granted him permission to spend the night since it was the weekend – Kurt thought that his life might _actually_ be perfect. A complete turnaround since the start of the week. He had been part of the team that beat the Gerber baby. He wasn't being severely bullied in school. He had a first place Sectionals trophy and something new for his resume.

And he had Blaine.

They were a bundle of adrenaline and joy as they reached Kurt's bedroom. Blaine actually ripped his shirt trying to get it off, but Kurt was in such a happy place that he didn't even care.

Neither of them said a single word as they kissed and undressed and kissed some more. Burt and Carole were in Washington DC until Monday apartment-hunting, Finn and Rachel had gone out for a nice meal, and Kurt wasn't sure what Sam was doing but he had dropped a heavy hint on the newest member of their household that finding something to do outside of the house for a few hours was a very good idea.

There were so many things that Kurt wanted to say as Blaine pressed him against the closed door and kissed up his neck and along his jaw line, but he couldn't remember how to speak. So, instead, he tugged at Blaine's ear until the other boy lifted his head for a proper kiss, and Kurt hoped that he could _show_ Blaine all the things he felt without using any words at all.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"_Tonight we are young. So let's set the world on fire. We can burn brighter than the sun._"

Blaine loved the casual performance on their first day back to school after their win at Sectionals. It reminded him of the Warblers, and he was finally reaching the point where thinking of Dalton meant pleasant memories and not a feeling that it was a place he needed to get back to.

But, after the song was over, there was something he felt compelled to mention to Finn that had nothing to do with New Directions or Regionals.

"Hey Finn?" he asked as most of the group crowded around the returning girls, "Can I talk to you privately for a minute?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, uh, Kurt?"

Kurt looked up from the kitchen table, where he was doing his homework to avoid accidentally falling asleep on his bed, to see Finn standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Yes?" he acknowledged.

"Um," Finn stepped into the room and sat down in the seat across from Kurt, "I just... I'm sorry."

Kurt was mildly surprised when he couldn't think of a single thing that Finn could be talking about. He shook his head, confused.

"It's not about this week or anything," Finn explained. "It's... the whole thing with Santana."

That got Kurt's attention.

"I talked to Blaine," Finn admitted. "Or, well, uh, he talked to me."

Kurt made a mental note to assess later whether or not he needed to be annoyed at Blaine for interfering with his relationship with Finn.

"I know you think I'm completely oblivious," Finn continued, "but I'm not. I saw what coming out and getting harassed about it did to you."

"It's better now," Kurt said, not sure where the conversation was going.

"But not because of me," Finn said sadly. "Blaine said that your feelings were hurt when I stuck up for Santana so strongly... but don't you get it? I'm trying not to let myself make the same mistake twice."

Since they had become step-brothers, Kurt had grown quite fond of Finn. But the swell of affection he felt as Finn admitted his concern was stronger than he was used to.

"It's okay," he managed.

"So, uh, I guess what I want you to know is that I do care about you, Kurt," Finn said awkwardly. "And I didn't realize that standing up for Santana would make you feel... less. Less... loved, or whatever."

Kurt amended his mental note to _thank_ Blaine for getting in his business with Finn.

"Thanks, Finn," Kurt said softly.

"Okay," Finn acknowledged. He stood up. "Goodnight."

As Finn left the room, Kurt snatched his phone off the table.

_Hey_, he texted Blaine, _Finn and I just had a little chat..._

_He did it!_ Blaine responded almost immediately. _I wasn't sure if he would or not._

Kurt laughed. _You're not even going to deny it?_

There was a slightly longer delay before Blaine's next response.

_Is this a test?_

_No_, Kurt replied, _this is me saying thank you for your inappropriate meddling in my relationships._

_You're welcome! :)_, Blaine replied.

Kurt shook his head in amusement. _On that note_, he sent back, _I've got to finish this homework and get some sleep or I am going to start aging prematurely. Goodnight! Love you._

_You're going to be an adorable old man_, Blaine replied. _I love you, Kurt. Goodnight!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, guys, the chapter every day thing is getting difficult to manage (I've got most of the chapters generally written, but I like to go through them again before posting them because I can usually flesh the chapters out a bit more now that I know what happened during the entire season). So I'm going to try a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule from now on. If I somehow end up getting ahead I may surprise you with a Tuesday or Thursday chapter occasionally, but Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for sure! Thanks for understanding!<strong>_

_**Up next... 'Extraordinary Merry Christmas'! (And yes, I am going to use the "box scene" from the script! Forever sad that they cut that out of the episode!)**_


	26. 3x09: Extraordinary Merry Christmas

_**This episode is basically just one big fluffy moment for Kurt and Blaine... they're in SUCH a cute place. And gosh, the box scene! For those of you who don't know... there was supposed to be a scene near the end of the episode where Blaine gives Kurt a promise ring that he made out of gum wrappers – they filmed it and everything – but it was cut out of the episode. BUT, the fandom got a copy of the script for this episode from a charity auction, and the scene was there! So, when you get to that part of this chapter/story, it's the dialogue from the official script. I suggest reading the scene from the script (theboxscene DOT tumblr DOT com/post/24029350844/the-box-scene) before you read this chapter just so you know what's official and what I made up. :) I wish they hadn't cut it – what a sweet scene! And I would've loved to see how Chris and Darren changed it around/spoke the lines and all that. Oh well, just having the script will have to suffice!**_

_**It's Christmas in June! ;) Here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"A week and one day until we're free," Artie sighed happily.

"Got any big plans for the break?" Blaine asked, leaning on the row of lockers as Artie finished grabbing the books he needed.

"If by 'big plans' you mean sleeping by day and annihilating my adversaries in Call of Duty by night," Artie said, "then yes. You?"

"_We_," Kurt suddenly appeared, nudging Blaine's shoulder in greeting, "are going to Washington DC!"

"Mr. Hummel is taking us – me, Kurt, Finn, and Rachel – the weekend after Christmas," Blaine clarified. "We'll be there to ring in the New Year!"

"Well, that certainly makes me feel less than productive," Artie commented. "But that's awesome, guys."

The door to Sue's office opened just down the hall, and the three students looked up as the coach stepped out into the hallway.

"You three!" Sue gestured at Blaine, Kurt, and Artie. "In my office, now!"

Blaine looked at Kurt. He still hadn't been at McKinley long enough to determine when Sue was being serious and when he should just ignore her.

"Let's go," Kurt mumbled as Artie wheeled down the hall and into the office.

Blaine had never been inside Sue's office before, and he looked around at all the trophies as he followed Kurt into the small room. He was curious as to why they had been summoned.

"Wheels, Porcelain, Other Gay," Sue began as Kurt and Blaine settled into chairs in front of her desk, "The Yuletide is upon us. And everyone knows that Christmas is a time for forgiveness. So, I have decided to forgive you for having no talent and ruining the American songbook one mash-up at a time. I've also forgiven you for forcing me to run in, and promptly lose, a humiliating statewide election."

Blaine alternated between watching Sue and glancing at Kurt. Why were they here?

"We... accept your forgiveness?" Artie said uncertainly.

"Now, Christmas isn't just a time when Jewish kids get slightly uncomfortable and dwarves get jobs as Santa's helpers in demeaning, non-union commercials that make them quietly die inside," Sue continued. "No, Christmas is also a time to give back. Which is why, this Friday, I am volunteering at the Lima homeless shelter. And I thought maybe you and your fellow glee clubbers might want to pitch in by giving the gift of song."

Blaine was surprised. It was a great idea.

"Coach Sylvester," Kurt said, sounding much more skeptical than Blaine felt, "I've heard you say on several occasions that you don't believe in homelessness."

"You said you consider homeless people 'urban campers'," Artie added.

Oh. Blaine didn't know what to think or do, so he just continued to listen in silence.

"Can I be honest with you Stumbles, Gelfing, Young Burt Reynolds?"

Blaine was pleasantly taken aback by her second nickname for him. She thought he looked like Burt Reynolds? He wondered briefly what he would look like with a moustache.

"I lost my sister this past year and this will be my first Christmas without her," Sue explained. "And, honestly, I'm just trying to keep myself occupied. I made plans to shoot reindeer from a helicopter with Sarah Palin, but she canceled. Apparently Todd gets fussy when she misses his ballet recitals."

Kurt glanced at Blaine, and he nodded, urging Kurt to accept her offer.

"We'd be happy to help," Kurt told the coach.

"Aw, that's fantastic!" Sue said. "And now, in the spirit of Christmas... get the hell out of my office."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey guys," Blaine greeted the band as he and Kurt walked into the choir room for glee club that afternoon.

"Wow," Kurt turned to him as they walked across the room, "look at that."

New Directions' Christmas tree was beautiful. Blaine felt incredibly content as he and Kurt found seats on the side of the room nearest to the tree. He loved the holiday season. The decorations, the music, the weather, and the way that everyone seemed to be just a bit nicer than usual.

"Okay everybody, listen up," Finn said as he and Rory came through the door, "My man Rory Flanagan here wants to say a few."

"Thanks, Finn Hudson," Rory said as he stayed at the front of the room while Finn sat down. "So guys, my mommy was gonna come visit for the holidays, but plane tickets are expensive, so... it's my first Christmas without any family. I'd like to cheer myself up by dedicating this song to them. And to the king."

"Jesus?" Kurt asked skeptically.

Blaine nudged Kurt's shoulder. "No," he mouthed.

"_I'll have a blue Christmas without you..._"

As Rory sang, Blaine sang background vocals with some of the other students and enjoyed teasing Kurt by acting as enthusiastic as possible without drawing attention to himself.

"Gosh," Santana said when Rory finished, "that song was so depressing. I may actually be dead right now."

"I–" Rachel countered, "I think what Santana means is, although that was mournfully beautiful, now that the whole glee club is back together I think that we should focus on the more joyous and the pageant aspect of this holiday season."

"Rachel's right," Tina said. "Last Christmas was super sad. Kurt was at another school, Coach Sylvester trashed everything, and Artie got a pair of magic legs that broke the next day. We were the island of misfit toys. This year is gonna be –"

"This year's a whole new sprig of mistletoe!" Mr. Schu exclaimed as he walked through the door. "Guess who's not getting coal in their stockings for once? Us."

He tapped Rory on the back. "Rory, have a seat. I just got off the phone with Don Barowski, the local station manager at Lima's PBS affiliate. Turns out that their annual broadcast of the Yule log burning has been canceled."

"The hell?" Puck exclaimed.

"Yeah," Mr. Schu confirmed. "they can't afford the licensing fees anymore. But thank you Scrooges who own that copyright because Don came to Sectionals. He loved what we did, and he's offering us –"

"A Christmas special featuring all of us?" Rachel interrupted frantically. "Okay, please say you said yes!"

"Not only did I say yes," Mr. Schu confirmed, "but when Don said that they were looking for a director for the special, I nominated you, Artie."

"Me?" Artie asked.

"Yeah," Mr. Schu replied. "He saw West Side Story, loved your work, and he wants to take your meeting."

"But I– I swore I would never sell out and do television," Artie responded. "I'm really going to have to think about this Mr. Schu."

Everyone exchanged confused glances, and after a moment of silence Mr. Schu seemed to remember that they were gathered for glee practice.

"So!" he said briskly, "To get into the holiday spirit... does anyone have a holiday song they'd like to share with the group?"

"Mr. Schu," Rachel's hand flew up, "Finn and I would love to sing the classic _Baby, It's C_ –"

"No!" Kurt said sharply, turning a quick glare in her direction. "_No_..." he looked frantically at Blaine.

Blaine turned toward Rachel and shook his head. She made a little noise of unhappiness, but didn't press the issue.

"As I am directing this holiday special," Artie announced suddenly, "and will therefore be otherwise occupied while the cameras are rolling, perhaps I should take this opportunity to exercise my vocal abilities."

"Perfect!" Kurt exclaimed. Blaine reached out and put his hand on Kurt's knee, similarly relieved.

"Oh, and also?" Artie added as he rolled to the front of the room. "While I have not yet determined the exact parameters for the special, please consider all songs performed from now on as auditions."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"... and also, the whole thing will be in black and white."

Kurt flailed his arms briefly in approval, and Blaine tried unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh at his expense.

"That sounds wonderfully artistic," Rachel said primly from the stage, "but can we get to the matter at hand, please?"

Artie nodded reluctantly. "Okay, Rachel," he said. "Let's hear it."

"_It's coming on Christmas. They're cutting down trees. They're putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace. Well, I wish I had a river I could skate away on..._"

As Rachel sang, Kurt daydreamed about future Christmases with Blaine and reminisced about _last_ Christmas. When he had been hopelessly smitten but still just friends with the other boy.

"I thought Rachel wanted to focus on the happier aspects of Christmas," Blaine leaned over and whispered in Kurt's ear.

"Rachel is prone to saying one thing and then doing another," Kurt replied. "It's a curse."

As the song came to an end, the group applauded politely. "Rachel, could you come see me?" Artie asked.

"Yes, Artie, of course," Rachel said, moving to descend the stairs off the stage, "And if this is about my ears... I know that they're a little naked right now, but that's just because I'm waiting for something special. Something that's really gonna sparkle and, you know, to catch the light, so... what's up?"

"It's not about your ears," Artie explained. "It's about your song. It makes me want to kill myself."

"I'm sorry, Joni Mitchell is not depressing," Rachel argued. "She's emotional."

"It doesn't fit my vision for our Christmas spectacular," Artie explained.

"And what is that, exactly?" Rachel said sharply.

"We begin," Artie started dramatically, "in the Swiss Alps, in the village of Gstaad, in the perfectly-appointed living room of Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson's chic, swank chalet."

Kurt turned to look at Blaine as the other boy nudged his shoulder excitedly. This was a surprise. Artie wanted to use _their_ house together as the setting for the special?

"The tree, towering and opulent," Artie continued his vision, "The fireplace draped in garlands. The stockings, bejeweled. Kurt and Blaine, the perfect hosts, have invited their friends to drop in for an evening of Noël Coward-esque banter and fun, happy, cheer-filled songs."

Kurt approved, and he could see that Blaine did too.

"Are you telling me I'm not invited to Kurt and Blaine's for Christmas?" Rachel whined.

"Not unless you pick a happier song," Artie confirmed.

"The evening's festivities conclude with Rory," Artie said, "dressed as the Christmas elf Itchy, reciting Frosty the Snowman. Start with fun, end with fun. That's how you do it, kids."

"The Frosty story isn't fun," Sam argued. "At the end he melts and dies."

"I'm rebooting Frosty," Artie said. "In my version, he doesn't melt. He... well, new pages forthcoming."

Sam stood up. "What's wrong with a story that's a little sad, or a song that's a little depressing?" he asked. "I mean, that's part of Christmas too, right? It's the sad things that make you remember what's really important."

"Sorry Sam," Artie said, "but the phrase is 'merry Christmas' not "morose Christmas'. _That's_ the vision. That's what you have to buy into."

"Well, sorry Artie," Sam said briskly, "I'm not buying into it. I'm gonna go downtown; see if I can ring one of those Salvation Army bells. Come on, Rory, I'll give you a ride."

"I should memorize my part, Sam," Rory said apologetically.

Sam turned and left the auditorium without another word.

"Okay, then," Artie said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "We have one more day for song ideas, so bring your best to glee club tomorrow! Okay? Okay..."

"Blaine!" Rachel rushed over to where Blaine and Kurt were sitting. "Kurt! I need your help."

"Who says we want to help you?" Kurt deadpanned. But as Rachel's face scrunched up with worry and confusion, he rolled his eyes. "_What_, Rachel?"

"We need to think of a song for me to sing for the special!" Rachel wailed. "I can't just sing _nothing_ because Artie does not appreciate the drama of a good ballad!"

"Maybe," Blaine suggested, "we could try writing our own song?"

"_Yes_," Rachel dropped to her knees beside Blaine's chair on the end of the row and put her hands on his arm. "And that way we wouldn't even have to worry about copyright!"

Kurt frowned. "You two are magically going to write a song by tomorrow afternoon?"

"Is that doubt I detect in your voice?" Blaine teased, turning to look at him.

"I want no part in this," Kurt confirmed.

"You can come with me, then," Tina chimed in from the next row. "Artie put me in charge of sets and costumes, and if it's supposed to be your chalet..."

"I'm in!" Kurt said, jumping up and pulling Blaine to his feet so he wouldn't have to climb over the other boy to get out of the row of seats.

When he reached the aisle and turned around to speak to Blaine again, Rachel was already dragging him away.

"Bye!" Blaine called, and he blew a dramatic kiss as Rachel pulled him out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"_Underneath the mistletoe, hold me tight and kiss me slow..._"

Kurt had to admit, the song Blaine and Rachel wrote overnight wasn't terrible. It was catchy and cheesy and everything that Artie wanted the Christmas special to be.

"I bow to you," Artie gushed when the song was over. "Gold, gold! That's what I'm talking about! I see Cheerios behind you, kind of a dancing Santa thing..."

"Well, just as long as they don't upstage us," Rachel said.

"Yeah, as long as they don't upstage us," Blaine echoed.

As Blaine moved to sit down, Kurt nudged him with his foot and gave him a thumbs-up. Blaine smiled and winked in return.

Sue came into the choir room then, interrupting whatever Artie was going to say next. As soon as he saw her, Kurt knew why she had come. In their excitement about the special, they had completely forgotten about the homeless shelter on Friday. And now they were scheduled to film the show that evening instead.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I can't believe Artie trusts you enough to let you choreograph this without his input," Mercedes said as Blaine silently danced his way around the set, practicing the routine he had planned out for his duet with Kurt.

"I used to choreograph for the Warblers all the time," Blaine reminded her.

Mercedes just shook her head as she watched him, and he took the moment of silence as an opportunity to pause and examine the set.

"_I_ can't believe we're allowed to be on this set all alone!" Blaine said excitedly as he twirled around and fell onto one of the couches. "This is magical."

Mercedes laughed. "Having fantasies of your future with Kurt?"

"Yes," Blaine sighed happily.

"What about me?" Kurt's asked as he and Rachel arrived with the music that they had accidentally left at school earlier in the afternoon.

"Just telling Mercedes how much I love you," Blaine said sweetly. Kurt walked over to sit in his lap, and Blaine grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles.

"Wow, guys," Mercedes said. "it's a shame you don't like each other very much."

Kurt turned to glare at her, but he couldn't hold the stern expression for long and it morphed into a huge smile.

As Blaine watched Kurt smiling at Mercedes, he had a moment.

He imagined for a second that this was their _real_ house together, and with that fantasy came a flood of possible futures and images that made his heart pound with the excitement of the possibility of a _real_ future with Kurt.

He felt like he was standing outside of his body watching the scene as Kurt turned back to look at him, the remnants of his smile to Mercedes still on his face.

"I –" Blaine tried to speak, tried to explain to Kurt everything that he felt, but he couldn't think of words to express how much he wanted to spend every moment for the rest of his life with the other boy.

He could tell that Kurt saw at least _some_ of the affection on his face, because Kurt reached out to brush his hand across Blaine's cheek. Blaine let his eyes flutter closed at the soft touch.

Rachel was saying something as she plugged her iPod into the small stereo they had brought with them, but Blaine didn't hear her through the roar of feelings thundering around in his mind.

"... Blaine? Kurt? _Blaine!_"

"What?" he finally managed, blinking a few times to re-focus his attention.

"You two go first," Rachel repeated.

"Shall we?" Kurt asked ceremoniously, standing up and pulling Blaine off the couch with him.

The reminder that they were going to get to sing and dance together _on television_ snapped Blaine back to the present. They had chosen a song that was similar in theme to their private duet the year before, but one that was upbeat enough to fit Artie's "fun" requirement...

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"_Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow let it snow..._"

It was their first time putting the song and the choreography together, so it was a mess, but Kurt was having so much fun that he didn't really care. They twirled and danced around the room, singing and flirting and completely forgetting that Rachel and Mercedes were there at all.

But the two girls were watching closely, and they burst into squeals of delight and rapid applause as soon as the song ended.

Kurt bowed dramatically and Blaine blew kisses at the pair.

After Kurt and Blaine ran through a few sections of the song again to make sure they had the choreography memorized, they did the entire song once more. The second time was even more fun for Kurt, because he didn't have to concentrate quite as hard. As such, he could pay more attention to _Blaine_. The way Blaine moved. The way Blaine touched him at every opportunity and how Blaine looked at him as they sang. Kurt was surprised that he remembered how to sing at all as memories of singing with Blaine last Christmas melded with the present and he felt giddy with affection for the other boy.

When they finished for the second time, Kurt didn't feel fully in control of his body as he closed the small gap between them and pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's lips.

"That," he breathed, "is on behalf of my former self, who wanted to kiss you last Christmas but couldn't."

Blaine laughed and kissed him a few more times until Rachel broke them up.

"Okay!" she said loudly, "no time for that! We're here to rehearse!"

Kurt reluctantly released Blaine and allowed himself to become engrossed in the theatricality of their rendition of _My Favorite Things_.

They were supposed to finish before midnight, but they danced and sang and laughed around the set together until two o'clock in the morning.

"I've _missed_ you guys," Mercedes said as they finally gathered their things to leave. "This was so fun."

Kurt looked at the three of them. Blaine, Rachel, and Mercedes. They were his closest friends.

"Tomorrow is going to be wonderful," he sighed.

The other three all turned to look at him before glancing at each other with huge smiles on their faces.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"You may pretend to be a Grinch," Rachel teased, "but inside you're just as sappy and delighted as your boyfriend." She nodded in Blaine's direction.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "I most certainly am not."

"You are," Blaine pressed, stepping forward with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Admit it."

Kurt backed away a little. "Nobody loves this," he motioned around the room, "as much as you."

"Then at least say you like it," Blaine said, starting him down, "Say 'I like the holidays'."

Kurt shook his head, but he could feel his face betraying him with a smile.

"You know," Mercedes said, "since this is your house I think we're just gonna go. See you tomorrow!"

"But –" Rachel's protest was cut off as Mercedes grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

Kurt and Blaine stood still for a moment, staring at each other, and Kurt wasn't sure how much time had elapsed by the time Blaine spoke again with a playful glint in his eyes.

"What do you think they'd do if we –?"

"Blaine!" Kurt squeaked, waving his hands to stop Blaine from finishing the sentence. "There are probably cameras!"

Blaine tipped his head in defeat. "True," he allowed.

Kurt looked around at the set.

"This is supposed to be _our_ house," he marveled.

"It certainly has your touch," Blaine said, glancing around and the decorations Tina and Kurt had chosen.

"You love my touch," Kurt teased, stepping forward to wrap his arms around Blaine's neck.

"Mmm," Blaine hummed in agreement. "I love everything about you, Kurt."

"I love the holidays," Kurt admitted with a smile.

Blaine smiled and pulled away to grab Kurt's hand and lead him over to grab their things. Kurt groaned in protest as Blaine's hand reached for the door, anticipating the cold blast of nighttime air that would greet them, but Blaine paused.

Before Kurt's mind could finish thinking about the frigid night that awaited them, Blaine reached out with his free hand and grabbed Kurt around the waist to pull him close and crush their lips together.

"Oh!" Kurt gasped in surprise when Blaine released him.

"Mistletoe," Blaine winked, jerking his head upward. Kurt glanced up and saw the little branch attached to the door frame.

Blaine leaned forward and kissed him again, slower and gentler, before he shoved the door open and they were forced to run across the parking lot to their respective cars to escape the frigid air.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The holiday special was a huge success.

"I can't believe they cut us off before the finale, though," Artie whined as they rode to the homeless shelter.

"Well," Finn said, clasping Artie on the shoulder, "at least this way we get to share the love."

"Awwwww," Rachel cooed, clutching his arm.

They arrived at the shelter in plenty of time to join the festivities, and Kurt was a little surprised at how much he enjoyed hanging out with the children and their parents. New Directions sang a few songs for the crowd, and Kurt was having an intense discussion about the proper way to wear a scarf with a second-grader when he noticed Blaine across the room and was suddenly completely distracted.

Blaine was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, reading a book to a little girl. She was snuggled into Blaine's chest with her thumb in her mouth, and Kurt forgot that there was anything else in the world except Blaine and that little girl as he watched Blaine reading and occasionally tipping his head down to see if the little girl was still awake.

"Is that your brother?" one of the children at his table asked, following his gaze to Blaine.

Kurt hesitated, glancing at the two adults at the table. He saw nothing but casual curiosity in their eyes, but he decided to be vague.

"No," he said, tearing his eyes away from Blaine to focus on the boy who had asked the question, "he's my best friend."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

On the last day of classes before winter break, Blaine arrived early and found Kurt at his locker. The other boy looked less-than-enthusiastic, despite the festive decorations and the impending freedom of Christmas break.

"Kurt, smile!" Blaine said as he walked up to lean on the wall beside Kurt's locker. "Christmas break is only _hours _away!"

Kurt sighed. "I know. And I feel really good about the special and what we did at the shelter. It's just... the holidays always make me a little melancholy."

"Really?" Blaine teased. "So it's not because the Liz Taylor jewelry auction ended at midnight last night..."

"...and I was outbid on _everything_?" Kurt finished with a little pout.

Blaine smiled. "Kurt, those things sold for, like, millions of dollars. I mean, how were you supposed to afford –"

"The Edith Head ivory disc necklace?" Kurt specified.

_"__Any_of that stuff?" Blaine corrected. "Granted, no one can figure out how you pay for your outfits..." he raked his eyes down Kurt's ensemble.

"I have an amazing eye for bargains," Kurt replied lightly. "And I'm a member of the online site Rue La La."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Blaine smiled at him, and Kurt sighed in defeat.

"I know," he admitted, "it was auction porn. Just a fantasy. But it was so hot!"

They both laughed.

"I think this year we should be thankful for what we have," Blaine said gently, "not what we don't have. Which is why..."

He produced a little box and held it out for Kurt to take it out of his hand.

"I know we've taken things to a new level recently," Blaine explained, "so..."

As Kurt stared down at the little box in his hands, every fantasy he had ever had about his future with Blaine rushed to the front of his mind.

"If this is an engagement ring, _yes_!" he gushed. "What's better than Christmas in New York? Eloping and getting married _in_ Central Park, _on_ Christmas!"

Blaine looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to roll his eyes or pin Kurt against the wall and kiss him until he couldn't breathe.

"Just– open the box, Kurt," he said.

Kurt tipped open the hinged lid to reveal a colorful little ring.

"It's a promise ring," Blaine explained sweetly. "I made it out of gum-wrappers. Juicy Fruit."

"My favorite Wrigley's," Kurt commented. "And..."

He was only a little surprised to feel extra moisture in his eyes as he examined the ring more closely.

"...is that a little bow-tie?" he looked up at Blaine and decided that this was better than any of his fantasies.

"But what are you promising?" he asked softly.

"To always love you," Blaine replied. "To defend you even if I know you're wrong. To surprise you. To always pick up your call no matter what I'm doing. To bake you cookies at least twice a year and to kiss you whenever, and wherever, you want."

Kurt felt like his brain was simultaneously short-circuiting and hyper-aware of everything as Blaine reached out and put his hand on Kurt's upper arm.

"Mostly," Blaine finished, "to make sure that you always remember how perfectly imperfect you are."

Kurt mentally high-fived his former self, who was jumping up and down in Kurt's mind with unabashed joy, and he pulled the ring out of the box.

"I know it's not something Elizabeth Taylor would've worn..." Blaine trailed off.

"I love it," Kurt admitted. It was suddenly his most precious possession, and he was already trying to figure out how he could keep it from ripping or unfolding. He looked up to meet Blaine's gaze. "I love _you_."

"Merry Christmas, Kurt," Blaine smiled. "Our first Christmas together."

"First of many," Kurt amended.

He slipped the ring onto his finger, and reminded himself that this was really his life.

"May I confess something?" Kurt asked as they turned to walk down the hall and he studied the ring on his finger.

"Certainly," Blaine replied.

"The first time I ever voiced my love for you was almost exactly a year ago," Kurt admitted.

"What?" Blaine asked, turning his head to look at Kurt. "No way, I'd remember."

"Not to _you_," Kurt teased. "I told Mr. Schu. After we practiced _Baby It's Cold Outside_."

"You did not," Blaine said.

"I did," Kurt confirmed. "'_But, on the upside, I'm in love with him and he's actually gay_'," he did his best impression of himself from a year earlier.

Blaine laughed, but Kurt could see that he was touched.

"Um, also," Kurt felt himself blushing, "what I said about getting married..."

Blaine's smile was so wide that Kurt forgot what he was saying for a moment.

"I know," Blaine said. "I'm not interested in getting married so young, either. That's why it's a promise ring, not an engagement ring."

"Do boys give each other engagement rings?" Kurt mused. He had never really thought about it.

"What happened to 'fashion knows no gender'?" Blaine teased.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. He glanced at Blaine. "My brain's a little overloaded."

The bell rang as they reached the end of the hallway where they had to separate to go to their respective classes, and Kurt turned to hug Blaine tightly.

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine mumbled into his shoulder.

"I promise to love you forever," Kurt replied, digging his fingers into Blaine's sweater and trying to absorb every detail of this moment so he could remember it for the rest of his life.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"_Word on the street you got something to show me. Magical, colorful, Mr. Mystery. I'm intrigued for a peek, heard it's fascinating..._"

Kurt resisted the urge to take his eyes off the road to watch his friends as Blaine, in the passenger's seat beside him, and Rachel, in the back seat, sang and danced along to Blaine's Katy Perry playlist. Finn had decided to ride with Burt and Carole rather than endure nine hours of Katy Perry and show tunes, so Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel had unleashed their favorite playlists as they drove to Washington DC.

"Are you sure you don't want a break from driving?" Blaine asked for what Kurt thought might be the millionth time as the song ended.

"I'm sure," Kurt confirmed. He glanced at Blaine briefly before refocusing on the road. "And anyway, I'm enjoying this little concert way too much to allow you to stop."

It was starting to get dark, and after a few more songs Kurt realized that Rachel was no longer singing along. A glance at her in the rearview mirror provided the reason; she was sound asleep.

"Turn that down a little," he said to Blaine. "Rachel's asleep."

Blaine turned the volume down a bit, but not so much that their talking would wake her.

"I can't believe we're going to Washington DC," Blaine said quietly. "I've never been before."

"Me neither," Kurt reminded him.

The playlist began a new song, and Kurt and Blaine both fell silent at the familiar opening notes.

"_You think I'm pretty without any makeup on..._"

Blaine sang along, and the sound of his voice singing the song that had started everything between them made Kurt's stomach flip with nostalgia.

When it was over and the next song started to play, Kurt glanced briefly at Blaine.

"I know," Blaine said quietly, and Kurt could see a whirlwind of emotions in his amber eyes. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hold _still_, Kurt!" Rachel scolded. "I can't do this with you squirming all over the room!"

"I can do it myself..." Kurt replied smoothly.

Rachel ignored him and as he tried to settle down to let her finish styling his hair, someone knocked on the door.

"We're not ready yet!" Rachel called.

"It's me," Burt said, pushing the door open and slipping into the room.

They were staying in the little apartment that Burt and Carole were renting so that they had a home in the city while Burt served in Congress. There were only two bedrooms, so Burt and Carole had decided that Finn and Blaine would sleep on air mattresses in the living room while Kurt and Rachel would sleep in the double bed in the spare bedroom.

"I don't want Blaine seeing me yet, Dad," Kurt reminded him.

Burt laughed. "Gettin' married or something?"

"_No_," Kurt said. "Am I not allowed to look nice for a fancy dinner with my boyfriend?"

"I'm teasing you, Kurt," Burt said, clasping a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "You look very handsome."

"Done!" Rachel said excitedly. "Here, just..." she put a hand over Kurt's eyes and gave his hair one more dusting of hairspray before stepping back to admire her work.

"You look like a movie star," she gushed.

"Oh, _please_," Kurt scolded, but he was pleased with the assessment.

"Have fun tonight, Kurt," Burt said as he left the room. "And remember, if you're going to be back after two o'clock I want to know."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt said, waving to his father as he exited the room.

After Blaine had given him the handmade promise ring, Kurt had decided that he wanted to _do_ something for Blaine for Christmas rather then _get_ him something. They hadn't seen each other _on_ Christmas – Blaine and his parents had gone to visit Blaine's grandparents for the few days surrounding the holiday – so Kurt had enlisted his father's help in finding the best fancy restaurant in Washington DC and had managed to secure a reservation. On the last night of the year.

Blaine had no idea. He thought they were preparing to attend a New Year's Eve party with the other Ohio Representatives and their families, and that Kurt had just "accidentally" forgotten his Christmas present at home in Ohio.

As Rachel made sure every detail of Kurt's outfit was perfect, her phone buzzed on the dresser.

"They're ready," she confirmed as she glanced at the screen. "They're out on the sidewalk."

Kurt had enlisted Finn to help him surprise Blaine – it had been his job to get dressed up too so Blaine wouldn't be suspicious, and then to lead him outside to wait for Kurt.

Kurt suddenly felt a rush of nervousness. _He_ was going to love this, but Blaine? Maybe Blaine would've preferred something more casual...

"Blaine is going to _die_," Rachel said with a knowing look. "Now hurry up, he's waiting!"

Finn passed them on their way down the stairs. "He thinks I'm getting my wallet," he explained. "He's all yours."

"Have fun!" Rachel kissed Kurt on the cheek as they reached the door. "See you next year!"

"Thanks, Rachel," he hugged her, and she rushed away up the stairs after Finn. Probably to spy on him and Blaine from the upstairs window, Kurt thought.

Blaine turned around to look up at the door as Kurt emerged, and Kurt's heart fluttered wildly when Blaine's face lit up as he saw that it was Kurt at the top of the small brick staircase.

"You look _incredible_," Blaine complimented formally as Kurt rushed down the stairs to where Blaine was standing.

"Thanks," Kurt bounced on the balls of his feet for a moment, trying to release some of his energy. "You too."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"That was..." Blaine didn't know how to explain how much he had enjoyed dinner with Kurt as they sat on the crowded steps of the Jefferson Memorial waiting for the fireworks that would signify the New Year.

"You liked it?" Kurt smiled.

"Are you kidding?" Blaine laughed. "I've never even been inside a restaurant that nice."

"Not even with your snobby private schoolboy friends?" Kurt teased.

"Never," Blaine confirmed, and Kurt looked very pleased with himself.

"Plus," Blaine added, elbowing Kurt's ribs, "the company tonight was divine."

Kurt sighed happily and scooted down so that he could rest his head on Blaine's shoulder. Blaine reached out to play with the gum wrapper ring on Kurt's finger.

"I'm going to have to find a safe place for that," Kurt commented. "So it doesn't fall apart."

Blaine hummed in agreement. "One day I'll replace it with something sturdier," he said softly.

"One day," Kurt agreed, and Blaine loved the open-ended nature of the idea. They didn't need to rush. Things were perfect just like this.

"Hey," Kurt said, sitting up and producing his phone, "we need one final photograph of us this year, I think."

Blaine leaned in and pressed his cheek to Kurt's and Kurt took a self-portrait of them.

"The year we fell in love," Blaine said, turning his head to kiss Kurt's cheek.

The crowd suddenly murmured approvingly, and Blaine realized they had lost all track of the time as the fireworks began.

He reached out and turned Kurt's face, flushed pink from the cold, so he could kiss him properly.

"Happy New Year," Kurt smiled at him when he pulled away.

Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist and pulled him as close as possible so they could snuggle together to watch the fireworks.

"Happy New Year, Kurt."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, I've never been in Washington DC to celebrate a new year, but I HAVE been there for the 4<strong>__**th**__** of July (and we sat on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial to watch the fireworks)... so, assuming they do at least generally the same fireworks to celebrate a new year, Kurt and Blaine had a good spot!**_

_**And of COURSE they'd be allowed on the holiday special set all night without any supervision... it's Glee! ;)**_

_**Up next (on Monday!)... 'Yes/No'!**_


	27. 3x10: YesNo

_**This is a SUPER short one, guys! Blaine doesn't have a single line in this episode, and Kurt's stuff is just part of Rachel and Finn's storyline... and I'm itching to focus on 'Michael' for Wednesday!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"...and Blaine's off helping Artie with his idea for Mr. Schu's proposal, so we know they're on top of things," Kurt explained, flopping over onto his back on Rachel's bed. "We've got to think of something!"

"Something romantic," Sugar decided.

"And sentimental," Rachel added.

"It's got to be something that makes Ms. Pillsbury think about how much she loves him," Tina said. "Something nostalgic."

Kurt scrambled into a sitting position. "What about _Can't Help Falling In Love_? That fits, right? He was married when they first met, after all. But they fell in love anyway."

"Perfect," Rachel sighed. "Just perfect."

"Yeah," Santana said sarcastically. "Because what every girl wants to remember as her man proposes is the first wife."

Kurt groaned unhappily, but acquiesced.

"_Because You Loved Me_?" Tina suggested.

"Incredibly romantic, but too generic," Kurt disapproved.

"What about _The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face_?" Mercedes said.

The silence in the room was their answer.

"I'll never forget the first time I saw Finn," Rachel said softly. "Walking down the hall with some of his teammates... he looked so _handsome_. He didn't even notice me, but I'll never forget that moment."

"There's a romantic first encounter," Santana said. "'He blew me off but wow he was sexy!'."

"Shut _up_, Santana," Mercedes scolded.

"What about you, Kurt?" Tina asked. "I don't think I know the actual story of how you met Blaine."

The other girls voiced their approval, and they gathered around Kurt on the bed to hear the story.

"I went to spy on the Warblers while we were planning our 'boys versus girls' competition last year," Kurt reminded them.

"It was _fate_," Rachel said dreamily.

Kurt didn't believe in fate, but he didn't disagree.

"I hadn't even thought about the fact that they'd all be wearing uniforms," Kurt remembered. "So I stood out."

"He picked you out of the crowd?" Santana interrupted. "God, of course he did. I swear he probably felt your presence from across the school."

Kurt shook his head. "No," he corrected, "I got swept up in a crowd, so I stopped him on the stairs to ask what was going on."

"What _happened_, though?" Sugar pressed.

"He led me straight into Warbler practice," Kurt remembered. "And they sang. _He_ sang."

"Did you _know_?" Tina asked.

"Did I know I had just accidentally met the love of my life?" Kurt laughed, and he felt a flutter of excitement and nervous energy in his chest as he remembered the moment. "No. But there were sparks, yes."

"And he held your hand!" Rachel bounced on the bed.

Kurt met the chorus of surprised voices with a wave of his hand. "_No_," he said. "Or, well, kind of... he just grabbed my hand to lead me down the hall. He wasn't _holding my hand_, exactly."

"Still," Tina said, "wow."

Sugar pretended to faint.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, remembering how lost and nervous and _excited_ he had been that day. "I don't know what my life would've been if I hadn't met Blaine that day."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"No wonder none of my dreams ever work out," Finn whined. "'Cause I've got loser DNA."

"Well, if you're throwing a pity party, I want in," Kurt said. "I have as much of a chance of getting into NYADA as I do playing Stanley in _Street Car_."

"Yeah, well the letters came out from NYADA today saying who are finalists," Rachel added, "and I have been trolling the NYADA chat rooms and people are already talking about getting those letters."

Finn was momentarily distracted from his own problems as he turned to look at her. "You didn't get one?"

"No, and I'm not going to because Figgins put an addendum to my application talking about my suspension," Rachel said.

Kurt thought about the fact that she had been suspended trying to help _him_, and it just made things seem worse.

"Screw this, I'm getting a whole cheesecake," he said, snapping his fingers to grab their waiter's attention.

"The future used to be such a... abstract idea," he mused. "I mean, the dream was enough, you know? And now the future has the nerve to show up and it's expecting us to do something and it's not interested in giving a lending hand."

"I'm actually kinda scared," Rachel admitted. "I thought the world would care more."

"Make that two cheesecakes," Kurt amended.

"I actually thought we were all gonna get out of here, you know?" Finn spoke up. "Why did she have to tell me that?"

Kurt knew that, with time, Finn would be able to see that Carole had only been trying to protect her son's pride in his father. But Kurt knew that this sudden bombshell was almost impossible to process after eighteen years of believing the lie. He wondered if there was anything about his own mother that would shock him.

"And why can't I have something in my life that's... special?" Finn added. "That means something?"

Kurt immediately looked at Rachel. As Finn continued speaking, Kurt could tell that his words had bothered her. _Rachel_ was something special.

It made Kurt think about his own pity party. Sure, his chances of getting into NYADA were slim with his meager resume. But he had plenty of special things in his life. He had his father, who was everything Kurt could ever have asked for in a parent. He had Carole and Finn; his new family. He had Rachel as a best friend.

And he had Blaine.

What he had with Blaine didn't require anything from the outside world. They didn't need permission or validation. They just needed each other, and none of the other things that life held in store for them individually mattered as much as their relationship.

It helped put everything into perspective as Kurt thought about what might, or might not, happen to him after graduation. He still wanted to attend NYADA with every fiber of his being. But, as he imagined Blaine sitting next to him telling him not to worry so much, he decided that he would be able to handle it if he wasn't accepted. As long as Blaine was in his corner, his life was special. _They_ were special together.

"... Kurt? Kurt?"

"What?" Kurt asked, realizing that he had completely lost touch with the conversation. Their waitress was standing beside the table, and he remembered that he had planned to order a cheesecake.

"Uh, no, never mind," he shook his head.

"You okay, dude?" Finn asked as the waitress walked away.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hello?" Blaine answered his phone, happy for a distraction from his homework.

"Hey," Kurt said. "Sorry to call so late."

Blaine smiled at how sleepy Kurt's voice sounded. It was nearly midnight.

"It's okay," Blaine reassured him. "I'm still trying to finish my homework, so this is a beautiful distraction."

"I'm a terrible influence," Kurt whined.

"Where are you?" Blaine asked.

"Lying in bed," Kurt replied. "I figured you could just ignore me if you were sleeping already."

Blaine thought of his promise to Kurt before Christmas. _To always pick up your call no matter what I'm doing._ He didn't want to sleep if he could be talking to Kurt instead.

"How was dinner?" Blaine asked. Kurt had texted him an invitation earlier in the evening, but Blaine had already been hard at work at the homework he had mostly neglected over the weekend and had decided to decline.

"Okay," Kurt said. "Finn's pretty upset about his dad."

"I bet," Blaine acknowledged.

Kurt was silent.

"Did you have any cheesecake?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt replied. "Not tonight."

There was something in Kurt's voice that made Blaine wonder what had happened.

"You okay?" he asked, trying to sound both casual and concerned.

"I missed you tonight," Kurt admitted. "We could've used your indestructible optimism."

"Glad to know I'm good for something," Blaine teased.

"You're just _good_," Kurt said. "Everything about you is good. I love you. I just... I wanted to tell you."

Blaine smiled. "Thanks, Kurt," he responded. "I love you, too. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," agreed. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt felt unusually calm and satisfied as he watched Rachel sing to Finn the following day during glee practice.

"_I won't run, I won't fly. I will never make it by without you."_

He smiled as Blaine leaned over and kissed his cheek. With Blaine there was never any pressure. It never felt like their relationship was a struggle. Kurt felt comfortable loving Blaine so profoundly because he knew that Blaine loved him just as much in return.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I'm excited about Mr. Schu finally proposing to Ms. Pillsbury tomorrow," Blaine admitted. "It's sweet."

Kurt nodded, shifting on Blaine's bed so Blaine could rest his head on Kurt's chest. "So romantic."

"And the water..." Blaine traced gentle circles on the fabric of Kurt's shirt. "It's perfect."

Kurt tugged on Blaine's ear – it had become a thing because Kurt didn't usually want to put his hands in Blaine's gelled hair – so Blaine would lift his head for a kiss.

"I found a place for your ring," Kurt told him as Blaine scooted up the bed so they could kiss again.

"Yeah?" Blaine said happily, pausing for a moment to listen properly.

Kurt smiled. "I found a little glass container with a fancy lid... to keep it safe while allowing me to see it every day and think of you."

To Kurt's surprise, Blaine's eyes were suddenly shiny with tears.

"Will you take it to New York?" Blaine asked quietly.

"_Of course_ I'm going to take it to New York," Kurt reassured him. "If I can't take _you_, I want to take everything I can find that reminds me of you."

Blaine smiled, and Kurt kissed him again.

"We've got many months of _this_ ahead of us before we have to think about that," he whispered as Blaine nuzzled his nose against Kurt's cheek.

Blaine sighed heavily, but didn't reply as he casually unbuttoned Kurt's vest with one hand.

When Blaine's eyes flashed back up to his for a moment to ask silent permission to undress him further, Kurt nodded.

"Hey," he said as Blaine pulled him up off the bed slightly to tug his shirt off, "look at me. Blaine..."

Blaine paused to look at him, and Kurt saw a hint of sadness in his eyes that he tried to forget as soon as he noticed it.

"I'm here _now_," he said.

Blaine nodded. "Me too," he said.

"Yeah?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed, and the sadness in his eyes was replaced with desire as his eyes flickered down to Kurt's bare chest. "Yeah," he repeated with more conviction.

"Okay," Kurt smiled, and he was relieved to hear Blaine laughing as Kurt pulled him back down onto the bed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That look that Kurt gives Rachel when Finn wonders why he can't have anything special... gosh. And when Kurt and Blaine look at each other during Without You. BE MORE IN LOVE, OKAY?<strong>_

_**But I think this is probably about the time when Blaine first started to really think about Kurt leaving. They're back from Christmas break, so it's the countdown to the end of the school year. And with all the engagements/marriages going on (Bieste elopes, Will & Emma get engaged, Finn proposes to Rachel even though Blaine doesn't know about that yet), it makes sense that he would be thinking a lot about his future with Kurt...**_

_**Up next... 'Michael'!**_


	28. 3x11: Michael

_**Wow, this is an **_**amazing**_** episode. One of my favorites of the season, for sure. And lots and lots of stuff with Blaine and Kurt! Which, for our purposes here, is really the most important thing.**_

_**A quick heads-up before we start. In my mind, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is a fantasy of Blaine's, so it won't be included as an actual performance in this chapter... but hey, that explains Kurt in the leather jumpsuit, right? ;) Oh, Blaine.**_

_**Aaaand, finally, I am absolutely not a doctor, so I tried to gloss over the details of what exactly is wrong with Blaine's eye. Just pretend that it makes sense, okay? Thanks.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Admit it, wonder twins," Santana said to Kurt and Blaine as they walked down the stairs after school, "the only reason why the New Directions beat the Troubletones at Sectionals is because that pervy clown judge was freakin' high as a kite."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"_And_ we did Michael Jackson," Kurt added. "You guys didn't. But that was, like, weeks ago. Why are you still obsessing?"

_Thank you, Kurt_, Blaine thought.

"One word, Kurt," Mercedes explained. "Michael."

"Guys, fear not," Blaine said. "The world tour of the Cirque de Soleil tribute show, Immortal, to Michael Jackson is coming to Columbus in June. We should all go!"

He stopped walking and turned to face the group.

"You don't get it," Mercedes said, pointing a teasing finger into Blaine's chest. "I don't want to _see_ the spectacle that is Michael. I want to _be_ the spectacle."

"Hey guys, everything okay?" Mr. Schu asked as he passed by.

"Look," Mercedes explained. "We love being back in New Directions, but we hate that we missed our one chance this year to do Michael."

"Yeah, I get it," Mr. Schu replied. "You know, I've been thinking a lot about Regionals... and maybe we can do Michael again."

"Well I, for one, know exactly what song we should start Michael week with," Blaine said.

"We already did _Thriller_," Mercedes commented.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "I _know_," he said. "I was there. No, I'm thinking... _Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'_," he clarified.

"With you in the lead, I'm guessing," Santana guessed.

"Obviously," Blaine scoffed.

Kurt reached up to scratch his face in an obvious attempt to hide a smile.

"And we could all wear different iconic Michael Jackson outfits," Blaine mused. "It would be amazing."

He could see the whole thing in his head, and he hoped they could make it as amazing as he imagined that it could be.

"We have a wall of lights," Kurt suggested.

"Yeah..." Blaine said, lost in thought about the potential performance.

"Well, don't get too carried away just yet," Mercedes said, patting Blaine's shoulder. "We've got to convince the others first."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I'm definitely getting a solo for Regionals," Artie said the following afternoon after school as he, Blaine, Kurt, Rachel, and Santana hung out in the Lima Bean. "MJ is mine, and I will not be sharing this time."

Everyone laughed.

"Okay, favorite Michael Jackson memory... go!" Blaine said.

"When I was one, my mom showed me the VHS tape of his Motown special," Artie said. "And when he did the moonwalk across the stage for the first time in history I uttered my first words. 'Hot damn'."

"I owe the King of Pop a deep debt of gratitude," Kurt chimed in. "He's the first one to pull off the sequined military jacket, long before one Kurt Hummel made it iconic."

"I have to be honest," Rachel said, "I never really got him."

Everyone turned to look at her in disbelief.

"And we are no longer on speaking terms," Artie scolded.

"No, I think he's an amazing performer," Rachel clarified, "but I never really just... _got_ what he was about."

"Rachel, he was best friends with Liza Minnelli and Liz Taylor," Kurt reminded her.

"All I'm saying is that I– I just, I haven't connected with him the way I have with the likes of Barbara or either of the Stephens," Rachel backtracked.

"Sondheim, Schwartz," Rachel clarified.

"I'd throw this mocha in your face, but it's not nearly scalding enough," Santana said.

"Okay, well just... since you guys are so jazzed about him, I think it's a good idea for Regionals," Rachel gave in.

"That might not be the best idea," Sebastian interjected, walking up behind Artie. "Hey Blaine, hello everyone else."

"Does he live here or something?" Kurt asked. "Seriously, you are _always_ here."

Sebastian ignored him.

"Why don't you think that's a good idea?" Artie asked, and Kurt wished he had laid some ground rules with every member of New Directions that included "rule number one: no talking to Sebastian Smythe".

"Because we're doing MJ for Regionals," Sebastian explained. "You see, Warblers drew first position. So, as soon as I heard what your plan was, I changed our set list accordingly."

Kurt was immediately on guard. Did Sebastian have a spy at McKinley? Maybe he was paying off one of the band members...

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, "how did you hear?"

"Blaine told me this morning," Sebastian said, glancing Blaine's way. "I just called for a tip on how to get red wine out of my blazer piping and he would not stop going on about it."

All eyes were suddenly on Blaine, and he looked like he wanted to sink into his chair and die.

"I may have mentioned it," Blaine admitted.

"How often do you talk?" Kurt asked critically.

"Oh my god!" Sebastian exclaimed, "Hey Kurt! I didn't recognize you... you are wearing boy clothes for once!"

"Alright, twink," Santana snapped, jumping to her feet. "I think it's time that I show you a little Lima Heights hospitality."

Kurt was vaguely aware that Rachel was speaking to him, something about their inability to steer clear of show choir terrorists, but he tuned her out. He needed to hear what Sebastian was saying.

"Unless you want to join your relatives in prison, that's probably not the best idea," Sebastian countered. "You see, my dad is sort of what you'd call a State's Attorney. But if you had a piñata you wanted delivered, I bet he could make sure that got to them."

Santana had nothing else to say.

"Alright," Sebastian continued, "so here's what you guys should know. I am captain of the Warblers now, and I'm tired of playing nice."

"You've never played nice," Kurt snapped.

As usual, Sebastian ignored him.

"You cannot just steal our theme!" Rachel said sharply. "We've already got ideas and plans for our set list!"

"Well that's quaint," Sebastian spoke down to her. "We, on the other hand, already have one of our numbers completely prepared."

"Oh _please_," Santana said. "You're just saying that to scare us."

Sebastian shrugged. "Why don't you come down to Dalton and see for yourself?"

The group was silent, and Kurt didn't dare look at Blaine. Instead, he kept his eyes on Sebastian as the tall Warbler looked at Blaine.

"What do you say, Blaine?" Sebastian asked. "For old times' sake?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt stepped out of the car in the parking lot at Dalton, an unanticipated rush of nostalgia settled into his chest. He felt Blaine's brief touch on his back as they headed toward the building where the Warblers always practiced, and he knew Blaine was also thinking about their time here together. It felt good to have Blaine by his side as they walked down the beautiful hallways to where the Warblers were waiting.

"Hey, man!" Sebastian greeted Blaine and ignored the others as they walked into the room where the Warblers were warming up. "Have a seat... you're right on time."

As if that was their cue, the Warblers began a familiar Jackson 5 song, and Kurt hopped onto the arm of one of the couches – near where Blaine decided to stand – to watch.

"_When I had you to myself I didn't want you around. Those pretty faces always make you stand out in a crowd. Someone picked you from the bunch. One glance is all it took. And now it's much too late for me to take a second look..._"

Despite his best efforts to remain completely cynical, Kurt found himself enjoying the performance. He had never thought that he missed Dalton, especially now that Blaine was at McKinley. But, as he watched the Warblers do their thing in the familiar room, he realized that maybe he did miss it. A little.

It wasn't until the second chorus that Kurt realized what this was actually all about. It wasn't about just showing off, although that was part of it. It was about reminding Blaine of what he had left behind. What he was missing.

"_...I want you back."_

As the song ended, Sebastian looked to Blaine.

"That was great, guys," Blaine said kindly.

"Whose side are you _on_?" Artie snapped from across the room.

Blaine turned to look at him, but Sebastian spoke before Blaine could.

"Blaine was a Warbler," Sebastian said calmly.

"Well he's not now," Kurt snapped. "And you can't have him back."

"And he's clearly irreplaceable," Artie insulted, "because you suck without him."

Kurt would've laughed, but he was too annoyed.

The Warblers were silent.

"And whose fault is it that we lost the irreplaceable Blaine Anderson?" Sebastian asked, moving to stand directly in front of Kurt. Kurt bristled and stood up, but resisted the urge to snap back at him.

"Just _stop_," Blaine stepped between them with a wave of his arms. "_I_ made the decision."

Sebastian stepped forward so that he and Blaine were almost chest-to-chest, and Blaine stepped back until he ran into Kurt and had to stop. Kurt glared at Sebastian over Blaine's shoulder.

"And why," Sebastian asked darkly, "did you choose to abandon your team and a high quality education?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jeff said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him, and he looked like he regretted his words as Sebastian's eyes fell on him.

"Oh really?" Sebastian smirked, stepping away from Blaine so he could position himself better in front of the Warblers in the room. He focused on Jeff. "You mean I don't know that you _almost_ made it to Nationals last year with Blaine as your lead? Or that you were among the very top contenders to go to – and maybe even win – Nationals this year until Blaine decided to take his talents elsewhere? Or do you mean that I don't know that he was emotionally beaten down all summer by his precious _boyfriend_ –" he motioned in Kurt's direction, "who, by the way, was also a Warbler for about five minutes before deciding that he was too good for all of you – until Blaine was convinced to abandon you to go tend to Kurt's every whim."

"That is _not_ –" Blaine started.

Sebastian turned on him, and Blaine stuttered into silence at the intensity of his glare. Kurt was not so affected.

"If you think for one second that you know what's in Blaine's mind," Kurt said, placing a gentle hand on Blaine's arm from behind so the other boy would stay where he was, "you need to think again."

"And you think _you_ do?" Sebastian retorted.

"Certainly not," Kurt said coolly. "But I'm not the one making a scene right now."

"Guys, come on," Blaine interjected, pulling out of Kurt's grip to step forward into the center of the room. "_Enough_."

"I don't know," Santana said. "I'm enjoying watching Kurt bitchslap this boy into his place."

Sebastian turned to look at her for a moment, but Blaine was ready to leave.

"See you at Regionals," Blaine ended the conversation, and Kurt felt a smug sense of satisfaction as Blaine grabbed his hand to lead him out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"There has to be some kind of show choir competition committee we can complain to," Tina whined as they walked into glee club the next afternoon.

"I know, it sucks, guys," Blaine countered. "But it's not the end of the world. Heck, you had your set list stolen the _day_ of the competition at Sectionals and you pulled that one off, right?"

"Well they can have our Journey and our Dreamgirls," Artie said, "but pilfering my Michael? Uh-uh, that's another level. Not okay."

"I'm not exactly comfortable having this conversation with Blaine in the room," Puck said. "Clearly 'once a Warbler, _always_ a Warbler'."

"Uh, what?" Blaine asked, twisting around in his chair to look at Puck.

"Dude, you told them what we were gonna do," Puck accused. "You're like a modern-day Eggs Benedict. He's on notice as far as I'm concerned," Puck said to the group.

Blaine turned back around and crossed his arms unhappily. He knew he shouldn't have told Sebastian about their set list, but he was annoyed that some of his new teammates seemed to think there was a chance that he had done it on purpose to hurt New Directions.

"We should _all_ be on notice," Finn came to Blaine's defense. "I mean, next to Vocal Adrenaline, the Warblers are the best glee club in the state. And for a lot of us this is our last shot at a championship, so... we should stop complaining about the Warblers and figure out how to beat them."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Finn," Mr. Schu said as he entered the room. "I'm less worried about our set list right now and more interested in getting in the right mindset to crush those guys. Which is why our lesson for the week is... 'What would Michael Jackson do?'."

"He'd fight back," Finn said. "He'd say 'Regionals is ours. MJ is ours. And if they want it, they can prey it from our sequined, gloved hand.'"

"Straight up," Artie approved. "In 1983, MTV said they wouldn't air his _Billie Jean_ video. What'd he do? He fought back. They aired it, and the _Thriller_ album sold an additional ten million copies."

"That's right," Mr. Schu said.

"I know what Michael would do," Blaine offered as an idea suddenly flashed into his mind. "I think he would take it to the streets."

The other students seemed to like that idea, but they all had enough sense to pretend to be only mildly interested until glee practice was over and Mr. Schu left the room.

"Okay," Blaine said as everyone gathered around to hear his idea. "With the Warblers it's all about discipline. Sebastian invited us to watch them perform at Dalton to mess with our heads."

"I know what I'd like to do to _their_ heads," Puck pouted.

"So," Blaine ignored him, "what we need to do is show them that they haven't rattled us."

"They _have_ rattled us," Tina objected.

"It doesn't matter," Blaine said. "They don't know that. What we need to do is draw them to a neutral location and show them that we won't back down so easily..."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Honestly, gel head," Santana said to Blaine as they leaned on a pillar in an empty parking garage in Westerville the next evening, "I'm shocked that you thought of this. This whole black leather, badass _thing_ is not your usual, vibe."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Santana," Blaine said vaguely.

She turned her head to look at him and shook her head. "How am I turned on right now?" she mused.

Blaine raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged noncommittally.

The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation, and they both put their hoods up as the Warblers approached.

"Well," Sebastian said as the group came to a stop in front of Blaine and Santana, "we're here."

"We've got something to settle," Blaine explained. "Both of us want to use MJ, but only one can."

"We're having a Jackson-off, Nick at Night," Santana explained. "Winner gets the King of Pop for Regionals."

"What, us against the two of you?" Sebastian sneered. "Do you really think you're that bad? Is that what they teach at that little public school of yours?"

"It's time to see who's bad," Blaine replied.

Santana snapped her fingers, and the rest of New Directions came around the corner to join them. Blaine was happy to see a hint of surprise on Sebastian's face.

As the Warblers began to sing, Blaine knew that his plan was going to work. He and the Warblers had done this song the year before. They had ultimately abandoned it after a few weeks, but Blaine remembered the choreography. He had had taught New Directions some of the steps earlier in the afternoon, and he hoped that it would catch the Warblers off-guard.

Blaine had considered singing the song as a solo, as a way to remind the Warblers what _they_ were missing, but he had opted for just a few lines instead. He knew they remembered. They weren't as good without him.

"_Well they say the sky's the limit, and to me that's really true. But my friends you have seen nothing. Just wait 'til I get through..._"

As the song reached its last section, a flash of brown caught Blaine's eye in the crowd of boys. A paper bag. As Blaine watched the Warblers hand it off a few times until it reached Sebastian, he knew it wasn't going to be something pleasant. He was reasonably sure that it wasn't a gun or some other weapon, but he kept his eyes on it anyway.

As soon as Sebastian's hand emerged from the bag with a slushie cup, Blaine knew what was about to happen. Kurt was standing right in front of Sebastian.

All Blaine could imagine was Kurt being humiliated in front of all of his current and former classmates, and Blaine moved without actively making a decision. He shoved Kurt out of the way, and in the process he took most of the red slushie to the face.

He felt to the ground as the result of the momentum from jumping in front of Kurt, and by the time he hit the ground he was in agony.

Blaine had been slushied before. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but _this_ was something else. His right eye felt like someone had plunged a steak knife into it. Everything else in the world faded away, and all Blaine's mind knew was that something was seriously wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Blaine!" Kurt dropped to his knees by the other boy, who was writhing and crying out in pain. Kurt raised his voice so Blaine would hear him. "What's wrong?"

Kurt could feel the other members of New Directions staring down at them, wondering why Blaine was making such a big deal over a slushie to the face. It had happened to every one of them, and it never warranted this kind of reaction. But Kurt knew that Blaine would never make a scene like this without a serious reason.

"_Blaine_," Kurt stressed, rubbing Blaine's arm in an attempt to encourage him to relax.

"My eye," Blaine managed to choke out through clenched teeth.

"Dude, it's just some ice and a little artificial color," Sam mumbled, his voice intensely skeptical. Kurt snapped his head around to glare at him, and, as he turned his attention back to Blaine, he realized that the Warblers were gone. He felt a surge of rage as he considered how fondly Blaine thought of his former classmates. How fondly _he_ felt about some of the Warblers. Kurt pushed the emotion to the back of his mind. He would call Sebastian later. Or maybe he would drive to Westerville and let them all have a piece of his mind. Later.

"Can you sit up?" Kurt suggested, "Here, I'll help you..." He reached under Blaine's shoulder and helped him sit up. Blaine was no longer making any noise, but Kurt could tell that it was only because he thought he was embarrassing himself. Once he was upright, Blaine drew in a shaky breath before finally releasing his face so Kurt could look at him. Kurt leaned forward and examined Blaine's eyes, trying to ignore the fear written all over Blaine's face.

Blaine's right eye was red and pouring tears. He couldn't stop blinking, and Kurt could see the muscles in his neck and face straining as Blaine attempted to control the urge to squirm in pain. Kurt wanted to scoop him up in a hug, but he knew that Blaine was attempting to hold it together. So, instead, he stood up and tried to exude confidence for Blaine's sake.

"We're going to the hospital," he said to Blaine and the others as he helped Blaine to his feet. When Blaine didn't protest, Kurt felt like his blood had turned to ice. He turned to look at Rachel. "I'm just going to take him in his car," he informed her, hoping that she would understand his desire to go _alone_.

He was relieved when a spark of comprehension flashed in her eyes. "Finn and Sam can hitch rides with the rest of us," she said authoritatively. She turned to Blaine and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she decided against it and simply reached out to brush some of the red ice out of his hair. Blaine was breathing hard. Kurt met Rachel's gaze for a moment, and he hoped that he was doing a better job of hiding his anxiety than she was.

Not daring to look at any of the others out of fear that they would look skeptical or annoyed, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and pulled him off in the direction of Blaine's car. Blaine followed silently, his hand tightly clenching Kurt's. By the time they reached Blaine's car and Kurt turned to Blaine to ask for his keys, Blaine's other hand had returned to pressing on his eye.

"Let's take your jacket off," Kurt assessed gently. "We can put it at your feet on the rubber mat so the red dye doesn't get all over your car."

Blaine's stoic expression didn't flicker as he allowed Kurt to remove his jacket – only removing his hand from his face long enough to slip his arm out of the sleeve – and help him into the car. As Kurt hurried around to the driver's side door, he realized that his hands were shaking with adrenaline. Blaine's silence told Kurt that Blaine was really scared. And that scared Kurt.

As he glanced over to make sure Blaine had put on his seatbelt, Kurt started the car. He drove to the exit of the parking garage before realizing that the only hospital he knew of was too far away. In Lima.

"Turn right," Blaine's voice cracked as he gave the instruction. Blaine directed him onto the Interstate and told him their exit number, and they fell into a nervous silence. Kurt could hear Blaine's heavy breathing, and he wondered if Blaine was crying or just trying not to. Kurt tried to focus on driving instead of all the other things that were crashing around in his mind.

Despite his best efforts not to think too much, Kurt felt a new sensation filling up his already emotional brain. Guilt. Sebastian had been throwing the slushy at _him_. And Blaine had pushed him away and taken the attack for him.

"Does it still –?" Kurt started.

"Yes," Blaine said abruptly before Kurt could finish the question. His voice was tense, but not angry. Kurt spared a glance at the other boy, and the Blaine met his eyes only briefly before looking away.

Kurt desperately wanted to ask if Blaine could actually _see_ out of his eye, but he knew better than to voice such a concern. He wanted to ask a million questions. How much did it hurt? Was it getting _any_ better? Did _both_ of his eyes hurt or just the right one? Did he think he was going to be okay? Kurt chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from spewing out every worry and question in his mind.

It felt like a decade had passed by the time they finally arrived at the emergency room. Blaine had his seatbelt off before Kurt had even stopped the car, and was halfway to the door of the hospital by the time Kurt had finished parking and jumped out of the car to rush after him.

"Hey," Kurt said as he caught up with the other boy in the entryway to the hospital, "I'll call your parents, okay? Don't worry about anything."

Blaine nodded, and for a moment he stopped walking to turn and look at Kurt... as well as he could when his hand was clamped over his right eye and his left eye was clearly irritated.

"I love you," Blaine said, and the desperation and fear in his voice sent another wave of cold pulsing through Kurt's veins. He knew what Blaine meant. _I'm really scared._

Kurt reached out to cup Blaine's sticky cheek in one of his hands. "I love you, Blaine," he said forcefully. "I'm right here. It's gonna be okay."

The corners of Blaine's mouth twitched upward briefly and he reached up with his free hand to grasp Kurt's hand on his face.

'I'm sorry, may I help you?" the receptionist's brisk voice interrupted, and Kurt was snapped back to the reality of the emergency room.

"Um, yes," Kurt said. "There's something in his eye."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"...so, you'll need to schedule the surgery for as soon as possible. Preferably sometime this week. And no rubbing it, no matter how much it hurts or itches. No submerging your face in water. And try not to get water or soap in your eye when you shower or wash your face, okay? You don't _have_ to wear the eye patch when you're fully awake, although I recommend it just to be safe, but definitely wear it when you sleep so you don't inadvertently rub at your eye."

Blaine nodded, feeling so relieved that his eye was numb that he didn't care _what_ he had to do next.

"I'm going to write you a prescription for some painkillers," the doctor continued. "It's better for your eye than a constant stream of numbing drops."

Blaine nodded again.

"And that's it!" The doctor said kindly. "After the surgery and a short recovery period, you should be back to normal in no time."

"Thank you, doctor," Blaine's father spoke up. After a round of handshakes, Blaine found himself suddenly alone with his parents.

"Here," his mother said gently, holding out a bag of clothing, "we brought some clothes for you. Get changed and we'll go home, okay?"

"Wait," Blaine stopped them as they turned to leave the room, "I want to see Kurt."

His parents exchanged what Blaine assumed they thought was a subtle glance, and his father nodded reluctantly. "We'll send him in."

Blaine tore the hospital gown off and pulled the red Buckeyes shirt that his parents had brought for him over his head as soon as his parents closed the door behind them. He stood up on shaky legs to finish getting dressed, and had just settled back down on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice was timid and hopeful as he cracked opened the door.

To Blaine's surprise, his voice failed him entirely. He felt as if someone had shoved a large ball of paper into his throat as the familiar sound of Kurt's voice made him feel a rush of comfort.

Kurt's head appeared around the door, clearly confused by the silence. When he saw Blaine, his face relaxed with relief. He hurried into the room and closed the door gently behind him.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt" words started tumbling out of Blaine's mouth before Kurt was halfway across the room. "I just didn't want you to ruin your clothes and be embarrassed in front of everyone. I'm so _sick_ of people putting you down and I had no idea that it was– that he would– I–"

"Blaine, Blaine," Kurt shushed him quietly. "It's okay. We can talk about it later. It's okay. _I'm_ okay. Come here..." Kurt pulled Blaine to his feet and yanked him into his arms in a tight hug. Blaine turned his head so that he could rest the uninjured left side of his face on Kurt's chest and burst into tears.

Kurt didn't say anything right away – he just held on tightly as Blaine cried – and Blaine thought his sudden tears had probably caught the other boy off-guard. It even surprised _Blaine_ a little; he hadn't felt like crying at all until Kurt had walked through the door.

When Blaine's sobs trailed away to quiet sniffling and hiccupping, Kurt released him, and Blaine suddenly wanted to say _everything_.

"I can't believe they would do this," he said. "How could they? You were a Warbler, Kurt. I don't understand why they don't feel protective of you when you were a Warbler just as much as I was, and –"

Kurt reached up and put his palm over Blaine's mouth, silently asking him to stop talking.

"I don't know," Kurt said quietly. "But that's not important right now, okay? You need to get home and you need to rest. It's been a long night."

"How are you going to get home?" Blaine worried.

"I'll take your car," Kurt said. "Your parents said it was okay. We'll figure out how to get it back to you soon... you won't be able to drive while you're on pain medicine, anyway."

Blaine nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "For not panicking."

To his surprise, Kurt laughed. "For not _outwardly_ panicking, you mean."

Blaine smiled. "Yeah," he agreed.

"I'm coming by tomorrow immediately after school," Kurt said. "And I'm bringing ice cream and large print magazines and blankets and everything that you need to be a properly cared for half-blind person."

Blaine rolled his eyes, and it felt so weird when his eye was numb that he made a mental note to try not to do it again until his eye was healed.

Kurt kissed him gently on the lips, carefully avoiding his patched eye, and Blaine wrapped him into another hug.

"Alright," Kurt said as Blaine squeezed him. "We should go. You need to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep without you," Blaine pouted.

Kurt kissed the side of his face. "I'll see you tomorrow," he reminded Blaine. "And until then you can text me all night long if you want to."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"How is he?" Rachel asked immediately when Kurt arrived to glee practice the following day. "Is he okay?"

"Uh, it's his right eye," Kurt recalled. "The doctor says that his cornea is deeply scratched and he has to have surgery."

It sounded so ridiculous that Kurt was having a hard time really comprehending that it had actually happened.

"In all my years as a teacher and a student," Mr. Schu said, "I have never known a slushie to do _that_ kind of damage."

"That's 'cause it wasn't a normal slushie, Mr. Schu," Finn spoke up. "There was stuff in it. Rocks or something. He _wanted_ to do that damage."

_To me_, Kurt thought. He wished Sebastian _had_ hit him instead of Blaine. He hated being at McKinley without Blaine, and the knowledge that Blaine was lying in bed, probably in a fair degree of pain, made Kurt feel a horrible mixture of rage and sadness.

"Well, unless you have proof that he tampered with the slushie, the police aren't interested in getting involved," Mr. Schu explained.

"Sebastian is evil," Kurt fumed. "He needs to be expelled."

"Look," Mr. Schu said. "Figgins and I spoke to Dalton's headmaster. They're opening up an investigation. So guys, I'm telling you, please let the system handle this one."

"No," Artie said.

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised by the force of his disagreement.

"Dalton's old school, Mr. Schu," Artie explained. "They're not going to turn their back on one of their own. We need payback."

"An eye for an eye," Mike said gravely.

Kurt agreed. He wanted to drive to Dalton and rip out both of Sebastian's eyes for causing Blaine so much physical and emotional pain.

"No!" Mr. Schu scolded. "I have a zero tolerance policy for violence of any kind. That's not how we do things."

"No," Artie retorted. "We sing. And that's all we ever do."

"Do you _want_ to get disqualified from Regionals?" Mr. Schu asked.

"I don't give a damn about Regionals!" Artie shouted. "What do you expect from us? We're _people_. I know the rest of the world might not see us like that, but when they tease us and throw stuff at us and toss us in dumpsters and tell us that we're nothing but losers with stupid dreams, it freakin' hurts. And we're supposed to turn the other cheek and be the bigger man by telling ourselves that those dreams and how hard we work make us better than them? But it gets pretty damn hard to feel that way when they get to win."

"I get how upsetting this is for you..." Mr. Schu started.

"No!" Artie yelled. "you _don't_! And don't give me any of that 'it gets better' crap because I'm not interested in it getting any better. I want it to _be_ better. Like, right now. I want to hurt them the way they hurt us. No, _worse_. I want them to feel my pain. Because, frankly, that's all I have left to give."

The silence was deafening.

"Artie," Mr. Schu said quietly. "Take a break. We'll be here when you get back."

Artie didn't move.

"Artie?" Mr. Schu called to him. "Artie?"

"I think I better roll away," Artie said, and he turned and wheeled himself out of the room.

"But Blaine's going to be okay, right?" Tina asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Physically," he replied.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur, and Kurt was relieved when he finally made it to his car so he could go see Blaine.

Blaine's mother met him at the door, and she explained to him that the pain medicine was making Blaine a little loopy, but that the day had been pretty easy for Blaine. He wasn't in much pain. Kurt was relieved.

Mrs. Anderson gave him permission to go up to Blaine's room, and he rushed up the stairs with a bunch of stuff in his arms. When he knocked on Blaine's bedroom door, there was no answer, and when he knocked a second time and Blaine still didn't reply Kurt decided to just open the door.

Blaine was sleeping, but not peacefully. He was lying on top of all of his blankets but he was still covered in a light layer of sweat and his breathing was heavier than normal.

Kurt set down his bundle and sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached out to squeeze Blaine's shoulder.

"Blaine?" he called quietly. "Blaine?"

Blaine shifted under Kurt's touch and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," Kurt said.

Blaine blinked a few times and tried to sit up, but Kurt pushed him back down onto the bed.

"No," he instructed, "take your time waking up."

"I don't know why I'm so tired," Blaine moaned. "I've just spent the whole day in bed."

Kurt smiled at him. "How do you feel?" he asked.

Blaine considered the question for a moment. "Weird," he finally answered. "The painkillers make me feel weird, but my eye doesn't hurt too much."

Kurt sighed. "I'm so sorry," he said quietly.

Blaine slowly sat up and reached over to grab one of Kurt's hands.

"Don't be sorry," he said seriously. "It's not your fault."

Kurt couldn't agree, but part of his brain knew it was true.

"I brought you some stuff," Kurt said, releasing Blaine's hand to go pick up his bundle by the door.

"Kurt, I have blankets," Blaine giggled as Kurt pulled a red and black blanket from the bottom of the pile.

"_Yes_," Kurt allowed, "but this is _my_ blanket and I like knowing that it'll be here with you when I'm not."

He showed Blaine the other things: some magazines, a giant chocolate bar, a small container of Blaine's favorite hair gel, a little bottle of bubbles, and a "get well" card that Kurt had filled with silly little drawings and words of encouragement.

"Thank you," Blaine said as Kurt unscrewed the lid on the bubbles and blew a bunch into the air so that they floated down around Blaine's head. "Thank you so much, Kurt."

Kurt tightened the lid back onto the bottle and set it on Blaine's nightstand before he crawled into the bed and wrapped his arms around Blaine. It felt so good to be here. To know that Blaine was okay.

"I missed you today," Kurt admitted as Blaine relaxed into his embrace.

The two of them spent the rest of the evening watching reality television and chatting about insignificant things when Blaine wasn't drifting off to sleep.

Blaine was sound asleep when it was time for Kurt to leave to go home, so he gently slipped out of Blaine's grip and grabbed a notepad off Blaine's desk.

_Sleep well! Text me or call me any time, day or night. I love you! Kurt._

He left the note on the bed beside Blaine, and he made sure Blaine was covered by his blanket before he slipped quietly out the door and headed back to Lima for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt went to see Blaine every afternoon, but during the day he felt detached and distracted by the lack of Blaine's presence. As he sat alone in an empty classroom during lunch one day, he decided to make a list of ways that he could get back at Sebastian. Bleach his uniform. Find out if he had any allergies and feed him something that would give him a terrible rash. Drug him and dye his hair pink in the bathroom at the Lima Bean...

"Hey, what're you doing?" Santana's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Trying to keep the flames from shooting out of the side of my face," Kurt replied.

"Well, that outfit isn't helping," Santana commented as she sat down across from him.

"I agree with Artie," Kurt explained. "I'm tired of being stepped on all the time. I take a lot of crap from a lot of people, but I refuse to take it from Sebastian the criminal chipmunk. So, I've been sitting here for the last hour, making a list of ways to get back at him."

"Well, today's your lucky day," Santana said, "because Auntie Snix just arrived on the Bitchtown express. Now, my suggestion is that we drag him, bound and gagged, to a tattoo parlor for a tramp stamp that reads 'tips appreciated' or 'congratulations, you're my thousandth customer'."

"After what he did to Blaine, I really wanted to hurt him," Kurt admitted. "But I can't. I've fought against violence at this school for too long. I have to take the high road."

"You know what, Prancy Smurf? I respect that," Santana said. "You're probably right. I want to go to a college that isn't a FEMA trailer in a prison yard, so let's take the high road. We're not going to beat Sebastian by playing dirty. But we are gonna beat him."

"How?" Kurt said unhappily.

"Remember what Blaine said?" Santana asked. "Before he got that slushie tossed in his face? The Warblers are smart. So, if we can't respond to violence with violence, let's respond with our brains."

"I don't think I'm ready to be face-to-face with Sebastian again," Kurt admitted.

"You leave _that_ to me," Santana said, and she reached out to pat his hand affectionately before she sprung to her feet and walked quickly from the room.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt could feel his soul dying of boredom inside him in Mr. Schu's Spanish class the following day when the teacher suddenly called his name.

"Kurt," Mr. Schu said, "your dad wants to talk to you."

Kurt left all of his belongings on the desk and rushed out into the hallway, terrified of what Burt pulling him out of class might mean.

"What's wrong? Is Blaine okay?" he asked as he saw his father waiting for him.

"He's fine," Burt reassured. He stepped forward and held out an envelope. "The mail came."

Kurt snatched the letter and knew what the return address would say before he even looked at it.

"NYADA."

He had hardly thought about NYADA since Blaine's injury, so he just gaped at the letter for a moment.

"Well," Burt said, "open it already!"

"Not here," Kurt said. "Come on..."

He couldn't find a room that felt like the proper place for such a monumental moment. He felt exposed and terrified, and he just wanted a safe place to open the envelope and face the probable rejection inside.

"Dude, this is like the fifth room we've been to!" his father said as they walked into the choir room. "What's wrong with the library or the lunch room?"

"None of those felt right," Kurt said. But this room did feel right. He was safe here. He turned to look at his father. "This is it, Dad. This is one of those crossroad moments in life. Whatever is in this envelope is going to determine whether I go right or left."

"I'm here, no matter what it says," Burt said. "Okay?"

Kurt nodded and turned around – he couldn't handle his father's gaze as he opened the letter. He ripped open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

"Dear Mr. Hummel..." he read, trying not to panic and misread anything.

_We are pleased to inform you..._

He was a finalist.

They were saying yes. Giving him a chance. A chance to fight to get out of this town and to find a place where he could shine.

"What?" Burt asked as Kurt turned back to face him. "What?"

Kurt felt tears pooling in his eyes. "I'm a finalist."

Burt let out a cry of joy and rushed forward to scoop Kurt up into a hug.

"Dad!" Kurt laughed as Burt twirled him around, "your heart!"

"Screw my heart!" Burt shouted. "You did it! You did it, Kurt! Oh man, oh... who's gonna tell Blaine?" his father released him but stayed right in front of him. "You've gotta let me do it."

"Dad, are you crying?" Kurt gasped.

"You beat them all," Burt said fiercely. "They threw everything at you. They tried to beat you down, but you know what? You are unstoppable, Kurt. I am so proud to be your dad. They can never take this away from you. Right now, in this moment, on this day, you won."

They both laughed, and Burt crushed Kurt in another hug. "Way to go, dude," Burt said. "Way to go."

As his father hugged him, Kurt thought about what this could mean for him. He could _actually_ move to New York City. He had a future.

"Let's call him," Burt said excitedly as he released Kurt.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"_Blaine_," his father reminded him. "Here, I'll..." he pulled out his phone.

"No!" Kurt cried, "we can't _call_ him! _Dad_!"

The bell rang to signify a class change, and Burt laughed. "Okay, okay! I'm a little overly excited. You're right. You feelin' okay?"

"What?" Kurt laughed. "Are you kidding? I want to audition for the finalist panel _right now_!"

Burt scrutinized his appearance. "I think you look terrible. Like you might faint at any moment."

"Wha – oh," Kurt realized. "_Oh_. Yeah, I mean, I might faint or something."

"That settles it!" Burt clapped his hands once in confirmation. "You go wait in the car and I'll grab your stuff and check you out."

Kurt threw his arms around his father for a moment. "Thank you, Dad," he mumbled into Burt's shoulder. "Thank you so much."

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt," Burt said seriously. "Now let's go and tell Blaine."

As Kurt exited the choir room, he remembered Rachel. So, instead of heading for the car, he turned and ran down the hallway toward Rachel's locker.

"Rachel!" he cried as he approached her. "Rachel!"

He rushed up to her, not even sure what he was saying. "Oh my god, I got it! I got my NYADA letter! I got– I'm a finalist! I'm a finalist!"

"You did?" Rachel laughed. "You did? That's so great!"

"What did yours say?" Kurt asked, absolutely sure that if they accepted him as a finalist that they would've accepted Rachel too.

Rachel's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't get one," she said.

"Oh," Kurt said. "That doesn't mean anything... that just means they haven't sent it yet."

Rachel leaned back against the row of lockers. "I didn't even make it to the finals," she said, devastated. "I knew it. I– I had this weird feeling in my stomach all week long."

"Rachel," Kurt said softly, not sure what to say, "don't be stupid."

"_Stupid?_" Rachel replied. "Stupid is watching all of your friends make plans for their future and realizing that you have none at all. No plans, no college, nowhere to go. All I have here is my boyfriend and... and I have no idea what I'm doing!"

She lost it completely, and Kurt didn't know what he could say to make her feel better. He knew that there was still a chance that her NYADA letter was just a day or two behind, but even the possibility that she wouldn't be a finalist made Kurt feel almost guilty for getting his letter.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her without words.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed into his shirt. "I'm so sorry. I'm really h– happy for you. I'm just –"

"I know," Kurt rubbed her back. "It's okay, I know. Shhhh..."

When she pulled away, her eyes were red and puffy but she looked like she was feeling a little bit better.

"It's okay," she said, and Kurt wasn't sure if she was talking to him or to herself.

He nodded. "You're getting in, Rachel," he said. "I'm not letting you give up."

She nodded. "See you at Blaine's later," she said as she closed her locker.

Kurt smiled slightly, remembering their plan to surprise Blaine with some of the Michael Jackson that he was missing in glee club.

"Okay," he said, and he wanted to hug her again but she turned around and rushed away.

With a heavy sigh, Kurt made his way out to his car to find his father waiting for him.

Some of Kurt's excitement returned as he saw that Burt was still nearly bouncing around with joy.

"Ready to go?" Kurt smiled at him.

"You know what?" Burt said calmly. "You go. I'll hear the story of his reaction later."

"No," Kurt said. "No, Dad, you can come! He'll love to hear it from you."

Burt laughed. "You know, I bet he would. But he'll love it even more when it's coming from you, Kurt." His father's eyes filled with tears again, and Kurt felt moisture returning to his own eyes. "That boy loves you," Burt said seriously. "He loves you more than anyone else except me. And I don't know his plans, but it's not a stretch to imagine the two of you taking New York by storm together as soon as he can tear his graduation cap and gown off and jump on a plane a year and a half from now."

Kurt stepped forward, threw his arms around his father, and couldn't hold back his tears. He felt overwhelmed. He felt a huge amount of joy at the chance to make his dreams a reality, but he also felt fear of the unknown mixed with sadness when he thought about the fact that he wouldn't be able to hug his father like this forever. He always said that he couldn't wait to get out of Lima, but he knew there were things here that he would miss more than he could presently comprehend.

On the drive to Blaine's house, Kurt started to imagine audition songs and outfits, and the drive felt shorter than ever.

When he reached Blaine's house, Kurt resisted the urge to thunder up the stairs and fling Blaine's door open. Instead, he crept up the stairs and down the hallway to knock gently on Blaine's closed door.

"Yeah?" Blaine's drowsy voice floated through the door.

Blaine looked confused and sleepy as Kurt cracked the door open, but he woke up a little when he saw that it was Kurt.

"Kurt!" he smiled.

"Hey," Kurt returned the grin, slipping into the room and closing the door gently behind him.

When he turned back to face Blaine, he couldn't hold back his excitement any longer. He ran the few steps to the edge of the bed and threw himself face-down onto the mattress beside Blaine.

"I'm a finalist!" he screamed into the quilt. Almost instantly, he felt Blaine's weight collapse on top of him, laughing at Kurt's dramatic announcement.

Kurt squirmed under Blaine until his was lying on his back, staring into Blaine's exposed eye, which was glimmering with tears. It felt wonderful to cry so hard about something so _good_. Kurt reached up to grab Blaine's face gently in his hands, and he pulled Blaine down into a kiss.

"I told you so," Blaine rolled off to lie on his side, resting his head on his hand as he looked at Kurt. "I _told_ you _so_."

Kurt exhaled loudly. He rolled onto his side to face Blaine, and noticed that Blaine was adjusting his eye patch. Some of the joy drained out of Kurt at the sight.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked, sitting up.

"What?" Blaine looked momentarily confused before realizing what Kurt was talking about, "Oh, yeah. Just making sure it doesn't slip off. Don't worry about it."

Kurt _was_ worried about it, but he said nothing.

"_Kurt_," Blaine said happily. "You're a NYADA finalist."

"Yeah," Kurt breathed.

They looked at each other for a moment until Blaine grabbed one of Kurt's hands and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm so proud of you," he said sincerely.

"Thanks," Kurt managed out as tears filled his eyes again. He was certain that he had never cried so many tears of happiness before in his life.

He told Blaine the story of his father coming to tell him at school, and he explained that Rachel's letter hadn't come yet, but he didn't mention Rachel's little meltdown.

"She's definitely going to be a finalist too," Blaine said casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Kurt nodded.

"Come here," Blaine said, extending his arms. Kurt crawled across the bed and settled into Blaine's embrace, happy to just relax and be around the other boy.

They snuggled on the bed for more than an hour – Blaine fell asleep for about fifteen minutes before waking up and apologizing profusely until Kurt made him _swear_ not to apologize again – until Kurt glanced at the clock and realized that Rachel and Finn would probably arrive soon.

"I brought some new magazines," Kurt said, gently pulling out of Blaine's arms so he could hop off the bed. He grabbed a random magazine and settled down into the chair beside Blaine's bed to read to him.

"...Miss Jolie said that, after a dramatic directorial debut, she expects her second feature to have far more honey than blood."

When Rachel and Finn pushed the door open, Kurt was glad to see that Rachel looked perfectly calm. She had recovered from the initial shock of Kurt receiving a letter when there wasn't one waiting in her mailbox too.

"Hey!" Blaine said, delighted. "Hey guys!"

"We brought you, um, chicken noodle soup," Rachel said. "I know it's not used to typically help eye injuries, but we figured it couldn't hurt."

"And I brought you a couple of eye patch-featuring flicks from my collection," Finn explained. "We've got, uh, _Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides_, _Valkyrie_, and _Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow_."

"Aww, thank you guys," Blaine said as he took the DVDs from Finn. "Aw, that's so amazing. It really means a lot to me that you'd come by to check up on me."

"However," Blaine added, "I cannot let a single moment pass without first," he reached into his bedside table for some plastic champagne glasses, "raising a zero-calorie toast to one Mr. Kurt Hummel, aka NYADA finalist!"

"Yayyyyyyy," Blaine said as he poured some soda into the glasses. "Cheers."

Kurt was torn between wanting to burst out laughing and wanting to tell Blaine to stop.

"So, Blaine," Finn changed the subject, "uh, when's the surgery?"

Blaine sighed heavily. "This week," he said. "Honestly, I'm terrified."

"Don't sweat it, dude," Finn reassured him. "You'll heal up good as new."

"Yeah," Rachel said, "and there are tons of legendary performers who only had one eye. Sammy Davis Jr., Colombo."

"And Stevie Wonder," Finn added. "He did pretty good with no eyes at all!"

"You guys," Blaine said, reaching out to hold Kurt's hand, "I'm really upset that I'm missing Michael week. It just totally sucks."

"Well," Finn grinned, "that's why we figured we'd bring a little bit of Michael to you."

"Yup," Rachel agreed as she took a pitch pipe from Finn and blew into it to give Kurt his first note.

"_Blaine, the two of us need look no more,_" Kurt sang, "_We both found what we were looking for. With a friend to call my own I'll never be alone. And you, my friend, will see you've got a friend in me._"

As they sang, Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand and looked like he didn't know _what_ to make of the sweet song from the trio. By the end of the song, Blaine looked like he wanted to burst into tears.

"T–thanks guys," he choked out, squeezing Kurt's finger as he looked at them. "I– just... thank you so much."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"No way," Blaine gasped as Kurt told him about singing _Black or White_ to the Warblers earlier in the afternoon. They were both leaning against Blaine's headboard, and Blaine's head was resting on Kurt's shoulder.

"They came up to dance with us," Kurt explained.

"They _did_?" Blaine asked.

"Not Sebastian, of course," Kurt elaborated, "but the rest of them."

"That's great," Blaine said. He wondered if maybe they were sorry for what had happened. He knew he was in no condition to call them – he had just taken his pain medication and he felt particularly out of it – but, eventually, he knew that he had to confront the Warblers about what had happened. He couldn't understand why they hadn't even stayed to make sure that he was okay. He _hadn't_ been okay. Blaine hoped that one day they would be able to tell him something that would ease the sharp sense of betrayal that was lodged in his chest.

Kurt made a noncommittal sound. "They left pretty quickly after that, but at least Sebastian knows we're not interested in sinking to his level."

"I'm sorry I trusted him," Blaine said. "You knew..."

Kurt nudged his shoulder so Blaine would sit up and look at him.

"Don't get jaded, okay?" Kurt said gently. "The way you trust people... it's sweet. _You're_ sweet, Blaine. And that's a good thing."

"And being cynical is your thing," Blaine teased.

"Yes," Kurt allowed.

"You're the _best_," Blaine sighed happily. He felt so much better when Kurt was around.

Kurt laughed. "Well, thank you. You're not so bad yourself... I think I'm developing a thing for pirates seeing you with that eye patch every day."

"Argh!" Blaine did his best pirate impression, and Kurt laughed even harder.

"I should go," Kurt admitted when they had calmed down. "It's late."

"Nooooo..." Blaine groaned.

"I have school in the morning," Kurt reminded him.

"I hate school," Blaine pouted.

Kurt shook his head. "You do not."

Blaine groaned in defeat. "Okay, I know. I'll miss you, though."

Kurt smiled gently. "I love you." He leaned over to tip Blaine's chin up and kiss him. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Love you too," Blaine grinned at him. "Goodnight."

"'Night," Kurt said as he reached the door. He blew a kiss and disappeared.

Kurt closed the door behind him, and Blaine sighed. He climbed out of his bed and plopped down into his desk chair to check the Internet to see what had been happening in the world while he was stuck at home. But, as soon as he powered on the computer, he heard a commotion in the hallway.

"No!" Kurt's voice was muffled through the wall, but still distinct. "No. I said _no_! He needs to rest, and you are _not_ going –"

"But his mom said –"

As Kurt cut the other boy off, Blaine jumped out of his chair and ran to the door. The combination of his medication and the sudden physical activity made him feel lightheaded, but he grabbed the doorknob and wrenched the door open anyway. The voices fell silent at the sound, and he stumbled into the hallway.

"You should _not_ be out of bed!" Kurt admonished.

"Hey," Nick said nervously from behind Kurt. He motioned at Jeff, Trent, and David standing behind him. "I wanted– _we. _We wanted– wait, are you–"

"Thanks guys," Blaine choked out, realizing as he opened his mouth that he was crying. Kurt turned to the Warblers and said something about medication and emotions before hurrying to Blaine's side.

"I don't want to lie down," Blaine preempted Kurt's demand with a defiant pout, but he was secretly glad when Kurt wrapped an arm around his waist so he could lean on him a little. He felt simultaneously delighted and sad and exhausted as he looked at the hopeful faces of his friends from Dalton.

He could feel Kurt's stern expression without even turning to look at the other boy. He sighed in defeat. "Fine. But only if they can stay."

Kurt nudged his hip in the direction of his bedroom. "Okay, but only for a little while."

"Yes sir," Blaine said happily. The next thing he knew, he was tucked back into his bed, leaning against the headboard with Kurt's blanket over his legs. Nick and Jeff were sitting on the edge of his bed, David had grabbed the desk chair, and Trent was sitting in the chair beside the bed. Kurt had climbed onto the bed to sit beside Blaine. Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt's hand, feeling suddenly self-conscious about everything that had happened.

"Hey, man," Nick broke the silence, "we're really sorry."

"_Monumentally_ sorry," Trent added. "We had no idea Sebastian was planning to slushie you. We should've –"

"He _wasn't_ going to slushie me," Blaine snapped, trying to force his brain to catch up with his emotions as he felt a sudden rush of rage. "He was going to slushie _Kurt_."

Kurt squeezed his hand. "Blaine, don't –"

"No," Blaine argued, "Kurt was a Warbler! How could Sebastian _do_ something like this? How could _you_? You should have stood up for him!" Blaine's injured eye burned as his eyes filled with tears again.

"Please, Blaine," Kurt said quietly. "The medication is–"

"The _medication_ doesn't make me a different person!" Blaine shouted, feeling as if his mouth was forming words without any input from his brain. "I'm just– I feel –" His brain wouldn't cooperate enough for him to explain how he felt, so he settled for a noise of desperation as he angrily wiped the tears from his exposed eye.

"We're scared of Sebastian."

The words fell out of Jeff's mouth, and everyone in the room turned to look at him.

Blaine hoped that Kurt was making mental notes as the Warblers explained how the vibe had changed since Blaine left, because he was starting to feel really, really out of it.

"... and he's not usually so _mean_ when it's just us," Nick explained.

"I feel so betrayed," Blaine admitted without his brain's consent.

Silence.

"We felt betrayed when you left us," Trent admitted quietly. It was more of a confession than an accusation, but Blaine's chest constricted painfully at the memory.

"I know," he said. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I'm _doing_. I'm so _happy_ in New Directions, but I was happy at Dalton too... and I miss you guys. But I love my new friends."

He wasn't sure how he was managing to express himself so succinctly, and he wondered briefly if his brain worked better when he was high.

"And now it's like I can never _absolutely_ belong anywhere," he finished.

"_Blaine_..." Kurt said.

Blaine looked at Kurt and hated the sadness that he saw in Kurt's eyes.

"I belong with you," Blaine decided.

Kurt leaned in and kissed him, and the familiar action made Blaine feel a little better.

"Thanks for coming by, guys," he said to his friends. "It means so much that you came to make things right."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day at school, Kurt was lost in thought about Blaine and his surgery, set for the following day, when someone tapped him on the arm and he turned to find Rachel standing beside him.

She didn't say anything at first, but Kurt looked down and saw that she was holding a NYADA letter in her hands.

"Is..." Kurt said, "is that the...?"

"My NYADA letter finally came in the mail," Rachel said, "and, uh..."

Kurt wanted to die. She wasn't a finalist. What was he going to _do_?

"...and I'm a finalist," Rachel breathed. She looked up at Kurt, and he could see the hope and joy and excitement in her eyes that he had been feeling since he had opened his letter. "I'm a finalist! I'm a finalist!"

Kurt laughed as she threw herself into his arms. "Oh, congrats!" he said happily.

"Thank you," Rachel said as she stepped back from the hug.

Kurt thought about their future. In New York. He would get to go there with Rachel and Finn, and Blaine would be there a year later... things were going to be perfect.

"Have you told Finn yet?" Kurt asked, excited to hear his step-brother's reaction.

To Kurt's surprise, Rachel's face fell into an expression of uncertainty.

"Uh, Rachel?" Kurt asked.

"No," Rachel said quietly. "Not yet."

Kurt wasn't sure what to make of that, but he didn't want to press her for information if the answer might be something like "we're fighting" or "I'm thinking of breaking up with him". This was a _happy_ moment.

"You need to text Blaine and tell him, at least," Kurt pretended to scold her. "He's going to flip out, and he needs some good news to take his mind off of his surgery tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Later that evening, Kurt didn't realize that he had fallen asleep in Blaine's bed until his phone vibrated in his pocket and startled him awake. As his mind clambered into consciousness and his hand dug into his pocket for his phone, he noticed Blaine.

Blaine, who had been sleeping properly on the other side of the bed before Kurt had fallen asleep, had moved over and curled up against Kurt's chest. His face was pressed into Kurt's shirt, and Kurt could only see his patched eye. He smiled at the sight, glad that Blaine seemed to be sleeping soundly. Blaine's pain medication made him both overly emotional and prone to wild dreams, and he hadn't been sleeping well.

Kurt held up his phone with one hand, looking at the text message on the screen. It was from his father.

_I'm going to assume that you have lost all track of time. How's Blaine?_

Kurt smiled fondly. Burt was so worried about Blaine; he had even volunteered to go down to Dalton and yell at the headmaster on Blaine's behalf. "_That Sebastian kid's not the only one with a powerful father!_" he had shouted at nobody in particular.

Clutching his phone so he wouldn't drop it on top of the sleeping boy, Kurt sent a reply.

_Loopy and exhausted and nervous about tomorrow. I'll text when I'm leaving sometime later._

As Kurt stuffed his phone back into his pocket, Blaine sighed heavily and nuzzled his face into Kurt's chest. The movement displaced the strap of his eye patch, causing it to slip up on his forehead, and the strange feeling woke Blaine up. He reached up to fumble with the strap, but Kurt stilled his hands so he wouldn't accidently poke himself in the eye in his half-asleep state.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice was groggy and confused.

"Hey," Kurt said softly, pulling the eye patch off so Blaine would stop trying to fix it.

"Is it time for school?" Blaine blinked, trying to force his medicated brain to wake up when his exhausted body clearly wanted him to stay asleep.

Kurt smiled at him. "No, honey, it's not time for school. Let me put this back on and you can go back to sleep," he held up the eye patch so Blaine could see it. Kurt noticed that Blaine's injured eye was still irritated and red, but Blaine didn't seem to be in any pain. Kurt was glad that the medicine was helping.

"I feel weird," Blaine admitted as he struggled into a sitting position. Kurt helped him with a steady hand on Blaine's elbow, feeling a surge of guilt and sadness at how vulnerable Blaine looked.

Kurt ran his hand affectionately across Blaine's cheek. "It's the medicine," he reassured.

Blaine sighed heavily. "I know," he said quietly as Kurt replaced his eye patch. When he finished, Kurt leaned forward to kiss Blaine's forehead.

"Time to go back to sleep," he encouraged gently.

His phone vibrated in his pocket again, and after he tucked Blaine back into his bed he pulled the phone out to find another message from his father.

_I know that's code for "I want to stay the night", even if you didn't mean it that way, so ok. He'll feel better having you there in the morning anyway._

Kurt smiled widely, grateful that his father trusted him so much.

"I love when you smile like that," Blaine's sleepy voice floated to Kurt's ears from the bed. "With your teeth."

Kurt stretched his mouth into the biggest smile he could manage, exaggeratedly showing off as many of his teeth as he could, and Blaine smiled back at him.

"Well _I_ love when my dad agrees to let me spend the night with you," Kurt said, walking over to sit down on the edge of the bed beside Blaine. Blaine's visible eye brightened considerably at the idea.

"Will you stay and go with me to the hospital tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

Kurt made a show of rolling his eyes. "No, of course not. It's not like we had already planned for me to meet you there before the surgery or anything."

Blaine made a noise that sounded like he was trying to laugh but was too exhausted.

"Let me just change into some pajamas," Kurt grabbed his bag from the floor near the doorway. "Be right back."

Kurt changed as fast as he could, grateful that he had thought to pack something to sleep in and a change of clothes just in case. When he returned to Blaine's room, he was not surprised to find Blaine asleep again. He stood in the doorway for a moment, just watching Blaine sleep. Then, he pulled a stack of greeting cards from his bag – he had completely forgotten that the members of New Directions had given him cards to give to Blaine – and he quietly moved around the room, setting the cards up on Blaine's dresser and nightstand so he would be able to see them in the morning when he woke up.

When Kurt finally climbed into the bed, Blaine didn't even seem to notice, so Kurt stayed on the other side of the bed and watched Blaine's chest rising and falling until he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Holy crap, this is a long one. The next one is going to feel suuuuper short in comparison, I'm afraid.<strong>_

_**Yeah, in this version they sang "Blaine" instead of "Ben". I understand why they didn't change it in the episode (copyright issues, probably), but I like to think that's what happened.**_

_**I have to say, I was having major sympathy pain when Blaine's eye was scratched... I had eye surgery once, and one of my eyes wasn't healing properly at one point after the surgery (it's fine now!) so it hurt like CRAZY. And then they gave me some numbing drops and that moment when it went from PAIN to NUMB was pretty much the best moment of my life. So I can't even imagine how much a serious scratch like Blaine's would hurt. OUCH.**_

_**Also, Blaine was too adorable when he was high, wasn't he? He was SO delighted to see Rachel and Finn, gosh. BE CUTER, BLAINE. IF YOU DARE.**_

_**And I had to have the Warblers come to apologize... I mean, there is no way sweet Trent would've just let it go! They love Blaine! So now we can rest easy knowing that Blaine and the Warblers are still friends.  
><strong>_

_**Blaine's not in the next episode (Darren was doing Broadway, YAY!), so I'm stopping here just before Blaine's surgery so there's some stuff to talk about during 'The Spanish Teacher'...**_


	29. 3x12: The Spanish Teacher

_**Well guys, we've reached the only episode of the season where Blaine's not there at all. For those of you who may not know... Darren Criss was in New York for three weeks playing J. Pierrepont Finch in 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying', so he was granted a little time off from Glee!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine's heart was hammering in his chest as he walked through the doors of the hospital on the morning of his surgery.

This was his _eye_. If the surgery went wrong, he could go _blind_.

His eye was also hurting – he hadn't been able to take any pain medication since the night before because the doctor didn't want any in his system during the surgery – and the pain, while _much_ less intense than it had been when the injury had first happened, made everything seem just a little bit worse.

As his mother signed them in and started filling out the necessary paperwork, Blaine sat down with Kurt.

"How're you feeling?" Kurt asked lightly, reaching out to and rub small, gentle circles on Blaine's back.

"Fine," Blaine lied.

Kurt was silent.

"Scared," Blaine admitted.

"I know," Kurt said. "But it's going to be okay, Blaine."

Blaine nodded. The rational part of his brain told him that Kurt was right; while no surgery was risk-free, he would probably be safe and sound at home in a few hours. But the rest of his brain was panicking. He wondered briefly if these were the last few minutes of his life. It was a strange feeling.

"Blaine Anderson?" a nurse came into the room to take him back for the operation. Blaine felt as if he might die of heart failure before he even made it to the room for the surgery as Kurt stood up with him and wrapped him into a tight hug. "See you soon," Kurt whispered in his ear.

Blaine couldn't answer; he wasn't sure if his voice would let any words out or if he would just start crying. So he just nodded and hugged both of his parents before he allowed the nurse to lead him away.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt passed most of the time while Blaine was in surgery reading for his English class, but he occasionally chatted with Blaine's parents too. Blaine's mother even asked him a bit about NYADA, and Kurt tried not to get overly excited as he explained where he was in the application process.

When the nurse returned to tell them that the surgery had been a success, Kurt let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Blaine was really going to be okay.

Blaine's parents went back to see him, but Kurt stayed behind in the waiting room. He wasn't sure if Mr. and Mrs. Anderson thought he was intruding by being at the hospital in the first place, even if it had been Blaine's idea, so he didn't want to overstep further.

The Andersons re-emerged into the waiting room a few minutes later, and this time Blaine was with them. He was leaning heavily on his father, still recovering from the anesthesia, but he looked okay. He still had the eye patch.

"Hey," Blaine said weakly, and Kurt was secretly pleased when Blaine reached out for him. Mr. Anderson didn't object, so Kurt slipped his arm around Blaine's waist and Blaine leaned on him as they walked out the door.

"You survived," Kurt teased quietly as they sat down on a bench by the hospital entrance and Blaine's parents went to get the car.

Blaine nodded slowly. "Good," he said. He looked like he might fall asleep right there on the bench, so Kurt kept a steady grip on him. Blaine looked so innocent and sweet as his eyelashes fluttered as he attempted to stay awake that Kurt couldn't keep from smiling.

"I love you," he said quietly.

Blaine turned to look at him, and when he saw that Kurt was smiling he smiled in return.

"You too," he said. "Thanks for being here."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"... and he is _so_ hot, oh my god," Kurt gushed about David Martinez.

Blaine groaned. "I hate my life," he pouted.

Kurt laughed and kissed Blaine's cheek as they snuggled together on Blaine's bed. They had put one of Finn's eye-patch friendly movies on, but it was mostly background noise as they had spent most of the afternoon talking.

"He's not as hot as you, though," Kurt offered.

"Shut up," Blaine whined, but he smiled in spite of his best attempts to look displeased.

He was feeling much better. The surgery a few days prior had gone well, and Blaine was happy that the pain was rapidly subsiding. He was still taking pain medication, but at a much lower dose than he had been prescribed immediately following the accident. At the rate that he was feeling better, Blaine hoped that he could wean himself off the medication starting at the end of the week.

But he was still missing school. It had been just over a week since his injury, but it felt like an eternity. Blaine was grateful that Kurt came to keep him company almost every day after school, but he was ready to get back to his life.

Kurt released his grip on Blaine's waist as Blaine sat up and pulled off his eye patch. He tossed it on the bedside table.

"Hey, you need that," Kurt commented.

"No," Blaine shook his head. "It's just to keep me from rubbing at my eye. While I'm fully awake it's not really necessary."

Kurt looked skeptical, but he didn't object. Blaine settled back into Kurt's arms and grabbed one of his hands, interlacing their fingers.

"I miss school," he admitted. "I miss glee."

"We miss you, too," Kurt said. "Mr. Martinez is a nice distraction, but we still have no idea what we're doing for Regionals."

Blaine thought about that for a moment. It was something of a standard in New Directions: a last-minute decision on a set list for a competition.

"No wonder you didn't win at Nationals last year," he mumbled unhappily.

Kurt laughed. "Okay, which side of the bed did you climb out of this morning? Because I'm going to force you back to sleep so you can climb out on the _other_ side when you wake up again."

Blaine sat up again and turned to face Kurt, ready to apologize or maybe argue. He wasn't sure.

Instead, he released Kurt's hand so he could grab Kurt's face in both of his hands and crush their lips together.

Kurt kissed him back, but when Blaine shifted to climb into Kurt's lap, Kurt put his hands out and held Blaine back.

"We can't," he argued.

Blaine forgot his mental note about not rolling his eyes, and was pleased when the action didn't feel nearly as strange as it had felt a week ago.

"I'm _fine_," he argued, gesturing with one hand at his injured eye. It looked perfectly normal. It didn't _feel_ absolutely normal yet, but Blaine knew it would by the end of the week.

Kurt sat up straight, and Blaine could see the hesitation in his eyes.

"You're still on painkillers," Kurt argued.

Blaine shrugged.

Kurt looked like he was having an epic internal battle, and Blaine took the opportunity to reach out and grab Kurt's hand before falling over backward and pulling Kurt down on top of him. Kurt shifted so that he was straddling Blaine's hips and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Blaine's lips.

"Not while you're drugged," he said sternly.

"_Kurt_," Blaine said, "I'm on a small dose of painkillers, not some kind of incapacitating hallucinogen."

"No," Kurt said.

"I hate your ridiculous morals," Blaine pouted.

"You do not," Kurt teased, resting his arms on Blaine's chest to kiss him again.

"Today I do," Blaine amended.

Kurt kissed him a few more times, and Blaine gave in. It was nice, just lazily kissing. Anything else would have to wait for the following week.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, Dad," Kurt greeted as he came in the door later that evening. Everyone else must've been asleep, because the house was unusually quiet.

"Hey, Kurt," Burt replied. "Come sit down for a minute?"

Kurt sank into the chair next to his father.

"How's Blaine?" Burt asked.

"He's doing really well," Kurt explained. "If things stay on track, he should be able to come back to school next week."

Burt smiled. "That's great!" he said, nodding approvingly. "Poor kid probably wants to put this whole thing behind him."

Kurt could tell by the tone of Burt's voice that there was more to this conversation than Burt wondering how Blaine's eye was healing.

"And...?" Kurt pressed.

Burt sighed.

"Kurt," he said, "you know how much I love Blaine."

Kurt nodded.

Burt put his hands out in an apologetic gesture. "But maybe... well, I want you to spend a little time with some of your other friends."

"What?" Kurt asked, surprised.

"Look," Burt said, "I know you want to spend every second of every day with Blaine. And I'd bet my life he wants that too. But you've been at Blaine's house every single day since his accident."

"He's stuck in bed all day," Kurt replied. "I'm there to keep him company. And I bring his homework."

Burt nodded. "I know," he said, "and that's great, Kurt. But I just need to make sure you're not losing sight of the rest of your life."

"I –" Kurt started to argue, but he suddenly remembered that Rachel had asked him if he wanted to sleep over the following night. And he had declined.

Burt seemed to notice the acceptance in Kurt's face, because he laughed.

"Don't worry, Kurt," he said. "I'm not saying you can't see him. But, while he's stuck at home, I'm going to have to be the parent here and set a limit. Three days a week. Including weekends. The rest of your time needs to be spent here in Lima."

"I –" Kurt started to argue, but decided against it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at his father. "Is this permanent?"

Burt shook his head. "No," he said. "Normally, you guys sort of... self-regulate. This is just until he's back at school and things return to normal."

Kurt sighed unhappily, but he didn't argue. He knew that, in trying to make sure that Blaine didn't feel alone, he had neglected his other friends.

"Good man," Burt said, reaching over to clasp Kurt's shoulder. "And it's okay if you tell Blaine that I am _making you_ stay home some. _Parents_," he faux-whined.

"Goodnight, _Dad_," Kurt acknowledged as Burt left the room.

When he was alone, Kurt pulled out his phone and sent Rachel a text message.

_Does that sleepover offer tomorrow night still stand?_

_Yes!_ Rachel replied almost immediately. _Mercedes will be there, too!_

Kurt laughed. _Okay_, he replied. _I'm in_.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As he sat on Rachel's bed the following evening with Rachel and Mercedes, Kurt admitted to himself that maybe his father knew what he was talking about. It hadn't felt like a burden going to Blaine's house every day, but it was nice to do something different. Blaine had made plans to have some of his friends from Dalton over, so Kurt felt like maybe this new schedule would be good for both of them. And Blaine would be back to school in about a week, anyway, so things would soon be back to normal.

Kurt, Rachel, and Mercedes had decided on a Twilight Saga marathon, and Kurt was content to spend the entire evening eating and mindlessly watching the films with the two girls.

"How's a girl with no ass supposed to choose between the juiced-up wolf and the depressed vampire?" Mercedes wondered as they watched. "She's into both of them."

"Oh, come on, Mercedes," Rachel said. "She just knows."

"What if they both make her feel amazing in different ways?" Mercedes asked.

"No, you don't get to choose when it comes to true love," Rachel replied. "True love chooses you. And you better be certain when it comes to marriage, because marriage is a promise and it lasts for forever."

"Ladies," Kurt interrupted, "I appreciate you spending time with me while Blaine recovers, but why are you being so weird and serious? Our periods don't come until the end of the month."

To his surprise, Rachel scooted to the center of the bed and turned off the television. Kurt protested briefly, but Rachel turned to face them and Kurt decided that maybe a little gossip would be more fun than the movie.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Rachel asked.

Neither Kurt nor Mercedes answered, but Rachel seemed to take their silence as a "yes". She tugged on her necklace and pulled a diamond ring from under her shirt.

"Rachel," Mercedes said slowly, "what the hell is that?"

"It's an engagement ring," Rachel explained.

Kurt felt like his brain had just been twisted around in his head. An _engagement ring_? "Shut up!" he exclaimed.

"Finn proposed," Rachel explained happily.

"And what did you say?" Mercedes demanded.

"I said yes!" Rachel replied, clutching the ring to her chest.

"Rachel, have you lost your damn mind?" Mercedes asked, and Kurt was glad that he wasn't the only one feeling incredulous about Rachel's announcement.

"I love Finn!" Rachel tried to justify her decision. "I really, really love him."

"Well what about NYADA?" Kurt accused. He couldn't stop thinking about her little breakdown when she thought she wasn't going to be a NYADA finalist... _all I have here is my boyfriend_. Kurt was _not_ ready to let Rachel give up on her dreams because Finn made her feel good when she was vulnerable.

"It's still gonna happen!" Rachel responded. "I have dreams for a huge life for myself, okay? Some of which include, you know, a little bit of struggle until I can make all of my dreams come true... they'll be great anecdotes for the Jimmy Kimmel show. We'll call them my 'top Ramen weeks'."

Neither Kurt nor Mercedes had anything to say to that, so Rachel continued.

"But in every single one of my dreams, okay, struggling or not... there he is," she said. "Finn. Look, I know that I'm going to be with Finn for the rest of my life as much as I know that I am going to be a huge star one day."

Kurt couldn't think of a proper way to express all the things that he was feeling.

"So you promise not to tell anyone?" Rachel asked.

"Okay, I'm going home right now to yell at Finn, because this is insane," Kurt said as his brain and his mouth started to sync up again. Maybe he could convince Finn that he and Rachel were both completely insane.

"That is not fair, Kurt!" Rachel said, pushing him back as he tried to stand up. "I mean, what would you do if Blaine proposed to you today?"

Oh.

Kurt thought of the handmade bow tie ring that Blaine had given him for Christmas. A promise. A promise to one day upgrade the ring to an engagement ring and eventually a wedding ring.

He hadn't told anyone. He displayed the colorful little ring in his room, and he told anyone who asked that Blaine made it for him, but he always left out the "and it's a promise ring" part.

But it _wasn't_ an engagement ring, Kurt reminded himself. He and Blaine both knew that they didn't need to be officially engaged or married to stick together. It was just a physical representation of the commitment they already had. No pressure.

Rachel's point still stung a little bit, though.

"So will you please keep my secret?" Rachel asked again.

"Aren't you scared you're making the wrong choice?" Mercedes asked gently.

"Look, I know that I have the right person," Rachel said. "The scary part was just... choosing to know it."

Kurt and Mercedes were both silent, and Rachel clearly felt uncomfortable with their lack of encouragement because she was suddenly defensive. "I'm engaged to Finn," she said firmly, pointing a finger at both of them. "And if you two don't like it you can leave."

Kurt turned to look at Mercedes, and they both burst into laughter.

"It's not _funny_!" Rachel pouted loudly.

It _wasn't_ funny, but Kurt couldn't stop laughing. It was just so insane.

Rachel, still sitting in the center of the bed, crossed her arms and ignored her friends until they managed to get their laughter under control.

"Okay," Mercedes giggled, "we're sorry."

"Only about laughing," Kurt amended.

Rachel rolled her eyes and abruptly changed the subject.

"So, what about you and Sam?" she asked Mercedes.

"There is no 'me and Sam'," Mercedes said sourly.

"He's clearly into you," Rachel said authoritatively. "And you're clearly into him. So what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure I'm interested in relationship advice from you right now," Mercedes replied.

Kurt let his head fall back against the headboard. "You two are such messes," he chided.

"How is it that _you_, of all three of us, are in the best relationship?" Mercedes whined.

"I beg your pardon!" Kurt pretended to be offended. "It is not a competition."

"True," Mercedes sighed.

"But if it were," Kurt said lightly, "I'd be winning."

Mercedes hit him with a pillow, and Kurt jumped off the bed to avoid Rachel's projectile – the entire bowl of popcorn.

"Now be quiet," Kurt scolded as he climbed back onto the bed and brushed the spilled popcorn onto the floor for Rachel to deal with later. "I want to finish the movie."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"... and the boots are fabulous!" Kurt told Blaine on the phone a few days later. "I'll bring them next time I come. They're difficult to walk in, but sometimes you have to give up comfort in the name of fashion."

"I can't wait to get back," Blaine said wistfully. "Have Rachel and Finn told anyone else?"

Kurt had told him about Rachel and Finn's engagement the morning after the sleepover, but had sworn him to secrecy.

"I don't think so," Kurt said.

"Have you talked to Finn about it yet?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head, even though Blaine couldn't see him. "Not yet," he admitted. "But that's where I'm going now."

"He'll hear you out," Blaine reassured him. "Just... be nice."

"Are you saying I'm not always nice?" Kurt teased.

"I'm not saying anything," Blaine said lightly.

Kurt sighed. "I got some college brochures from Ms. Pillsbury," he explained. "I'm going to attempt the 'you're better than this' approach before the 'you're out of your mind' approach."

"See?" Blaine laughed. "That's nice."

"I learned from the best," Kurt grinned. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I've got to go knock some sense into my step-brother.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, dude," Finn greeted Kurt from one of the weight lifting benches as Kurt entered the locker room. "Wanna lift some?"

"No thanks," Kurt said. "I've never really understood the whole process. Plus, I do the Tracy Anderson Method in the comfort and privacy of my own bedroom."

"Huh," Finn acknowledged.

"Why don't you pick up these?" Kurt suggested, placing a stack of college brochures beside Finn. "They're from Ms. Pillsbury."

"College brochures," Finn noticed. "And we've got... Fordham, NYU, Adelphi."

"That one's in Long Island," Kurt explained. "Yeah, there's a train station right next to the campus... right into Manhattan. And I think they have a football team. I think they all have musical theater programs, too."

_And they're all near Rachel_, Kurt added silently.

"That's sweet, dude," Finn said, "but, you know, college isn't for everyone."

"Neither is marriage," Kurt replied immediately.

That got Finn's attention.

"I can't believe she told you," Finn huffed.

"I can't believe _you_ didn't," Kurt responded. "We're supposed to be brothers."

"Look," Finn said, "I didn't want to put you in an awkward position with Burt, okay? I don't want him to know yet."

"Hey, you think something you have to keep from everyone you love might not be the best idea in the first place?" Kurt replied.

"Don't get down on me about this, dude," Finn retorted. "Rachel's, like, the only good thing I've got going in my life right now."

That was it. Kurt had imagined that a general lack of self-esteem was probably what brought on the sudden proposal. It was certainly what prompted Rachel to accept.

"No she isn't, Finn" Kurt argued. "Look, I get you've had a rough year with finding out who your dad really is and losing the scholarship. But you're a star, Finn. Just as bright as Rachel. You just don't believe in yourself."

"Yeah, well, the proof's in the pudding," Finn said. "And my pudding pretty much sucks."

"Look, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't marry Rachel," Kurt clarified. "I love her, despite all her crazy, and I think you would be lucky to marry her. One day. But I don't want you just to turn yourself into nothing but the guy who holds her purse on the red carpet!"

"I'm getting to the point in my life where I kinda need to be honest with myself about who I am," Finn said.

"And who is that?" Kurt asked.

"Not you," Finn said softly. "Not Rachel."

Kurt remembered being in the room full of NYADA applicants. It was easy to feel common and boring when you were surrounded by people who were also talented. Finn needed to remember that he had interesting things to offer the world.

"That's the point, Finn," Kurt replied. "There are plenty of us, trust me. The one thing glee clubs and theater programs don't have is the hot, straight football player who can sing and sort-of dance. You're unique, Finn. And I can't see this proposal thing as anything else but you giving up on yourself."

"No, no it's not," Finn said immediately before stopping to think about it for a moment. "Well, at least I don't think it is."

It was, Kurt thought. It was what this was all about.

"Your time isn't up, Finn," Kurt told him. "It's just beginning."

Not wanting to press the issue further after a mostly successful pep talk, Kurt turned to leave.

"Hey Kurt?" Finn called after him as he walked to the door. Kurt turned back to look at him. "Thanks."

The acknowledgement gave Kurt some hope as he turned and left the locker room. Maybe Finn would get his confidence back and the pair would realize that waiting to make their engagement official wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt went to see Blaine at the end of the week. And he found that, after a few days apart, they had a lot to talk about. Blaine told Kurt about his time with some of the Warblers when they had come over earlier in the week, and Kurt told Blaine about Santana's duet with Mr. Martinez and Mr. Schu's horrible performance. Kurt gave Blaine all the details about Tina, who had been stuck at home all week with the flu but was finally starting to feel better, and Blaine gave Kurt a play-by-play of his first real trip outside of his house since his accident: a trip with his parents for ice cream the night before.

"I'm still bitter that I didn't get to meet Mr. Martinez, though," Blaine sighed as he finished the story. "He sounds awesome."

"He's is," Kurt grinned, bouncing lightly on the bed. "And oh, on that note... guess what?"

"What?" Blaine asked, taking a long drink of his water.

"Mr. Martinez is taking over as McKinley's Spanish teacher."

Blaine nearly choked to death on his drink, and Kurt laughed until he felt like he might throw up.

"You are such a liar!" Blaine whined when he managed to stop coughing.

"It's not a lie!" Kurt giggled. "I'm serious."

Blaine studied him for a moment until he was satisfied that Kurt was telling the truth.

"Oh god," he said. Kurt nodded, barely managing to stifle another round of laughter.

"But wait," Blaine realized, "they fired Mr. Schuester?"

Kurt shook his head. "No," he explained, "he's taking Mrs. Hagberg's history class."

Blaine frowned. "Is he qualified to teach history?"

Kurt shrugged, and Blaine scrunched his nose in disapproval.

They discussed the shortcomings of Ohio's public schools for a while until Kurt realized that he needed to get home.

"See you this week?" he asked, hoping that Blaine would have some insight as to whether or not he would be able to return to school.

"I'm going to the doctor on Monday during the day," Blaine reminded him. "So we'll see. I'll see you on Tuesday evening, regardless," Blaine winked.

Kurt kissed him and hopped off the bed.

"Valentine's Day... your favorite holiday," he teased, blowing a dramatic kiss as he ran out the door to escape Blaine's retaliation.

* * *

><p><em><strong>It's really too bad that Blaine wasn't around to meet David Martinez... but yeah, I'm just going to pretend that Blaine takes Spanish so he'll meet him eventually and he gets to stare at him every day in class. ;)<strong>_

_**Up next... 'Heart'!**_


	30. 3x13: Heart

_**It's Valentine's Day in the Glee universe! And sweet Blaine is getting ready to make a comeback...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt was having a terrible day.

Blaine had gone to the doctor earlier in the morning, and it wasn't good news. _The doctor says my eye is healing slower than expected. :(_

That meant Blaine wouldn't be back to school until the day _after_ Valentine's Day.

And Valentine's Day was _everywhere_. The school was all decorated in red and pink, and it was all everyone was talking about. As Kurt sat at the piano in the choir room with his chin resting on his folded arms, he watched the couples of New Directions goofing off and flirting and being generally adorable and he felt lonely and frustrated.

Even a card from Blaine that he had found in his locker that morning – a cheesy card with a bee on the front ("bee mine") and "love, your secret admirer" printed on the inside – couldn't cheer Kurt up. It only reminded him what he was missing with Blaine stuck at home on what was supposed to be the sappiest, most romantic week of the year.

It also didn't help that Rachel and Finn's engagement was all he could think about when he looked at his friend or his step-brother. Or that Kurt had decided to tell his father and Carole about the secret engagement the night before...

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm sorry, <em>engaged_?" Burt asked as soon as the words were out of Kurt's mouth._

_Kurt nodded._

_Carole and Burt exchanged a worried glance._

"_How do you know about this, Kurt?" Carole asked gently._

"_Rachel told me," Kurt explained. "She told me not to tell anyone... but I can handle her tantrum over me telling if it means we can somehow stop them from making this mistake."_

"_What are they _thinking_?" Carole moaned, rubbing her face with her hands in frustration._

"_We've gotta be careful," Burt said. "If we storm in and tell them they're not thinking clearly, they'll push back and we'll lose any chance to get through to them."_

_Kurt opened his mouth to offer his advice on the matter, but Burt cut him off with a wave of his arm._

"_It's okay, kiddo," Burt said. "I know you want to help and, for the record, I think you did the right thing by telling us. But I think Carole and I need to talk about this alone now, okay?"_

_Kurt nodded. He understood. They were Finn's parents, and it really wasn't fair to conspire with one son behind the other son's back. He turned and left the room, retreating to his bedroom for a restless night of sleep._

* * *

><p>"Okay everybody, let's hear it for love!" Mr. Schu's voice interrupted Kurt's thoughts. "Your assignment for Valentine's week is to find and perform the world's greatest love songs."<p>

Kurt wasn't really looking forward to spending every afternoon of the week watching his friends serenading each other, but he tried to remind himself that Blaine would be back soon enough.

"Now, Regionals is next week and we still need to raise $250 for costumes and hairspray," Mr. Schu reminded them.

"Oh god, not another bake sale," Kurt mumbled.

"If any student gives $10, we will sing these world's greatest love songs to their Valentine," Mr. Schu explained. "We will serenade each classroom –"

"No!" everyone chorused. They all ignored Rachel's "yes!".

"Two years ago, we went room-to-room Christmas caroling," Tina reminded him. "They threw food."

"And shoes," Mike added.

Sugar raised her hand.

"Yes, Sugar?" Mr. Schu called on her.

"Here's a spoonful of sugar for you all," Sugar said. "Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff when you're rich."

She stood up and walked up to Mr. Schu at the front of the room.

"So," she said, pulling a bunch of cash out of her purse, "here you go!"

"Uh, Sugar, I can't take that," Mr. Schu protested.

"Take it!" Kurt snapped, not in the mood to deal with any more ideas about how they could raise the money.

"Okay," Mr. Schu acquiesced. "Everyone give it up for Sugar for paying for our Final Net and cummerbunds!"

"I love the sound of applause," Sugar said happily to Mr. Schu as everyone cheered, "even if I have to buy it."

For once, Kurt was glad that she was such an attention-seeker.

"Okay everyone," Sugar turned to the other students in the room, "look under your chairs! Except you, Artie... your chair kept moving so I hid your surprise in the wastebasket."

"V-Day is my fav day ever," Sugar explained as everyone discovered the little heart-shaped boxes of chocolates under their chairs, "and, to help me celebrate, my daddy is throwing me a huge re-dec party at Breadstix. And I'm naming it the Sugar Shack. _And_... drum roll, Rachel... you're all invited!"

"Oh," Sugar added, "but you have to bring a date. No single people allowed. They're sad and boring and they don't exist in my world."

"Um, but you're single," Mercedes reminded her.

"Not for long," Sugar countered.

Kurt sighed heavily, and Sugar noticed.

"You can come, though, Kurt!" she cried, rushing over to wrap her arms around his shoulders for an excited hug. "Even if your sweetheart can't be there, you're still not a single person!"

"Thanks..." Kurt said dully.

"You're welcome!" Sugar replied cheerfully, patting his head briefly before skipping off to return to her seat.

Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and reminded himself that he _wasn't_ single this year. Not only was he in a relationship, but he was in a _healthy_ relationship with the sweetest boy he had ever known. Kurt knew he was overreacting, but he hated how not having Blaine around reminded him of all the years he had spent alone on Valentine's Day while his friends cuddled with their partners all around him.

"Everything alright, Kurt?" Mr. Schu asked as the other students started chatting about what songs they would sing.

Kurt nodded, although not enthusiastically.

"I'm alright, Mr. Schu," he said. "I'm just really ready for Blaine to come back."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine's phone woke him from a nap, and he nearly knocked his can of soda off his bedside table as he grabbed his phone and answered without looking at the name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hi Blaine!" Sugar's voice squealed into his ear. "Can I come in, please?"

"What?" Blaine asked, rubbing his uninjured eye as he sat up.

"I'm outside!" she said brightly. "I was going to just knock on the door, but this is more fun!"

"You're–" Blaine shook his head. How did she know his address? "Yeah, hold on."

He quickly checked to make sure he didn't look _too_ much like someone who had spent the past two weeks lying in bed all day before rushing down the stairs to let her into the house.

"_Hi!_" she said as he opened the door, and she threw herself into his arms for a hug. Blaine smiled. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

"Hey," he replied.

"You look so _cute_!" Sugar complimented as she stepped back from the hug.

Blaine laughed. "Thanks, Sugar," he said as they walked into the house and Blaine closed the door behind them.

"Your parents have nice taste," Sugar assessed as she examined the house's décor as they walked to Blaine's room. "But where are all the pictures?"

Blaine shrugged. "My parents aren't particularly sentimental," he explained with a shrug.

"Awwwww, but you have a photo of Kurt!" Sugar noticed as soon as she entered Blaine's room. "He misses you a lot, you know. I can tell."

Blaine sighed. "I miss him too."

"I'm here to rescue you!" Sugar said, hopping onto Blaine's bed.

Blaine wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Valentine's Day is the most important day of any couple's life," Sugar said seriously. "You cannot miss it."

"Kurt's going to come here after your party," Blaine explained.

"What kind of romance is that?" Sugar scolded. "No, you're going to come to my party and you're going to surprise him..."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day was a significant improvement for Kurt. He had found another card in his locker that morning, and Kurt's general mood was positive enough that it made him feel good and wanted rather than lonely. He and Blaine had chatted on the phone for three hours the evening before, and just hearing Blaine's voice had brightened Kurt's outlook on the whole situation.

As Kurt carried his tray of food to the table where his friends were already sitting, he felt like maybe this whole Valentine's week wouldn't be such a disaster after all.

"Wait, which one are you going to take to Sugar's V-Day party?" Tina was saying to Puck as Kurt sat down.

"All of them," Puck answered.

"The entire sorority?" Artie asked.

"They don't call them the 'easy d-easies' for nothing," Puck explained. "I got the gig cleaning the sorority house swimming pool, then I sawed through those chicks like a freakin' sex tornado. Room to room."

"You're amazing," Rory said.

"I'm a professional," Puck corrected. "Tried the true love thing –"

"With a teacher," Mike interrupted.

"– it wasn't for me," Puck finished.

"Well," Kurt said, "it is for me. And apparently it's for Blaine too." He pulled the card he had discovered in his locker out from under his tray. "Look, even from his sick bed he's managed to send me a new Valentine's card every single day this week."

"It says 'from your secret admirer," Artie pointed out as he leaned over to look at the card.

"So romantic," Kurt sighed.

The rest of the table didn't respond, and Kurt turned to find a man in a gorilla suit standing beside him. He jumped briefly, but quickly remembered that it was McKinley's strange way of allowing students to send Valentine's Day messages to each other for a few dollars.

"A gorilla gram? _Pour moi_?" Kurt asked. He took the paper from the man in the gorilla suit.

"'To Kurt, from your secret admirer'... again! Well, I wonder who it could be!" Kurt laughed. He turned to the man in the gorilla suit. "Will you tell me who it is, Valentine gorilla?"

The gorilla shook his head no, and handed Kurt a bunch of balloons attached to a little stuffed gorilla before walking away.

"You see, Puckerman," Kurt said as he turned his attention back to the table, "that's what you're missing out on. True love."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Rachel, you had an announcement?" Mr. Schu asked.

"Yeah," Rachel confirmed. "Actually, Finn and I have an announcement we'd like to make."

Finn and Rachel got up and walked to the front of the room, and Kurt knew what was coming.

"Finn and I are proud to announce... that we're finally getting married!" Rachel exclaimed, flashing her engagement ring, which was now on her finger.

The reaction was much as Kurt had anticipated. Mostly negative. And confused.

"When's the baby's due date?" Puck asked.

"Wait, guys," Mr. Schu said, "have you both carefully thought this through?"

"Yes," Rachel said, "and our parents are totally behind us. And your plan to stop us by telling them totally backfired, Mr. Schu."

"Actually," Kurt corrected, "I'm the one who told them. Because I think you guys are making a mistake. A _huge_ mistake."

He and Blaine had talked about it over the weekend. Blaine didn't feel _as_ strongly that the engagement was a mistake as Kurt did, but they both agreed that Rachel and Finn were making this drastic step for the wrong reasons. Blaine had been the one to suggest that Kurt tell his father and Carole, and Kurt had quickly agreed that _someone_ more mature than any of them needed to get involved before things got too out of hand.

But clearly whatever his father and Carole – and LeRoy and Hiram Berry, who Kurt _knew_ would not approve – were planning had not taken shape yet. Or whatever they had tried hadn't worked. Because Rachel and Finn seemed more confident than ever in their decision.

"When's the wedding?" Quinn asked.

"The date is TBD," Rachel explained, "but I can assure all of you that we're going to have a very simple and elegant ceremony at the Justice of the Peace, which all of you are invited to, and we're registered at Samuel French."

"You guys aren't mature enough or old enough to properly face this type of commitment," Quinn argued.

"If you don't support us, then I feel sorry for you and you're not invited to the wedding..." Rachel said quickly. Finn glanced down at her, and she amended with "...which makes me really sad, because I would've loved to have seen you in a bridesmaid's dress, Quinn. And you as well, Kurt."

Kurt had never imagined that he would be so disinterested in a wedding. His best friend's wedding, at that. But he just wanted it all to go away.

"I'd be happy to be a bridesmaid, Rachel," Tina said. "I'm not sure _I'm_ ready to get married, but I do know what being in love feels like."

"We'll be there," Mike confirmed.

"Thanks guys," Finn said, "and we hope the rest of you all change your minds because it would mean a lot to us if you were all there."

Kurt had a feeling that he would have to go to the wedding in some capacity or risk losing Rachel as a friend all together, but he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Well, add me to the list of people who are wishing you the best in your married," Artie said, rolling to the front of the room. "However, let's– let's stop the fighting and remind ourselves that Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching. So, if you'll excuse me..."

Finn and Rachel didn't move.

"If you'll excuse me..." Artie repeated quietly, motioning with his hands. Finn and Rachel quickly moved to return to their seats.

As Kurt helped Artie serenade Sugar, he was happy for the distraction. He knew Rachel was going to be unhappy with him for telling Burt and Carole about the engagement.

He was right.

"Kurt!" Rachel called after him as he left the choir room after glee practice. He sighed, knowing that they would have to have this conversation eventually.

"Yes?" he asked, turning to face her.

To his surprise, she didn't look particularly angry.

"Look," Rachel said formally. "I understand. I do. We're young. And you're worried because you love me. I can appreciate that."

"You're making a mistake," Kurt said.

It wasn't the response she was looking for.

"What mistake?" Rachel said sharply. "Choosing to make our love official?"

"Why do you need a piece of paper from the government to reassure you that you're in love?" Kurt replied coolly.

"We don't!" she huffed.

"Well then, what's the rush?" Kurt asked. "If you're still going to be in love five years from now, why not wait?"

He knew the answer. Because both Rachel and Finn were scared that once they got out of Lima, they might find that they weren't as perfect for each other as they thought.

Rachel made a frustrated noise and looked like she had no idea what to say.

"We're still friends, Rachel," Kurt reassured her.

She nodded, and Kurt could see in her eyes that she was glad to hear him say it. He gave her a small smile before he turned to walk away.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt found another card in his locker before glee practice the next day. _Be mine forever. From, your secret honey._

He bounced happily, clutching the card to his chest briefly. Blaine hadn't mentioned the cards at all, and Kurt thought it was all very romantic and exciting. Blaine was pretending to be a secret admirer, so Kurt would pretend that nothing was going on.

There was also a second note in his locker. It was more direct, asking him to meet his "secret admirer" at Breadstix before Sugar's party on Valentine's Day.

Kurt couldn't wait. Their plan had been for Kurt to drive to Blaine's house after spending a little time at Sugar's party, but Kurt was secretly pleased that the plan had changed to Blaine coming to Lima for the party. He would get to show off his boyfriend on the most romantic day of the year.

As he strolled into glee club, Kurt was sure that this Valentine's Day was going to be a hundred times better than any he had experienced before.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt got ready for Sugar's party on Valentine's Day evening, he put on some music and sang happily along to his favorite Broadway playlist.

He was home alone – Rachel, Finn, Burt, and Carole had gone to the Berrys for dinner, and Sam had decided to hang out with the God Squad before the party – and Kurt felt amazing.

He had a wonderful boyfriend. He was a finalist at one of New York's top performing arts schools. He was so much more confident and sure of himself than he had been a year ago.

Everything was perfect.

He had spent two hours the night before picking out the perfect outfit. Something that included red for Valentine's Day but that also didn't look too gaudy. He was especially excited about his tie, which was patterned with hearts and skulls and crossbones.

As he checked his appearance one final time in the mirror, he admitted to himself that part of his nervous energy had to do with the fact that this was his first time out with Blaine in more than two weeks. He wanted to look good.

He didn't see Blaine's car in the parking lot when he arrived at Breadstix, but it didn't seem like a big deal. Maybe Blaine had parked somewhere else to give the surprise extra impact.

"FYI, we've got a private party here tonight, hon" a Breadstix waitress told him as he walked into the restaurant, scanning the room for Blaine.

"Oh, I know, I know," Kurt replied. "I'm early." He motioned to his invitation. "Well, according to this, I'm early. I'm supposed to be meeting my cutie here for a long overdue reunion," he explained, "but, uh... I guess he didn't make it."

Kurt wasn't sure what to make of Blaine not being at the restaurant at the specified time. Was he stuck in traffic?

"Wouldn't be too sure about that," the waitress said, glancing toward the door.

Kurt turned to see the man in the gorilla suit. He had imagined that a stranger had been inside the suit – a co-conspirator – but maybe Blaine had decided to put it on tonight to make sure that Kurt would make the connection with the secret admirer cards.

"I knew it," Kurt smiled. He took the offered heart-shaped box of candies and read the message written on the outside.

_Dear Kurt, happy Valentine's Day. I think I love you._

"Wait," Kurt wondered, "you _think_ you love me?"

He looked up – wait, this person was taller than him so it couldn't be Blaine – as the gorilla mask slid off and revealed David Karofsky.

Kurt felt as if someone had injected an anesthetic into his veins.

"Karfosky," he said, not sure how he should react. Or even how he _wanted _to react.

He had spent the entire week excited about something that wasn't even real.

Where was Blaine?

"Hey," Karofsky said shyly.

"I– do you– what–" Kurt stammered, taken aback by the kindness in Karofsky's face. Sure, he and Karofsky had shared a nice, if brief, conversation at Scandals a few months earlier, and Kurt was no longer afraid of the other boy, but he hadn't forgotten all the torment of the year before.

"Let's sit down," Karofsky offered. He removed the gorilla suit and put it in the booth beside him as they sat down.

They were both silent for a moment, and Kurt knew he was going to have to say _something_ before his brain shut down entirely.

"So... you tormented me, shoved me into lockers, called me horrible names, and hate-kissed me," Kurt recalled. "Now, after one conversation in a bar, you want us to be together?"

"When I was at McKinley, I hated who I was," Karfosky explained. "I took that out on you because... there you were. So proud. I've wanted to call you since that night at Scandals."

He glanced around nervously before extending his hand across the table and gently grasping Kurt's hand.

"It's taken me a while," Karfosky said, "but, for the first time in my life, I'm trying to be honest about what I feel."

Kurt knew this was an important moment. Karfosky was so unsure. Kurt needed to react as gently as possible.

He slowly pulled his hands away, proud of himself for not yanking out of the other boy's grasp immediately.

"And I'm flattered," Kurt said, "I– I really am. But David, you just _think_ that you love me. You don't _really_ love me."

"No," Karofsky disagreed. "You've helped me so much, Kurt. You don't know."

Kurt _did_ know.

By the time Kurt had known Blaine for a week, he had been hopelessly smitten with the dapper young man from Dalton. Blaine had been everything that Kurt wanted to be. Handsome, talented, smart, kind, confident, out and proud. He had seemed like a hero, swooping in to save Kurt from himself and from anyone who was shoving him around, literally and figuratively.

But, over time, Kurt had transitioned from loving the _idea_ of Blaine to loving Blaine the _person_. Blaine had flaws just like everyone else. He was quick to trust. He could be completely oblivious to things going on around him. He had a tendency to interfere in things that weren't really his business. But Blaine was also sweet, thoughtful, and competent. And Kurt loved him more than he had ever thought he would ever love another person.

Karofsky didn't really _know_ Kurt. The person Karofsky was in love with wasn't even real.

"I haven't come out at school yet," Karofsky continued, "but maybe I will next year..."

Kurt knew that he had to be direct. He _wanted_ to just say something vague and hope that Karofsky would get the point, but that wasn't fair. To either of them.

"David, look," Kurt said, "I am _so_ proud of you for– for coming so far. And I want you to be happy. And you _will_ be happy. But... I'm with Blaine. And I like you, but just as friends."

That upset Karofsky, which made sense to Kurt. This was probably the first time David had ever admitted his feelings to another man, and he was being rejected.

"I should go," Karofsky said quickly, standing up from his seat in the booth.

"Wait, no, you don't have to go," Kurt said, standing up too.

"I hope you like the candies," Karofsky said, pausing briefly to turn back around to look at Kurt. "The butterscotch ones are my favorite."

Kurt didn't know what to say, and Karofsky turned to leave.

"Mine too," an unknown male voice said. "Hey, Karofsky."

As Karofsky stopped walking and Kurt saw a boy sitting at a table with a girl who Kurt assumed was his girlfriend, Kurt realized that this must be one of Karofsky's new classmates. Memories of how desperate _he_ had once felt as he tried to stay in the closet washed over Kurt like a flood.

"Nick," Karofsky greeted.

"You guys hanging out for Valentine's Day?" Nick asked.

"No, no," Kurt said, trying to act as casual as possible. "We used to go to the same school. We just bumped into each other."

"That's exactly what it looked like," Nick said skeptically.

"I've gotta go," Karofsky said.

"_David_," Kurt tried to stop him, but he knew that Karofsky was panicking.

"I'll talk to you later," Karofsky said, and he was gone.

Kurt didn't want to follow him out, but he didn't want to have a meltdown in the middle of the restaurant, either.

He needed to talk to Blaine. He needed to hear Blaine's voice. He needed to remember that Blaine was a real person – his real boyfriend – and not some person Kurt had made up in his mind to get him through the darkness.

Hoping that Karofsky would have gone immediately to his car, Kurt hurried outside. There was nobody around, and Kurt fumbled with his phone as he dialed Blaine's number.

"Hey, you," Blaine answered cheerfully.

Kurt felt tears flooding into his eyes, but he blinked rapidly to hold them back. He was _not_ going to cry about this. This was supposed to be his perfect night. With Blaine.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"Uh, s–sorry," Kurt stammered. "Never mind..."

"No, no, no!" Blaine said quickly, his voice suddenly concerned. "Don't hang up! What's going on?"

"Karofsky was here," he said.

"Karofksy?" Blaine repeated. "Kurt, did he hurt you? Are you –"

"_No!_" Kurt corrected loudly. "No. _No_. Nothing like that."

He heard Blaine exhale loudly in relief.

"He told me he loves me," Kurt admitted quietly.

Blaine was silent for a moment, and Kurt was glad that, at least, it was a surprise to Blaine too.

"He's been sending me cards all week," Kurt elaborated, and he could feel his voice rising in pitch and his words increasing in speed as he poured his nervous energy into the phone. "I thought they were from you! I thought it was all one big surprise, so I didn't mention it, but it was _him_. And I _know_ that he can't _really_ love me but he thinks he does and he was so upset when I told him that I wasn't interested... I wasn't nice enough. I should've been –"

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted. "_Kurt_."

Kurt fell silent.

"You did great, Kurt," Blaine said confidently. "I know you did. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Kurt replied. He couldn't figure out how to put into words _why_ it felt so terrible, so he settled for a groan of frustration.

"I just needed to hear your voice," Kurt admitted. "I miss you so much."

"I love you," Blaine said intensely. "I know this feels overwhelming, but it's going to be okay. Say that out loud, Kurt."

"It's going to be okay," Kurt repeated.

"Good," Blaine said.

"I'm coming to your house now," Kurt said suddenly. "I don't care about this stupid party or about Karofsky or about anything. I just want to be where you are."

"No," Blaine said gently. "That's not true. You _do_ care about those things. And you should."

"But I care about you more," Kurt said.

"I know," Blaine said, and the tiny bit of teasing in his voice made Kurt smile.

Kurt glanced up as he heard a car door slamming closed, and the sight of Quinn walking across the parking lot toward him made him feel a lot better. This hadn't been a huge, life-altering moment. It was still Valentine's Day. Blaine still loved him. He still loved Blaine. And they could just revert to what had been their plan all along – for Kurt to spend about an hour at Sugar's party before coming to Blaine's house to spend most of the evening there.

"Okay," Kurt said. "Yeah. It's okay."

"I'll see you tonight, Kurt," Blaine said.

"I love you," Kurt replied. "Thanks for always knowing what to say to me when I'm freaking out."

Blaine laughed. "I love you, too. See you soon."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Okay!" Sugar grabbed Blaine's face in both of her hands and giggled excitedly, "Remember, wait for me to introduce you!"

Blaine laughed. "I'll wait, I promise."

Sugar released his face and squealed with delight as she rushed back inside to keep the party going. When he was alone outside the restaurant, Blaine leaned against the wall near the door. His stomach knotted with nerves as he thought about Kurt, just on the other side of the wall, missing him and dealing with Karofsky's confession. He hoped that his surprise appearance would cheer Kurt up. He wanted to rush in and find Kurt and make sure he was okay, but he was excited about the plan that he and Sugar had put together. The surprise would take Kurt's mind off of what had happened.

He heard the God Squad start their song, and he stepped away from the wall to check his reflection in the glass of one of the shuttered windows. He smiled at the sight of his heart-shaped eye patch, straightened his hat, and slipped through the door into the restaurant.

He saw Kurt immediately. He was sitting near the front of the room, smiling dully as he watched the performance. Blaine snuck away from the door and ducked behind a bunch of large heart-shaped balloons with his back to the room so he wouldn't be spotted before Sugar's big reveal. He knelt down briefly to grab the microphone that Sugar had strategically hidden on the ground in a heart-shaped chocolate box.

The room applauded loudly as the song finished, and Blaine felt his heart rate increase as he moved back to stand near the door. He couldn't wait to see the look on Kurt's face. Kurt, who had been so patient with him as he recovered and who hadn't complained even once that he wasn't going to get to spend Valentine's Day with his boyfriend.

"Okay, everyone!" Sugar's voice rang out. "It's time for my _extra_ special guest!"

Blaine switched on his microphone.

"Back from the dead," Sugar continued, "and cute and compact as ever..."

Blaine waited for a moment to be sure that she was finished, and he twirled around as the spotlight fell on him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!" he smiled, catching Kurt's gaze for a moment. Kurt looked completely shocked, and Blaine was happy that the surprise had been successful.

"This song is dedicated to all the lovers in the room," Blaine grinned, and he rushed up to the front of the room where Rachel, Mercedes, and Brittany were waiting to sing with him.

"_If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says fifteen miles to the Love Shack... Love Shack, yeah._"

As Blaine sang and danced, he felt so _good_. He had hardly been out of his house for more than two weeks, and he had missed his friends. And singing. And dancing.

But mostly he had missed being with Kurt.

He danced over to the other boy and shimmied down to his level, and Kurt looked so happy that Blaine knew he had made the right decision to come and surprise him. When Blaine offered Kurt his microphone and Kurt refused, only to produce a microphone of his own, Blaine grabbed Kurt's tie and playfully pulled him up from his chair.

As they sang and danced together, Blaine was sure that he had never loved Kurt more. Kurt had taken such good care of him while he had been stuck at home. But it felt wonderful to be an equal again. Things were back to normal.

And Kurt looked happier than he had looked in weeks, which made Blaine's heart ache with joy. He was glad that Kurt wasn't letting Karofsky's ill-timed confession ruin his evening.

When the song ended, Kurt was standing right in front of him and Blaine had a million things he wanted to say. But, before either he or Kurt could say anything, they were suddenly crushed together as Sugar threw her arms around both of them and squeezed them tightly.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" she exclaimed happily. "Are you surprised, Kurt?"

"Yes," Kurt pulled out of her grasp, smiling broadly and not taking his eyes off of Blaine, "yes, I am."

Sugar hung on Blaine's arm, incredibly excited. "Did you see the heart eye patch?"

Kurt nodded, finally turning an amused smile in her direction as her voice rose with enthusiasm. She released Blaine's arm only to throw a finger up to point at his eye. "It's because he always gives you _heart eyes_!" she squealed, "It was my idea!"

Without waiting for a response, she clapped her hands rapidly and rushed away.

Blaine turned to watch her leave, and when he turned back around Kurt was right in front of him.

"Heart eyes?" Kurt teased.

Blaine wobbled his head playfully and leaned forward so that all he could see were Kurt's eyes.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Blaine whispered.

Kurt reached out and grabbed his face to pull him in for a gentle kiss. Blaine could feel Kurt smiling against his lips, and, when Kurt pulled away, Blaine felt a happy, and slightly embarrassed, blush spreading across his face.

Kurt didn't say anything right away, but he reached up and Blaine closed his eyes to let Kurt brush his thumb across Blaine's right eyelid. "Good as new?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"Good as new," Blaine confirmed with a gentle smile.

Kurt opened his mouth to say something else, but a hand on Blaine's arm interrupted them.

"Welcome back," Santana's happy voice was suddenly in his ear, and he was surprised to feel her peck a quick kiss on his cheek. He turned to smile at her as the other members of New Directions followed Santana's lead and came over to crush him in a big group hug.

"Thanks, guys," Blaine gushed contentedly as they released him. "I've missed you."

There was a chorus of "awwwww"s from the girls, and Brittany leaned over to look intently into Blaine's eyes.

"How did they get your new eye to match your old eye so well?" she asked seriously.

"They just fixed his old eye, babe," Santana said, grabbing her arm to pull her away.

As the group dispersed, Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms around Blaine in a tight hug.

"Thanks for coming," he said. "I needed this."

Blaine kissed his neck a few times until Kurt pulled away.

"Let's go outside," he suggested.

Blaine just nodded, and he allowed Kurt to lead him out into the cool nighttime air.

Their hopes of finding some privacy outside were quickly dashed as they noticed that there were people hanging out outside too. It was cold, but not so cold that it was unbearable to be outdoors.

Kurt sighed unhappily.

"Well, come on, then," Blaine said lightheartedly, motioning to the parking lot. "I've got something for you."

"Me first," Kurt giggled, tightening his grip on Blaine's arm and pulling him across the parking lot to where his car was parked. He had to release Blaine to open the trunk and lift out a small vintage suitcase with a big red bow tied around the handle on top.

"Kurt!" Blaine dropped into a crouch beside the suitcase to examine it. "This is gorgeous!"

"Aren't you going to ask why I'm giving this to you for Valentine's Day?" Kurt asked coyly. Blaine stood up and stepped close to Kurt to bat his eyelashes at the other boy.

"Why are you giving me this for Valentine's Day?" he asked sweetly. He _was_ curious.

"_Well_," Kurt said, clearly very pleased with himself, "I did a little testing and exactly four days worth of your clothes will fit in this bag."

Blaine felt a wave of confusion. He couldn't remember agreeing to go anywhere with Kurt. Had he agreed to something when he was under the influence of his pain medication that he couldn't remember?

His confusion must have been written all over his face, because Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately. "For when you come for long weekends to New York, of course! And you won't need toiletries because I'll just keep some for you. So this will be everything you need."

Blaine's heart stammered in his chest as he looked at the warmth and certainty on the other boy's face. This was Kurt's ultimate romantic gesture; an invitation to share his life in New York.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine's silence. "And I thought it would match your room so it won't annoy you when you're at home."

"_You_," Blaine grabbed Kurt's shoulders and shook him gently, "are the most _thoughtful_, sweet, _perfect_ person on this planet. I love you _so_ much. Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt shrugged noncommittally, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from turning up as he looked at Blaine's joyful face. "I love you," Kurt echoed.

"No lonely hearts club dinner this year?" Blaine teased.

"Just as long as there's not a GAP in sight," Kurt quipped, reaching out to straighten Blaine's hat.

Blaine laughed and moved to pick up his new suitcase. "Come on," he said excitedly, reaching out with to grasp Kurt's hand and lead him across the parking lot to where his car was parked. He pushed Kurt gently against the side of the car with a quick kiss and told him to stay there before he disappeared into the car to grab something off the front passenger seat.

He reappeared with a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates. "To start," he winked as he handed the giant box to Kurt and disappeared into the car again.

Kurt laughed, but before he could say anything Blaine had reappeared with a substantial bouquet of red roses. Kurt tried to stop giggling but couldn't control himself. Blaine looked delighted at Kurt's reaction.

"Classic Valentine's Day things," he confirmed. "And there's one more thing."

Kurt nodded, pressing his face into the roses to smell the sweet scent and remembering briefly how badly he had wanted this the year before. Roses and chocolate for Valentine's Day from Blaine.

"But we have to go back inside," Blaine added, grasping Kurt's elbow and tugging him in the direction of the restaurant.

"What?" Kurt asked.

Blaine didn't elaborate. Kurt allowed himself to be led back to the door, which Blaine held open so he could reenter the restaurant with the flowers and box of chocolates still in his arms.

The atmosphere of the room had changed. The "Sugar Shack" letters behind the stage had been covered with a deep red curtain, and nearly everyone was seated and chatting quietly. The rowdy atmosphere of earlier in the evening had transformed into a more subdued ambiance.

Blaine led Kurt to the front of the room and a vacant seat directly in front of the stage. Kurt dropped into the chair and set the flowers and chocolates on the table next to him. He looked at Rachel, who was sitting with Finn at the same table, and she shrugged. She didn't know what Blaine was going to do, but Kurt knew. The details weren't clear yet, but Kurt knew that Blaine was about to sing for him.

Blaine jumped back up onto the little stage and stepped up to the microphone.

"This week's assignment was 'world's greatest love songs'," Blaine explained, looking at Kurt like there was nobody else in the room. "And I wasn't there to sing to you in class, so I want to sing for you now."

Blaine smiled. "I'm not sure if this is one of the world's greatest love songs, but I know it's one of your favorites. Happy Valentine's Day, Kurt."

The band began the song, and Kurt forgot about everything else that had happened that day as he recognized the tune.

_Never knew I could feel like this_

_Like I've never seen the sky before_

Kurt flung one of his hands out on the table beside him and Rachel immediately grasped it. A wave of excited giggles swept around the room as Blaine pulled the microphone out of its stand and stepped off the stage to stand in front of Kurt.

_Want to vanish inside your kiss_

_Every day I love you more and more_

Kurt squirmed happily. They had watched _Moulin Rouge_ together one afternoon while Blaine was recovering from his surgery, and Kurt wondered if Blaine had gotten this idea then or if he had already decided before that day.

_Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?  
><em>

_Telling me to give you everything  
><em>

_Seasons may change, winter to spring  
><em>

_But I love you until the end of time_

_Come what may_

_Come what may_

_I will love you until my dying day_

Blaine reached out to brush his hand across Kurt's cheek before offering him a microphone. Kurt took it, and Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand to lead him to the stage so Kurt could sing his part of the song.

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
><em>

_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace  
><em>

_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste  
><em>

_It all revolves around you_

As they sang, Kurt could tell that everyone was watching intently. But all he wanted to look at was Blaine. The other boy hadn't released his hand, and Kurt didn't mind. They were among friends here. They could be themselves.

_And there's no mountain too high  
><em>

_No river too wide  
><em>

_Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side  
><em>

_Storm clouds may gather  
><em>

_And stars may collide_

Blaine's eyes were sparkling with happiness, and Kurt felt more content than he could remember ever feeling. Blaine was back. Everything was as perfect as the romantic part of Kurt had always wished that Valentine's Day could be.

_But I love you (I love you)  
><em>

_Until the end of time (until the end of time)  
><em>

_Come what may  
><em>

_Come what may  
><em>

_I will love you until my dying day_

As the song neared the end, Kurt imagined them on stage at Regionals. Singing this song for the judges and anyone else who wanted to watch and listen. He could see the whole thing. Their costumes. The lighting. And just the two of them on the stage together.

_Come what may  
><em>

_Come what may  
><em>

_I will love you (I will love you)  
><em>

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
><em>

_Come what may  
><em>

_Come what may  
><em>

_I will love you until my dying day_

As the song ended, Blaine stuck his microphone back into its stand and stepped toward Kurt. Kurt saw the flash of a question in Blaine's eyes, and he nodded, laughing as Blaine scooped him into his arms and kissed him.

They had never kissed this way in public before. It was relaxed and passionate, like they were in one of their bedrooms instead of a restaurant full of people, and Kurt felt lightheaded when Blaine finally released him. Their friends were cheering and applauding, but Kurt could barely hear them.

"Welcome back," he said, smiling widely at the dark-haired boy.

Blaine returned the smile, and he offered Kurt his arm so they could step down from the stage. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kurt."

* * *

><p><em><strong>BLAINE RETURNS! Cue the hallelujah chorus!<strong>_

_**Wow, I was not happy at all with the Karofsky storyline in this episode. Too stalker-ish for my taste. But oh well. That's how it went. I think Kurt handled himself VERY well after the reveal, all things considered.**_

_**Gosh, I debated so hard with myself about whether or not I wanted to include Come What May... but I just really like the mental image of Kurt and Blaine watching Moulin Rouge together and getting all giggly about how handsome Ewan McGregor is and all that. And the week's lesson WAS about epic love songs, right? So yeah. Maybe a little cliché, but I couldn't resist. ;)**_

_**Kurt got to spend Valentine's Day with his boyfriend. Sigh. That makes me happy.**_

_**Up next... 'On My Way'! **_


	31. 3x14: On My Way

_**Wow. This episode. One of the best of the season, in my opinion. I'm hoping this will do Kurt and Blaine's parts in it some justice...**_

_**TRIGGER WARNING for suicide.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"That one's nice too," Kurt mumbled, sipping his coffee absentmindedly as Rachel flipped through multiple bridal magazines in search of the perfect wedding dress.

"Come _on_, Kurt," Rachel encouraged. "We have to settle on a style for my gown today... the girls and I are going to the bridal salon tomorrow to look at bridesmaids' dresses!"

"Just pick something simple," Kurt said dully. "For yourself and the girls. This isn't exactly a grand cathedral wedding, after all."

Kurt couldn't believe he had allowed himself to be dragged to the Lima Bean to browse through magazines for Rachel's perfect wedding gown. But he had decided that suffering through all of Rachel's excitement was better than losing Rachel as a friend, so he had forced her to buy his coffee and was counting on Rachel to hurry up and find a style or specific gown that she liked.

"Oh, this is good. Oh, this! Look at this one!" Rachel gushed, pointing at a dress in one of the magazines. "Oh, it's so timeless. It's perfect."

"Yeah, timeless," Kurt said. "Meaning you can wait two or five years to wear it."

"Don't be jealous," Rachel reprimanded. "You know you like this."

"I do not," Kurt mouthed at her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't a young Barbara Streisand and an old Betty White."

Sebastian.

As Kurt looked up at the tall Warbler, he wondered if Sebastian was somehow a physical manifestation of Kurt's own annoyance. Because he always seemed to show up whenever Kurt was having a bad day.

"Where is gay Cyclops?" Sebastian asked. "Still trying to stumble his way in?"

Kurt could not believe that Sebastian was making light of Blaine's injury. But he knew that Sebastian was just trying to rile him up, so he didn't reply.

"We can't come here anymore," he said to Rachel.

Sebastian also turned his attention on the bride-to-be. "Rachel," Sebastian said, "I, uh, brought an engagement gift for you."

He offered a manila envelope. Rachel took it from him, and she opened it to reveal a photograph of Finn.

A photograph of Finn wearing heels. And absolutely nothing else.

"Woah, oh, oh!" Kurt cried, reaching out to cover the scandalous area of the photograph with his hand.

"Oh my god!" Rachel exclaimed. "Oh, no, no, that is Photoshopped! His thing is not that small or– or that brown!"

"And he could never fit into those pumps," Kurt scolded.

"Just think," Sebastian said casually, "from now until eternity, _every time_ someone Googles 'Finn Hudson' they'll be treated to _that_. And dozens just like it. That's the beauty of the Internet. It stays with us forever."

"What do you _want_ Sebastian?" Rachel snapped.

"I want a guaranteed Regionals win," Sebastian explained, "so I want _you_ to drop out. McKinley gets home court advantage this year. You're gonna come down with Asian bird flu or whatever Tina Blowin-Wang just had."

"But that is show choir terrorism!" Rachel protested.

"You give a bad name to the entire gay community," Kurt added.

"And _you_ give the gay community cutting-edge fashion that's usually only seen on Puerto Rican Pride floats," Sebastian replied.

"I'm sorry," Kurt retorted, "I didn't hear you. I was distracted by your giant horse teeth."

Sebastian turned his attention back to Rachel. "You have twenty-four hours to drop out, Rachel," he told her. "Or I press the upload button."

Without another word, Sebastian turned and walked away. Kurt and Rachel were silent for a moment as they watched him leave the store.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me,' Kurt whined as the door closed behind Sebastian.

"Whatever," Rachel said primly, shoving the photograph back into the envelope. "He's trying to blackmail me with something that isn't even real. I won't be intimidated."

"You're not even going to mention this to Finn?" Kurt asked.

Rachel hesitated.

"Such a great foundation for your marriage," Kurt muttered.

Rachel smacked his arm. "Stop it, Kurt!"

"Sorry," he said.

Rachel sighed and started packing up her magazines.

"I guess I should tell him," she admitted. "I'll do it tomorrow after school."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Before glee club the next day, as Blaine sang along to a made-up tune at the piano and goofed off with Mike and Sugar, Kurt's phone vibrated.

He pulled it out of his pocket and turned briefly away from the piano to glance at the screen.

Karofsky.

Since their conversation on Valentine's Day the week before, Karofsky had called Kurt numerous times.

But Kurt couldn't bring himself to answer.

He had thought he had found peace about Dave Karofsky. He didn't feel constantly nervous in the hallways at school anymore. He didn't even mind seeing the other boy in a general sense. Kurt knew that Karofsky had been through a lot. He could be a great example for others one day.

But Karofsky had asked him out.

Kurt knew that he shouldn't feel guilty for saying no. He didn't _want_ to be with Karofsky. Even in a hypothetical situation where Blaine didn't exist, Kurt had no desire to date his former tormenter.

But he knew what having someone in your corner could mean to someone who was newly out, or who might soon come out. It could mean the difference between feeling like a freak and feeling like a human being. Kurt wanted to help Dave. But he wasn't sure how to do that when Karofsky wanted them to be together. Would Karofsky accept Kurt's friendship without strings attached?

Kurt didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to act. So, he had been avoiding Karofsky. He was trying to pretend that it wasn't happening.

He didn't answer the call.

As he put his phone away, Kurt noticed Rachel handing Finn the manila envelope with the Photoshopped photograph in it. He turned back to Blaine and tapped the other boy on the shoulder.

"I'm gonna sit down," he said.

Blaine nodded, not quite finished with his song, and Kurt went to find a seat against the wall.

By the time Blaine came to sit down, Finn was raging about the manipulated photograph from Sebastian. Blaine had barely taken his seat when Finn jumped up.

"That's it," Finn said as he looked at the photograph. "I'm done. I'm leaving this classroom and I'm going to beat that Sebastian kid's ass!"

Many of the other boys in the room, including Blaine, got up with him.

"Finn!" Mr. Schu stopped him. "Chill!"

"I'm not gonna chill!" Finn exclaimed. "I'm done chilling!"

"The official show choir rulebook states that any real or perceived threat of violence, vandalism, or humiliation will be met with a swift and unquestioned disqualification of the threatening party's team with extreme prejudice," Artie said. "It's right here. Page seventy-two, bylaw fifteen, section six, article forty-four."

"Guys," Mr. Schu tried to calm the group, "I contacted the headmaster at Dalton –"

"Like you did when Sebastian almost _blinded me_?" Blaine retorted. "What'd they do then? Same thing as they're gonna do now! _Nothing_."

Kurt knew that it bothered Blaine that Dalton had no interest in punishing Sebastian for what he had done. It upset Kurt as well. Dalton had always seemed like such a safe place, and the school's lack of action in Blaine's situation had killed some of the magic for both of them.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"None of this matters now, anyways, okay?" Rachel said from her seat. "We're not gonna let them beat us like this! I'm gonna perform at Regionals."

"Even if he's gonna post a photo like this of me if you do?" Finn asked.

"Finn, I'm not gonna negotiate with terrorists," Rachel replied.

Blaine and most of the other boys returned to their seats, but Finn stayed at the front of the room.

"If someone posted a picture like that of me online, I'd probably kill myself," Sugar said.

"Twice, to be sure I was dead," Rory added.

"Look, you guys are just going to have to _deal_ with things like this," Mr. Schu said. "The more successful you get, the more garbage people are going to make up about you. They're gonna love to tear you down."

"I can't believe you would do that to me," Finn said to Rachel.

"I'm gonna be married to you!" Rachel said, standing up. "Don't you think I'm going to suffer the consequences as well? I mean, I just– I don't care about stuff like that! I love you, and we'll manage this together okay? The important thing right now is that we win!"

"So you wouldn't care if I Photoshopped a photo of you like this and put it on the Internet?" Finn replied, waving the manipulated photograph in her direction.

"Look, our future depends on us winning Regionals," Rachel said. "It'll help me toward my NYADA application."

"Hope you get in," Finn said disappointedly as he turned and walked out of the room.

"_Finn_," Mr. Schu tried to stop him, but Finn didn't acknowledge him.

Rachel huffed in annoyance and returned to her seat beside Blaine.

Blaine felt uncomfortable after witnessing the argument, and he was annoyed that Sebastian was still playing such a significant role in the happenings of New Directions. They needed to focus, and all of this drama was not helping.

"Okay," Mr. Schu said, "it's clear that we all need a breather. Let's call it a day... your assignment for tomorrow is to come back with an idea for a song for Regionals. We'll take a fresh look at our set list then."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Blaine got up and left the room immediately, and Kurt decided to follow him.

The other boy wasn't in the hallway when Kurt walked out the door, but Kurt knew where he would find Blaine.

He walked into the auditorium and saw Blaine pounding his fists together as he paced the stage.

"You okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine glanced up at him, but didn't respond.

"You seemed upset," Kurt explained.

Blaine shook his head briefly, but he was clearly agitated.

"And if Sebastian is –" Kurt started.

"Forget about Sebastian!" Blaine shouted.

He turned to look at Kurt. "I'm not mad at you," he said quickly. "I just don't want to waste any more time on him. I wanna focus on winning."

Kurt understood. Blaine hadn't spoken about Sebastian or his injury much since his surgery, and Kurt knew that he probably just wanted to put it all behind him.

And Blaine really, really wanted to win at Regionals.

"I've got a new song I wanna try out," Blaine explained, his mood improving with the change of subject. "The theme for Regionals is 'inspiration', and I think this fits the bill. You wanna hear it?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at him, and Blaine smiled.

"Well then," Blaine teased, "take a seat, sir."

Kurt went to grab a stool – he wanted to sit on the stage, not down in the audience – and Blaine turned to the band.

"Thanks for waiting, guys," Blaine said to them. "Let's go."

Blaine stepped up to the single microphone on the stage as the music began and the lighting changed to a series of blue spotlights.

"_Life's too short to even care at all, oh. I'm losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control._"

Kurt sat quietly and watched as Blaine poured all of himself into the performance. Performing was cathartic for Blaine, and Kurt hoped that releasing all of the emotions of the past few weeks into the song would help Blaine feel better.

"_One more spoon of cough syrup now, oh. One more spoon of cough syrup now, oh. Oh._"

As the song ended, Kurt applauded, and Blaine bowed in his direction as the lights returned to normal.

"That was amazing," Kurt complimented.

"Thank you," Blaine smiled, waving at the band as they departed.

"So you're okay?" Kurt asked, hopping off the stool to walk over to where Blaine was standing.

Blaine nodded.

"I'm getting there."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt was surprised to find Ms. Pillsbury talking to his teacher when he arrived for his first class of the day. When the bell rang to signal the start of class, it was the guidance counselor, rather than the teacher, who first addressed the students.

"Hello, class," Ms. Pillsbury said gently. "Um..."

She fidgeted and looked directly at Kurt, and Kurt wasn't sure how to feel. What was going on? Ms. Pillsbury usually seemed a little flustered, but this was something else.

"I just want you all to know that my office door is _always_ open," Ms. Pillsbury said to the class. "And I know I speak for the entire staff at this school when I say that we are _all_ here for you, any time you need us."

Kurt narrowed his eyes at her. Why was she looking at him so much? A sliver of worry entered his mind that this was about his father, but he couldn't imagine why she would be addressing the entire class if the news was about Burt.

Kurt twisted his phone around in his hand absentmindedly as he waited for Ms. Pillsbury to get to the point.

"So, um..." Ms. Pillsbury said, "_fortunately_, he was _not_ successful. And this is just an isolated incident involving _one_ individual's personal problems, but..."

She looked directly at Kurt.

"David Karofsky attempted to take his own life yesterday afternoon."

The words fell over Kurt like a bucket of icy cold water. His phone slipped from his fingers, and it sounded like a landslide as it bounced once on the table and tumbled to the ground. He was vaguely aware of Ms. Pillsbury calling his name, but he couldn't engage his brain enough to respond.

The next time he was conscious of his actions, he was walking down the crowded hallway near his locker. He blinked a few times; he couldn't remember picking up his phone or if Ms. Pillsbury had spoken to him or how he had managed to stand up to leave the room when the class was over. His brain told him that he needed to get to his next class, but he could hardly remember where he was supposed to go. His brain felt like it was trudging through an ocean of sludge.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar hand slip into his, and Blaine dragged him down the hall and into the empty auditorium. As they reached the back corner of the stage, Blaine stopped abruptly, spun around, and threw his arms around Kurt's waist. Kurt's brain engaged just enough to catch the other boy in a proper hug, and Blaine buried his face into Kurt's chest.

Neither of them cried, but when Blaine finally loosened his grip and leaned back so they could make eye contact, the devastation on his face was overwhelming.

"I'm so glad we found each other," Blaine said.

Kurt opened his mouth to tell Blaine how much he loved him, but Blaine took a short breath and kept talking. His voice was steady but full of emotion.

"Kurt," he said, "I need you to know that, no matter what happens, you _always_ have a reason to look forward to your future. There will _always_ be someone there to love you and keep you safe." Blaine was looking at him with such intensity that Kurt wasn't sure he would ever be able to look away. "I can't bear the thought of you _ever_ feeling like you're so alone that there is nothing to live for. You've got _me_. Okay?"

Kurt nodded. "You saved me," he replied, struggling to speak over the lump that felt as if it had permanently lodged itself in his throat. "You gave me the time of day on those stairs when we first met and you flirted with me and took me under your wing and reaffirmed for me that it really is okay to be who you are. And that it's okay, _better_ than okay, to let yourself just be in love."

Blaine grasped Kurt's face in both of his hands and showered his face with kisses. "I love you," he breathed against Kurt's cheek when he was finished.

"Not as much as I love you," Kurt replied seriously.

As he stepped back, Blaine shook his head. "You're wrong, you know," he said seriously. "You saved yourself. I was just there to offer encouragement."

Kurt felt tears starting to pool in his eyes.

"It's hard for me to s– see it that way sometimes," he admitted.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him down to sit against the wall, and Kurt started to cry.

"I'm so sorry," he managed before he broke down completely.

Kurt and Blaine held each other tightly as they both cried out the emotions and memories brought on by the suicide attempt. When they both finally quieted into sniffles and ragged breathing, Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek.

"We're skipping right now," he said quietly.

Kurt laughed weakly. Of course Blaine was concerned that they had missed the tardy bell.

He turned to look into Blaine's red, swollen eyes. "Well then," he said, "we'll just have to stay here until the next class change."

Blaine leaned his head back against the wall, and Kurt settled down to lie on the floor with his head in Blaine's lap. Blaine played absentmindedly with Kurt's hair, and they were both silent. Lost in thought.

When the bell rang, they both climbed to their feet and stood together for a moment, just looking at each other.

"See you at lunch, okay?" Blaine said, reaching out to rub Kurt's arm.

Kurt stepped forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

"See you at lunch," he agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As he approached the door to his next class, Kurt heard an unfamiliar voice calling his name. He turned to see Joe, who Kurt had never really spoken to but who had been at Sugar's Valentine's Day party the week before.

"Oh, hi," Kurt said, hoping that he didn't look like _too_ much of a mess after crying so much. "Joe, right?"

Joe nodded. "Hey, uh, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry to hear about Karofsky," he said earnestly. "I didn't know him, and, uh, I guess I don't really know you either, but if you ever want to talk about it..."

Kurt offered a slight smile. "Thanks," he said.

As Joe nodded and turned to walk away, Kurt wondered if maybe he _should_ talk to some of his friends. He didn't want to worry his father or Blaine with the guilt that he was feeling about not returning Karofsky's calls. But maybe some of his friends would listen.

"Joe?" he called out to stop the other boy.

Joe turned back around.

"Do you..." Kurt asked awkwardly, "do you think I could stop by your, uh, meeting today?"

Joe smiled, and Kurt wondered if he knew that Kurt didn't believe in God.

"Absolutely, man," Joe said kindly. "Everyone is welcome."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

When the bell rang to start the lunch period, Kurt sent a quick text message to Blaine to let him know that he'd be late to the cafeteria before heading to the room where the God Squad met during lunch.

He could hear Quinn talking as he approached the door.

"I feel sorry for Karofsky," Quinn said, "but what he did was selfish. He didn't just want to hurt himself. He wanted to hurt everyone around him. I went through the ringer, but I never got to that place."

Kurt's sadness and the memories of his own torment rushed to the surface, and he couldn't stay silent.

'Quinn, please," Kurt interrupted from the doorway. "Sure, you had a baby when you were sixteen and you had a bad dye job for two weeks. But seriously? The world never stopped loving you. And you're going to Yale. You have no idea what Karofsky was struggling with."

"You really want to try to compare –?" Quinn asked.

"The despair?" Kurt interrupted. "The self-loathing?"

"It doesn't matter," Quinn said. "I just can't imagine things getting so messed up that you would consider taking your own life."

"That is so harsh and reductive," Kurt scolded, stepping into the room. "Have some compassion! Do you know what they're still writing on his Facebook? 'Better luck next time' and 'try, try again'."

"Why are you even here, Kurt?" Quinn asked. "Thought you didn't believe in God."

"He asked me if he could come," Joe spoke up. "And I invited him."

"I heard you guys were praying for Karofsky," Kurt explained. "And, after everything that we've been through, I didn't have anywhere else to go."

Kurt didn't want to explain that he really just wanted to talk to someone other than his father and Blaine. He sat down on one of the tables.

"I feel responsible," Kurt admitted. "He asked me out and... I said no. And he kept calling me. If I had just answered one of those _stupid_ calls..."

None of the other students seemed to know what to say to that, and Kurt was glad. If it had been Blaine or his father, there would've been an immediate chorus of reassurance and insistence that Kurt wasn't at all to blame. But Kurt knew that if he had answered one of the calls, _maybe_ he could have made a difference.

He also knew that he shouldn't blame himself. There was no way for him to know that Karofsky would attempt suicide.

But the emotional part of his brain was still holding a lot of guilt.

"We're taking an edible arrangement to the hospital," Mercedes said gently. "Do you want to come with us?"

Kurt thought about it for a moment.

"No," he said quietly. "I'll... I'll go soon."

He was grateful when they didn't press the issue.

"Hey man, don't get too down on yourself," Sam said quietly.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah," he said vaguely.

Mercedes led the group in a short prayer for Karofsky, and when it was over Kurt hopped down from the table.

"I need to go to lunch," he said, motioning toward the door. "But thanks, guys."

"Thanks for coming, Kurt," Joe waved. "Hang in there."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine was relieved when Kurt finally came into the cafeteria. Blaine wanted to be near the other boy as much as possible after hearing the news of Karofsky's suicide attempt. He wanted to make sure that Kurt was okay. And it helped _Blaine_ to feel okay when Kurt was around.

"Hey," Kurt greeted the trio already at the table. Santana, Brittany, and Blaine.

"Hi," Blaine said, reaching out to rub Kurt's back briefly as he sat down.

They didn't talk much as they ate. Blaine knew they were all thinking about Karofsky.

But then Blaine's phone buzzed on the table.

It was a text message from Sebastian.

_Bring as many members of New Directions as you want, but I want to see you at the Lima Bean this afternoon._

Blaine showed the message to Kurt, and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Give me that," Santana demanded, reaching across the table to take the phone out of Blaine's hand.

"If you're meeting him," she said as she read the message," I'm going with you."

Blaine considered Sebastian's request. He couldn't imagine why Sebastian wanted to see him _now_. Blaine hadn't heard so much as one word from the Warbler since he had thrown the rock salt slushie in Blaine's face weeks earlier.

But the news of Karofsky's suicide attempt was at the front of Blaine's mind, and he knew he had to go.

He replied with a very basic message about what time he would arrive before turning his phone off all together to avoid hearing from Sebastian again until the meeting.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I can't believe he had the nerve to ask us to come meet him," Blaine grumbled as he, Kurt, Santana, and Brittany pulled up to the Lima Bean.

"Oh," Santana said, "you leave this to me."

Blaine felt hurt and anger building up inside him as they entered the café and walked to where Sebastian was sitting. He hadn't spoken to Sebastian since the night Sebastian had thrown the rock salt slushie in his face. He had made peace with his friends from the Warblers, but there had been no resolution with the boy who had put him in the hospital.

"Let me break it down for you," Santana said without preamble as they approached Sebastian's table. "From one bitch to another. All of this vicious, underhanded crap has got to stop."

Santana sat down across from Sebastian, but the other three remained standing.

"Exactly," Sebastian said seriously. "That's why I called you here. First of all," he looked up at Blaine, "Blaine, I am sorry about your eye."

"That means nothing to me," Blaine replied immediately.

"Just give me a chance," Sebastian said. "I have no excuses other than 'a lame prank got completely out of control'."

A prank? Blaine didn't buy it. It sure hadn't _felt_ like a prank when he was in the hospital. Or when he was confined to his house for weeks.

What was Sebastian's angle here?

"Second," Sebastian continued, "the Finn photos have all been destroyed. I want the Warblers to win fair and square. And we're going to take donations for Lady GaGa's Born This Way Foundation. Win, lose, or draw, we're gonna dedicate our performance to Dave Karofsky. I thought you might want to join us."

"Wait for the punch," Kurt said sourly, "you know it's coming."

"No," Sebastian said immediately. "Not this time. For too long, I have treated everything like a big joke."

He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It's all fun and games," Sebastian concluded, "until it's not."

"Easy for _you_ to say," Santana retorted. "You're not the one who spent time in the hospital."

Sebastian looked at Blaine again, and Blaine made sure not to be the first one to look away.

"May I speak to Blaine alone for a minute?" Sebastian asked.

"No," Kurt replied sharply.

Sebastian looked like he had the perfect comeback in mind, but he kept his mouth shut.

"It's okay, guys," Blaine said.

Kurt turned to look at him, and Blaine met his eyes.

"It's okay," he repeated.

Kurt looked incredibly unhappy, but he walked away with Santana and Brittany to a table on the other side of the café. Kurt settled into a chair facing Blaine, and Blaine knew that Kurt wouldn't take his eyes off them until the conversation was over.

"Please," Sebastian motioned to the empty chair across from him, "sit."

Blaine sat down and looked across the table into Sebastian's eyes.

"I understand why you don't believe me –"

"Oh yeah?" Blaine scoffed.

"– but I really _am_ sorry," Sebastian said.

Blaine hated himself for _wanting_ to believe him.

"I know some of the other Warblers came to see you while you were recovering," Sebastian continued.

"You can't control everyone," Blaine replied.

"I know," Sebastian said. "Look, Blaine, there's nothing I can say that's going to make what happened alright."

Blaine shrugged.

"But I'm asking for an open mind," Sebastian explained. "Let me show you with my actions that I've changed."

"It's easy to make a change for a few weeks after a tragedy," Blaine said skeptically.

"No more games," Sebastian said. "No more bullying."

"You _assaulted_ me," Blaine said resentfully. "I _trusted_ you."

Sebastian looked down at the table and said nothing.

Blaine glanced over Sebastian's shoulder at Kurt, and suddenly he had an idea.

"I want you to apologize to Kurt," he told Sebastian.

The Warbler looked up, surprised.

"What?"

"You meant that slushie for him," Blaine snapped.

Sebastian opened his mouth, but Blaine didn't let him speak.

"I don't care why you did it," Blaine told him. "I don't want your excuses. If you want a chance at redemption, you're going to apologize to him right now."

Sebastian nodded.

Blaine motioned for Kurt to come over, and the other boy jumped up and hurried across the café to their table.

"Everything okay?" he asked as he arrived.

Blaine looked at Sebastian.

"Kurt," Sebastian greeted.

Kurt didn't respond.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian said. "I've been... less than kind to you."

Kurt inclined his head slightly, but said nothing.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian repeated.

Kurt glanced down at Blaine and then back at Sebastian.

"Okay," he said. "I accept your apology."

Blaine felt Kurt's hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry too," Kurt said. "For saying things that I shouldn't have."

Blaine knew how difficult it was for Kurt to apologize to Sebastian about _anything_ after what had happened over the past few months, and he stood up so he could wrap one arm around Kurt's waist. The two of them exchanged a long glance and then Blaine turned back to Sebastian.

"I'm going to assume that you're sincere," he said. "Please don't prove me wrong."

Sebastian nodded. "Thanks, Blaine."

Blaine extended his hand, and Sebastian shook it.

"See you at Regionals," Blaine said.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

At the start of glee rehearsal the following day, Mr. Schu led the students of New Directions to the auditorium and told them to gather in a circle on the stage.

"Mr. Schu, why do you have a jar of peanut butter with one spoon?" Mercedes asked once they were all settled.

"Yeah," Sugar said, "there are fifteen of us here, and I'm only comfortable sharing a spoon with about half of you."

"Well," Mr. Schu explained, "it's come to my attention that our friend Rory Flanagan has never tasted peanut butter."

"_What_?" Sugar gasped.

"Are you serious?" Tina asked.

"No way," Sam said. "That's impossible."

"Rory, if you don't mind," Mr. Schu said. He and Rory stood up, and Mr. Schu offered a spoonful of the peanut butter to the Irish student.

"Oh god," Rory said, but he put the spoon in his mouth.

Everyone watched him closely to see his reaction.

"Oh my god," Rory said. "That's the best thing I've ever had."

Everyone laughed. Everyone except Kurt.

"Mr. Schuester," Kurt said, "while that's incredibly moving... um, it's kind of been an emotional week for some of us."

"Yeah, Mr. Schu," Finn said, "what's the point of all this?"

"The point is, Rory just had a brand new experience," Mr. Schu said. "Something as simple as peanut butter. You guys are young. I want you to promise me that, no matter how depressed you get, no matter how hopeless or alone you feel... you'll try your best to imagine all of the amazing experiences you have ahead of you."

"Mr. Schu," Mercedes said. "Look, I know we're a little dramatic sometimes, but I don't think anyone would ever consider taking their own life."

Kurt glanced at Blaine, but the other boy was looking at Mr. Schu.

"I did," Mr. Schu said. "Junior year. That was a tough year. I, uh, I cheated on my math midterm. Peeked at the answers of the guy next to me and the teacher saw me do it."

"Just because you got caught cheating?" Puck interrupted skeptically. "I get caught cheating all the time."

"They called my dad at his office," Mr. Schu explained. "And he was coming to pick me up. I mean, how was I supposed to look him in the eye? I just kept picturing my dad... so disappointed in me. So, I walked up to the roof. I went right to the edge. One step, and all the pain and humiliation would be over."

"Is that true?" Kurt asked.

"That day, I promise you, felt like it was the end of the world," Mr. Schu said. "But you know what? It wasn't. You know, for some of you, getting caught cheating isn't a big deal. But there's something. Everyone has something that might take them up to that edge."

"And look at all of the things I would've missed out on," Mr. Schu continued. "I would've never met you guys. Or Emma. I would've missed out on everything."

Kurt looked at Blaine again, and this time Blaine was looking back at him. As their eyes met, Blaine smiled sadly, and Kurt wished they had decided to sit together.

"So, right now, I want you all to think of something that you're looking forward to," Mr. Schu instructed. "Big things."

"Someday I wanna earn enough money to buy my folks a new place so they won't ever have to go through losing their home again," Sam said.

"You know, I'm most looking forward to meeting Rachel Berry's children," Mercedes chimed in lightheartedly.

Kurt made a mental note to have a stern conversation with her later.

"I want to be there to see my kids' first steps," Artie explained.

"I want to be there to see Sex and the City part three," Sugar said.

"Wow," Mr. Schu laughed. Kurt knew it was a double-standard, but he didn't really care that Sugar's answer had been so flippant. _Sugar_ was flippant.

"Sort of embarrassed to admit it," Puck spoke up, "but I really do want to graduate high school."

"I'm going to petition the army to change my dad's dishonorable discharge status to an honorable one," Finn told the group.

That surprised Kurt. It was a very proactive action on Finn's part.

"I'm looking forward to graduating from Yale at the top of my class," Quinn said.

"I'm looking forward to the day when my grandmother loves me again," Santana admitted.

"I want Lord Tubbington to kick his ecstasy addiction," Brittany explained.

"I'm looking forward to... marriage equality in all fifty states," Blaine said, turning to look at Kurt. Kurt smiled at him.

"I'm looking forward to the first time I dance at Carnagie Hall," Mike spoke up.

"I just want a song," Tina teased.

Kurt thought about everything that he was looking forward to. The big things. Auditioning for NYADA. Going to his senior prom. Graduating from high school. Going to college in New York. Attending fashion week in Paris. Selling out a theater. His first photo shoot and red carpet. Seeing his name in lights when he finally made it.

Getting a tiny apartment with Blaine. Getting married. Maybe having kids. Growing old together.

But Blaine had already spoken on behalf of their future together, so Kurt decided to say something _not_ related to his boyfriend.

"I'm looking forward to watching my dad make a difference in Congress," Kurt explained.

"I'm looking forward to being friends with all of you for the rest of my life," Rachel said.

"I know this sounds silly," Rory said, "and the peanut butter really is amazing, Mr. Schu, but do you know what I'm looking forward to? Winning at Regionals."

Everyone applauded at that.

"See?" Mr. Schu said. "There's so much to live for. And if the big things sometimes seem _too_ big, remember the little things too. The way a gorgeous sunset can take your breath away. How amazing it feels to wake up and realize that you can just roll over and fall back asleep. The taste of your favorite food."

The teacher looked around the circle at all of his students.

"And don't ever feel like you're alone," he concluded. "Because you're not. We're all here for you."

"Thanks, Mr. Schu," Finn said.

They shifted topics to appropriate songs for Regionals, and by the end of the meeting they had figured out the songs that they were going to perform.

"See you guys tomorrow," Mr. Schu said as he left the auditorium.

Blaine walked over to Kurt and grabbed his hand.

"Hold on," Kurt said, watching as Mercedes gathered her things.

Instead of letting go, Blaine just allowed Kurt to lead him over to Mercedes.

"Hey," Kurt said to his friend, "can we talk?"

"Hey Kurt," she said brightly. "Yeah, sure!"

Kurt was surprised by how confident he felt confronting his friend like this.

"I didn't appreciate your dismissive attitude during our discussion earlier," Kurt admitted.

That got Mercedes' attention.

"I understand that suicide is a serious issue," Mercedes said. "I just think that sometimes the whole issue gets overblown."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand; a silent way of telling him not to say anything that he would regret later.

"Overblown?" Kurt replied, his voice rising as anger and hurt flooded into his veins. "Karofsky tried to _hang_ himself."

"You know what I mean," Mercedes said.

"Yeah," Kurt snapped, "I know _exactly_ what you mean. You think that people need to just 'get over it' or 'man up' or _whatever_."

Mercedes tried to interrupt, but Kurt didn't let her.

"What you fail to realize as you voice your _assumption_ that none of us are _crazy_ enough to kill ourselves is that _I_ thought about killing myself last year so many times I lost count!"

Kurt didn't have to turn around to know what the other students still in the auditorium were all staring at him.

Mercedes looked like he had just slapped her across her face.

"Kurt," she said, "I had no idea."

"No kidding," Kurt snapped. "And no, I never actually _planned_ to kill myself. But I would cry myself to sleep at night. I would lie there and feel so helpless and alone that I didn't want to live anymore."

He had been _just_ hopeful enough and had received enough love from his father and his friends in New Directions that he had never actually attempted to take his own life.

Instead, he had run to a new school in a desperate attempt to save himself. And it had been one of the best things to ever happen to him.

He saw Mercedes glance at Blaine, and Kurt turned to look at the other boy too.

Blaine's eyes were full of tears.

"The first night after the Sadie Hawkins dance," Blaine said softly, "I felt so... alone."

He took a deep breath. "I had only been out for a few months, and I felt like I had ruined my entire life. My parents, my friends, my classmates. Everyone suddenly treated me differently. And those guys beat the crap out of me."

Kurt knew that his own experience coming out to his family and friends had been comparatively easy. He had always been noticeably different, so his official "coming out" hadn't been a huge shock to his father or his close friends. But Blaine was more traditionally masculine. It wasn't a stretch to imagine that some of the people in Blaine's life might not have known about his sexuality until he told them.

"I never wanted to show my face outside of my house again," Blaine continued. "I felt like I had nowhere to go. And I felt like nobody would ever... would ever _really_ love me again. I was messed up."

Blaine closed his eyes, and Kurt reached out to brush the tears off his cheeks. He squeezed Blaine's hand as tightly as he could.

"So I planned the whole thing. How I would do it. What I would wear. I even wrote a letter to my parents."

Blaine opened his eyes and finally turned to look at Kurt, and Kurt's heart ached as he saw the pain in the other boy's eyes.

"I couldn't do it," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt's breath hitched and he pulled his hand out of Blaine's grip so he could wrap his arms around Blaine.

"I'm so glad," he whispered in Blaine's ear. "So, _so_ glad. I love you so much."

He could hear Blaine sniffling, and he clutched the other boy as tightly as he could.

"I'm okay now," Blaine reassured everyone as he pulled out of Kurt's embrace. "I made it to Dalton and started to find myself again, and then I met you," he nudged Kurt's foot with his own, "and I've never been happier to be alive."

Kurt had to hug him again. He never wanted Blaine to leave his side again.

"I'm sorry, guys," Mercedes said quietly.

"It's okay," Blaine said, pulling away again – but grabbing Kurt's hand in the process – so he could look at Mercedes. "Just..."

"I know," Mercedes nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

Kurt kept a firm grip on Blaine's hand as the other boy hugged Mercedes.

"I'm glad you're alive," she said seriously as she picked up her bag. "And thanks for telling us."

Blaine nodded.

"Thanks, Mercedes," Kurt said. They hugged, and soon the only students left in the auditorium were Kurt and Blaine.

"We have each other," Kurt reminded Blaine, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck to kiss him.

"Mmmm," Blaine hummed against Kurt's lips. "And – mmmm – soon we'll have a Regionals trophy, which is – mmmm – almost as good."

Kurt laughed. He pushed Blaine back a few steps until his back hit the wall and they kissed until they had to pause to breathe.

"Almost," Kurt teased, happy to see joy in Blaine's eyes again, "but not quite."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

On the way home that evening, Kurt finally went to the hospital.

He passed a nurse coming out of Karofsky's room, and he caught the door before it closed all the way.

"Can I come in?" he asked as Karofsky noticed him.

Karofsky nodded, and Kurt stepped into the room. He placed the vase of flowers he had brought along on a desk already nearly covered with well-wishes and turned to look at the other boy.

"The doctors took me off seventy-two hour watch," Karofsky said. "I get to go home tomorrow."

"That's great," Kurt replied. He could feel tears pooling in his eyes as he looked at the boy in the hospital bed and wished desperately that he could've done something to save Karofsky from this pain.

"I'm really happy that you're alive, David," Kurt said.

"Me too," Karofsky admitted.

That was good to hear. Relief and sadness and guilt washed over Kurt, and he couldn't speak for a moment. Instead, he grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to Karofsky's hospital bed.

"I should've returned your calls," he admitted.

"Why would you after the way I've treated you?" Karofsky said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"It's okay," Kurt reassured him.

"No, it's not okay," Karofsky replied. "It's like you said on Valentine's Day. I made your life a living hell for months."

Kurt's heart felt like it was being shredded into a million pieces. Their relationship was so complicated.

"But," Karofsky continued, "when the same thing happened to me, I couldn't even take it for a week."

Kurt tried not to let the memories of the months leading up to his transfer to Dalton play out in his mind. This was about the person Karofsky was _now_, not the person he had been then.

"My supposed best friend telling me he never wants to talk to me again," Karofsky explained some of the things that had happened in his life since Valentine's Day. "My mom telling me that I have a disease... that maybe I can be cured."

He started to cry. "I don't know what to do," he admitted.

Kurt wiped a tear from his own face.

"I can't go back to that school," Karofsky said, and Kurt's chest tightened painfully. He knew that feeling. That tone of voice.

Karofsky needed reassurance. He needed someone to show him the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kurt wasn't sure if he could ever help someone as much as Blaine had helped him, but he was going to try.

"Then go to another school," Kurt said confidently. "I'm not gonna lie to you, it– it isn't going to be easy. And there'll be some days when life just _sucks_. But you're gonna get through this. Because I'm gonna help you. And so is everyone else who loves you and accepts you for who you are. And if they can't accept that, then... screw 'em, right?"

Karofsky nodded.

"This week," Kurt continued, "um, Mr. Schu had us think about something we're looking forward to in the future. You wanna give it a go?"

"I don't know," Karofsky said.

"Come on," Kurt encouraged. "I'll help you. Close your eyes, and imagine what life could be like in ten years. You're sitting in a _fantastic_ office. You're some kind of successful professional. A lawyer, maybe. Or –"

"Could I be a sports agent?" Karofsky interrupted.

Kurt opened his eyes briefly, happy that Karofsky was imagining his future in such detail.

"Sure," Kurt allowed, closing his eyes again. "You're a big sports agent, living in the city of your dreams because you left Lima and never looked back. Your handsome partner comes to visit you in your office and brings along your son. You're taking the rest of the day off work because you're taking your son to his first football game. You lean over to your partner, and you say –"

"I am so happy right now," Karofsky breathed.

Kurt opened his eyes to see hope in Karofsky's.

"You, uh, you said last week," Karofsky said, "you wanted to be friends?"

Kurt nodded.

"I'd like that," Karofsky admitted.

Kurt reached out and grasped his hand. "Me too," he said.

Karofsky smiled. "Thanks, Kurt," he said.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Kurt said as he released Karofsky's hand and stood up.

Karofsky nodded, and Kurt turned to leave.

"Kurt?"

He turned back around just before he reached the door.

"What do you imagine when you think of _your_ life in ten years?"

Kurt smiled and thought about it for a moment.

"I see New York," he said. "And Broadway. And maybe a fashion line too, because in my imagination I can do it all."

They both laughed.

"And I see Blaine," Kurt said, almost forgetting that Karofsky was there at all as he imagined what his future could be with the dark-haired boy who was the love of Kurt's life.

"I need to be formally re-introduced to your boyfriend," Karofsky commented lightly. "Our brief interactions haven't exactly been... positive."

Kurt smiled.

"We'll do dinner sometime soon," he suggested. "You, me, and Blaine."

"That sounds nice," Karofsky agreed.

"Bye," Kurt waved as he opened the door. "See you soon."

"Good luck at Regionals," Karofsky smiled, and Kurt disappeared into the hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Alright guys, listen up!" Mr Schu said, climbing onto the piano bench as New Directions prepared to perform at Regionals. "Don't let them get into your heads, okay? Stay focused on what we do best."

"Show circle time!" Artie announced. "Come on, let's huddle up!"

As Blaine joined the circle, he thought about Regionals the year before. He and Kurt had just gotten together. And they had both been Warblers.

Now they were both in New Directions, and they had just watched the Warblers put on a good show. But Blaine knew they could beat the boys from his old school.

"Okay, uh... Finn, you wanted to start us off?" Mr. Schu remembered.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I know it's kinda short notice... but, after the competition, Rachel and I are gonna get married. At the Justice of the Peace at the municipal center."

Nobody said anything in response, but the shock was clear on everyone's faces.

"There'll be some light refreshments afterwards," Rachel added. "My dads and I were rolling finger sandwiches all night long."

"With everything that's happened lately," Finn said, "we thought a lot about what Mr. Schu said. "We didn't want to wait any more. We just want to live every day like it's our last. So, we wanted to thank a lot of you guys who were supportive of our decision to get married."

"And, for those of you who maybe weren't the biggest fans of our impending nuptials," Rachel said, "we thank you also. So, after we win, we would really love it if all of you would come to our wedding."

Blaine wasn't sure why they were choosing _this_ moment to announce their plan, but he nodded.

"Come on, bring it in," Mr. Schu encouraged, and Blaine knew that there would be time for thinking about Finn and Rachel's wedding after the competition.

Now, they needed to focus.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"The 2012 Midwest Regional champions... from McKinley High, the New Directions!"

The time between the announcement and when they all made it back to the choir room passed in a blur.

After a round of hugs and cheers and a brief speech by Mr. Schu, New Directions had to split up to prepare for Finn and Rachel's wedding.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and pulled him down the hallway. Sam had agreed to get Kurt and Blaine's outfits from the house, so they had a little extra time to kill before they needed to drive over to the municipal center.

They passed Quinn in the hallway, and Kurt was surprised to see that she was wearing her Cheerios uniform.

"Hey, Fabray, lookin' good!" Blaine complimented.

"Thanks boys," Quinn replied, "catch you later!"

"You really shouldn't encourage her," Kurt chided as they turned the corner. "Cheerleader Quinn isn't as nice as regular Quinn."

Blaine swung their interlaced hands. "Quinn's a sweetheart," he countered.

Kurt laughed. "_Everyone_ is a sweetheart in your eyes," he teased as they reached their destination. Blaine rolled his eyes, but he allowed Kurt to drag him into the girl's bathroom. Kurt moved to check his appearance in the mirror. Blaine stepped up to the mirror beside him and let out a long sigh.

Kurt reached out with his leg to nudge Blaine's foot with his own. Blaine nudged him back, but didn't say anything. Kurt nudged his foot again.

"We can't get married."

Kurt's mouth dropped open and his heart lurched unexpectedly. He wasn't sure if he was more shocked by the words or by Blaine's severely bitter tone of voice.

"I'm serious," Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt. His eyes were blazing. "Rachel and Finn can just make the decision and get married a few _days_ later."

He released a heavy breath of air and started furiously adjusting his bow tie with the aid of the mirror. Kurt stayed silent during the momentary pause, knowing that Blaine wasn't finished.

"And _we_," Blaine started again, motioning broadly with his arms to indicate both of them, "can't get married _ever_. Not _now_, not a _year_ from now, not _ten years_ from now!"

Unable to straighten his bow tie to his liking, Blaine pulled it off and threw it down on the countertop. Kurt didn't know what to do or say – there was nothing he could do or say to make the situation better – so he opted to remain silent to see if Blaine was going to say anything else. Or look at him again.

"And you know what?" Blaine turned and pointed at Kurt to reinforce his point, "I'm _happy_ for them."

Kurt nodded, feeling a shred of amusement at how important Blaine felt it was to be happy for their friends, and Blaine continued again. "Sure, they're crazy. But okay. They love each other. They want to grow old together. And _marriage_," Blaine's tone was morphing from furious to overwhelmed, "whether it _should_ be or not, is society's declaration of that intention. So _why_ shouldn't _we_ have an equal opportunity to get married before we're twenty _if we want to_?"

He groaned in frustration and wouldn't meet Kurt's gaze.

Kurt moved carefully, slipping between the counter and Blaine, forcing the other boy to refocus his attention. Blaine's eyes landed on his, and now all that Kurt could see in his eyes was sadness.

"Things change," Kurt said quietly, draping his arms loosely around Blaine's hips.

Some of the sadness in Blaine's eyes transitioned to affection, and he reached out to play with Kurt's suspenders. "Some things don't change," he said sweetly.

"Mmmm," Kurt hummed in agreement, "like how great it feels to make it to Nationals two years in a row."

"Speak for yourself," Blaine pouted.

Kurt smiled.

"So... we're going to go to Finn and Rachel's wedding, yes?" he asked lightly.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "We don't have to like it, but we do have to go. Yes."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When they were dressed and ready for the ceremony, Blaine and Kurt sat with the bridesmaids as Rachel and Finn debated over waiting for Quinn.

"It's now or never," Finn said.

Rachel grabbed her phone and sent a text message – Blaine assumed she was texting Quinn – and then turned back around to face Finn.

"Okay," she said.

Suddenly, one of Rachel's dads stumbled and nearly fell.

"Dad!" Rachel cried as Burt caught Hiram and helped him to a seat. She rushed over to him.

"Just feeling a bit faint," Hiram said, fanning himself. "I need a minute."

Blaine turned his back to the room as the sudden flurry of activity made him want to roll his eyes.

"I feel like we're living in a horrible reality television show," Kurt whined.

"This is fun!" Sugar, who was lounging sideways in the chair next to Blaine, argued. "Everyone looks so pretty!"

"You look beautiful," Blaine said to her.

"Thank you," she flailed her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Okay!" Rachel said, walking over to where Kurt, Blaine, and the bridesmaids were sitting. "We're ready! Let's go!"

They all stood up and followed Rachel into the hallway.

"The groomsmen are already inside," she motioned to the door that led to the room where the wedding would take place.

As Rachel's eyes met his, Kurt suddenly _saw_ her.

Rachel was getting married.

His best friend.

Without thinking, he shoved his way through the crowd of pink dresses and threw his arms around Rachel.

"Oh!" she gasped, surprised, but she hugged him back.

Kurt hated himself for the tears in his eyes when they finally stepped back from the hug, but he was comforted by the fact that there were tears in Rachel's eyes, too.

"Thanks, Kurt," she whispered.

Kurt just nodded and walked back to where Blaine was standing.

"Don't look at me like that," he grumbled as Blaine grinned at him.

As Rachel's dads hugged their daughter and the group prepared to enter the room for the ceremony, Mr. Schu suddenly appeared in the doorway.

Followed by a police officer.

Kurt watched as the police officer took Rachel and her dads aside, and he joined Blaine and the girls as they gathered around Mr. Schu to figure out what was going on.

Quinn had been in an accident.

Mr. Schu didn't have many details, but he knew that Quinn was on her way to the hospital. The extent of her injuries wasn't clear.

Rachel lost it completely. As Kurt, dragging Blaine along, entered the room where the wedding was supposed to take place, Finn brushed by him into the hallway, and Kurt hoped that Finn and Rachel's dads could comfort her.

Burt and Carole rushed over when they saw Kurt entering the room, and Kurt hugged his father tightly before also embracing Carole.

"Let's go home," Burt said sadly. "There's not going to be a wedding today."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I will never be over how absolutely perfect the Cough Syrup montage was... the song, the acting (the <strong>_**acting**_**!), and the juxtaposition of Blaine and Karofsky... just perfect.**_

_**Up next... 'Big Brother'!**_


	32. 3x15: Big Brother

_**Hey everyone! So very sorry about the unscheduled break. Things should be back on track now! :) Thanks for your patience!**_

_**Someone asked if I plan to continue this for season 4... yes, I do! It'll be the same situation as with season 3; I'll start posting the season 4 episodes after the season 4 finale next spring. :)**_

_**Here comes Cooper Anderson... what a character! He loves Blaine, though, even if Blaine can't tell sometimes, and that's the most important thing!**_

_**Oh, and Kurt and Blaine's one year anniversary (March 15th - the one year anniversary of 'Original Song') happened in the hiatus between 'On My Way' and 'Big Brother', so I wanted to put a little something in here at the beginning to mark the occasion...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

On their one year anniversary, Kurt and Blaine went to Dalton after school.

Blaine had set up a meeting with the Warblers ("They _always_ ask about you," Blaine had reminded Kurt.) – _without_ Sebastian, despite their truce.

"This is appropriate, I suppose," Kurt admitted as they climbed out of the car.

"Just admit it," Blaine teased, reaching out to hold Kurt's hand as they walked, "you miss it a little bit."

Kurt just squeezed Blaine's hand as they passed a group of uniformed students and a strong feeling of nostalgia settled into Kurt's chest.

This was _their_ place. This is where they had met. Where they had fallen in love.

Kurt had never regretted transferring back to McKinley. It was where he belonged. But he had many fond memories of Dalton. Even after all the drama surrounding Dalton's lack of action against Sebastian, Kurt felt comfortable on the well-groomed campus. This place had been very good to him.

The Warblers greeted them enthusiastically as they rounded the corner into the room where Warbler practice was held after school. Kurt allowed his former classmates to pass him around for hugs and clasps on the shoulder, and, by the time he sat down on one of the couches beside Blaine, he had to remind himself that neither of them attended this school anymore.

"So, uh," Nick said casually, "how about a song?"

"For old times' sake," Trent added happily.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, and Blaine's face said it all. He had planned this. Kurt whined happily as the Warblers began the music for the song and Blaine hopped to his feet and moved to the center of the room.

"No, oh god... no, please," Kurt buried his face in his hands as the Warblers formed up around Blaine. But his curiosity and delight overrode his embarrassment, and he sat up to watch and listen as Blaine started to sing.

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

_You'd be like Heaven to touch_

_I wanna hold you so much_

Blaine stepped forward and offered Kurt his hand, and Kurt allowed Blaine to pull him off the couch.

_At long last love has arrived_

_And I thank God I'm alive_

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

Blaine looked so happy and confident that Kurt couldn't resist trying to throw him off a little. As Blaine took a breath to sing the next verse, Kurt beat him to it.

_Pardon the way that I stare_

_There's nothing else to compare_

Kurt pulled out of Blaine's grip and strolled casually across the room as he sang. Blaine followed closely behind.

_The sight of you leaves me weak_

_There are no words left to speak_

Kurt raised a finger to shake it in Blaine's face, and Blaine grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers again.

_But if you feel like I feel_

_Please let me know that it's real_

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

Blaine released Kurt's hand and pushed Kurt back down onto the couch before returning to his place with the Warblers to sing again.

_I love you, baby_

_And if it's quite alright_

_I need you, baby_

_To warm the lonely night_

_I love you, baby_

_Trust in me when I say_

_Oh, pretty baby_

_Don't bring me down, I pray_

_Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay_

_And let me love you, baby_

_Let me love you_

This time, Blaine motioned for Kurt to join them, and Kurt was happy to oblige. He took over the song again as he danced his way over to the group.

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

_You'd be like Heaven to touch_

_I wanna hold you so much_

_At long last love has arrived_

_And I thank God I'm alive_

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

As the Warblers provided a musical interlude, Blaine tried to help Kurt remember some of the Warblers' footwork, but it was a losing battle. Kurt was laughing so hard that he had to step out of the formation to watch Blaine and the Warblers finish the song.

_I love you, baby_

_And if it's quite alright_

_I need you, baby_

_To warm the lonely night_

_I love you, baby_

_Trust in me when I say_

_Oh, pretty baby_

_Don't bring me down, I pray_

_Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay_

_And let me love you, baby_

_Let me love you..._

Kurt applauded as the song ended, and the Warblers cheered as Blaine stepped forward and pulled Kurt into a hug.

"You're insane," Kurt commented as he and Blaine stepped back out of the embrace.

"Happy anniversary, Kurt," Blaine breathed, closing the gap between them to kiss Kurt softly on the lips.

It felt like their first kiss – gentle and steady – and Kurt was happy to discover that his heart still fluttered in his chest when Blaine kissed him so tenderly. He forgot that the Warblers were still in the room until he pulled back from the kiss and his brain reminded him where they were. A blush spread across Kurt's face as the other boys cheered and whistled their approval.

"We miss you guys," Trent said as things started to quiet down.

Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, and Kurt studied the group of Warblers. There were a few new students, but most were familiar faces.

"I miss you too," he admitted. "Sometimes."

Everyone laughed, and Kurt turned to look at Blaine. The other boy smiled brightly, and Kurt knew that he would always be grateful to Dalton for introducing him to the love of his life.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

During the first week in April, Blaine was typing a paper at his desk when his phone rang.

He was expecting Kurt, so he was surprised when the number on the screen wasn't familiar. It wasn't someone in his contact list.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Blaine! Hey!"

Blaine's eyes widened at the sound of his older brother's voice. He hadn't spoken to Cooper since his brother's annual phone call to the Anderson home on Christmas.

Clearly, Cooper had gotten a new phone number since then.

"Uh," Blaine tried to concentrate, "hey Coop! How– how are you?"

"I'm great," Cooper answered automatically. "And guess what?"

"What?" Blaine asked.

"I'm coming home in a week!" Cooper announced.

Blaine laughed. "Very funny, Coop," he said.

There was a moment of silence, and Blaine reconsidered.

"I mean... that's great!" he said lamely. "But wh –"

"The first thing I'm doing is taking my little brother out for lunch," Cooper interrupted. "I'll come pick you up next Monday at lunchtime, okay?"

Blaine nodded, forgetting that Cooper couldn't see him, but Cooper didn't wait for an answer.

"See you then!" he said happily.

"Uh, bye," Blaine said as his brother hung up.

Blaine sat back in his chair and wondered if he had fallen asleep while working on his paper and had dreamed the short phone conversation.

There was a ten year age gap between them, so Blaine and Cooper had never really had a period where they had been into the same things. Cooper had sometimes made an effort to play with Blaine when Blaine was little, but what kind of sixteen year old wants to spend significant amounts of time with his six year old brother when he could be hanging out with his friends?

The age gap, more than any other factor, meant that Blaine didn't know Cooper very well. Cooper had gone off to college when Blaine was just eight years old, and he had dropped out and moved to California a year later. They hadn't seen each other more than once a year since then.

Blaine and Cooper did have things in common – they both loved music and acting – but, when coupled with the things that they _didn't_ have in common, it sometimes felt like a superficial connection. Blaine doubted that Cooper's memories of their many duets were as fond as Blaine's... they were some of the happiest memories from his childhood. Times when Cooper had actually _wanted_ to spend time with him.

Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, Blaine considered the current situation. Since Cooper had landed the leading role in a series of popular free credit rating commercials, Blaine wanted more than ever for as few of his friends as possible to know that Cooper Anderson was his brother. Having a famous sibling – even a semi-famous one – wasn't something that Blaine was comfortable with. It brought attention. And scrutiny. And comparisons.

He had never even told Kurt about Cooper. He hadn't hidden the fact that he had an older brother who lived in California, but he tried to avoid specific conversations about Cooper at all costs. He had explained to Kurt that they didn't really talk and, to his relief, Kurt had taken the hint. He rarely asked about the older Anderson brother. Blaine and Cooper's parents weren't really into family portraits, either, so there were a few baby photographs of Cooper and Blaine in the house, but none recent enough that someone could recognize Cooper and make the connection.

Blaine had never imagined that a spontaneous visit would be the catalyst for Kurt finding out who his brother really was, but he knew he would have to tell the other boy. Soon.

Blaine sighed heavily and abandoned his paper in favor of flipping aimlessly through the channels on his television while his mind was lost in memories, anxiety, and excitement surrounding his brother's visit. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe, since they were both older, they could make the connection that Blaine had always dreamed that they could have.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

On the day when Cooper was supposed to pick him up for lunch, Blaine was so nervous that he couldn't concentrate on anything. The first half of the day passed in a blur, and suddenly it was time for lunch.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked as they walked down the hallway so Kurt could get something out of his locker. "You seem a little preoccupied."

Blaine still hadn't told Kurt about Cooper. He had been withholding the truth because he was nervous about how Kurt would react to his famous brother, but Blaine knew that had to tell Kurt now or risk a _total_ surprise. Cooper could arrive at any moment.

"Ah, well, my brother's in town," Blaine tried to sound as casual as possible. "He's picking me up. Taking me out to lunch."

"Blaine, that's exciting!" Kurt said as he opened his locker. "I finally get to meet this mysterious brother of yours who you _refuse_ to talk about. I'm dying to know what he looks like."

"Oh, trust me," Blaine replied, laughing nervously. "You... you already know what he looks like."

"Blainey?"

Blaine turned toward the familiar sound of his brother's voice, and it was both strange and exciting to see Cooper approaching. Blaine was happy to see that Cooper looked especially excited to see him.

"Hey, Coop!" Blaine said as they embraced. "Hey!"

"How are you, bud?" Cooper asked.

"I'm good! Good to see you, man," Blaine replied.

They stepped back from the hug, and Blaine watched as Cooper's gaze fell on Kurt.

"This your– this your boyfriend here?" Cooper asked.

Despite any differences between the two brothers, Blaine was grateful that Cooper didn't care about his little brother's sexuality. Blaine hadn't told him right away – after he had come out to his parents and they hadn't reacted particularly well, Blaine hadn't wanted to further alienate himself from his family – but after Blaine had been assaulted at the Sadie Hawkins dance, there was no hiding it.

* * *

><p><em>Cooper had called the night after the dance and had demanded to talk to Blaine. His parents had handed Blaine the phone and had left him alone in his bedroom to talk to his brother.<em>

"_Blaine, what happened? Mom and Dad told me some kids beat you up... you broke your wrist?"_

_Blaine took a deep breath. He was _not_ going to cry through this entire conversation._

"_I broke it trying to catch myself when one of the guys shoved me over," Blaine clarified._

_It still felt like a dream. Like he was telling someone else's story. But he had the broken wrist and the bruises and the split lip to remind him that it really _had_ happened to him._

"Why_?" Cooper asked._

"_They, uh..." Blaine hated saying the words out loud. It was still so new._

"_It's okay, Blaine," Cooper said. "Whatever happened, I know it wasn't your fault. You're a good kid."_

_Blaine looked at the cast on his wrist and prayed that Cooper wouldn't take the news as badly as his parents._

"_I'm gay," Blaine said._

_Silence._

_Blaine regretted the confession immediately, but he knew the news would've made it to Cooper eventually. He was somewhat surprised that his parents hadn't told Cooper as soon as Blaine had come out._

"_Huh," Cooper said._

_Blaine couldn't speak._

"_No wonder you were never into any of my girlfriends," Cooper mused after another moment of silence. "But hey, it's okay... Blaine, are you still there?"_

"_Yeah," Blaine replied._

"_Okay. Well, anyway, that's cool. You're still Blaine, right? So who cares?"_

_Blaine only managed not to cry because he wanted so badly to hear every word Cooper was saying._

"_Those boys beat you up for being gay?" Cooper asked._

"_Yeah," Blaine answered._

"_I'm so sorry, bud," Cooper answered sadly. "Do you want me to come home?"_

_That surprised Blaine._

"_Come home?" he repeated back to Cooper._

"_Well, who's gonna stay home with you and make sure you're okay during the day?" Cooper asked._

"_No, Coop, no," Blaine refused. "You've got your life... I'm okay. I'm gonna... um, I think we're going to look for a new school for me."_

"_There's that Dalton Academy kinda nearby, right?" Cooper suggested._

"_Dalton Academy?" Blaine repeated. He wasn't familiar with the name._

"_A few of my friends went there. It's a private school. Kinda strict, but it's a quality place. And hey, it's an all-boys school, so..."_

_Blaine laughed, and the sound felt strange after everything that had happened._

"_Mom and Dad can definitely afford it," Cooper continued. "Ask them."_

"_Dalton Academy," Blaine memorized the name._

"_And Blaine?" Cooper said. "I think it's time to learn kung fu or something. So next time you can kick their asses."_

* * *

><p>Now, a couple years later, Cooper was casually asking Blaine about his boyfriend. In public. Blaine was excited to introduce them.<p>

"Actu– Yes, it is," Blaine smiled. "Uh, Kurt, this is my brother, Cooper Anderson."

"Nice to meet you," Cooper said, extending his hand.

Blaine could see that Kurt recognized Cooper. And he was completely star struck.

"Oh my god, you're the guy from the Free Credit Rating Today Dot Com commercials!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Guilty as charged," Cooper confirmed.

"I _love_ those commercials!" Kurt admitted. "The jingle's my ringtone!"

Blaine remembered the first time he had heard Kurt's phone blare out his brother's voice. It had been while they were on vacation in Washington DC to celebrate the New Year, and Blaine had nearly choked to death on nothing at all when Kurt's phone rang and it was Cooper's commercial jingle. Thankfully, Kurt texted more than he talked on the phone, so Blaine didn't have to hear the ringtone too often.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt..." Sue interrupted the introduction, puling Cooper aside, and Blaine stepped over to stand beside Kurt.

"So, uh... that's Coop," Blaine said, motioning in Cooper's direction.

Kurt looked like he was in shock.

"He's, uh... he's a little out there," Blaine explained, "but, you know..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt asked. He didn't sound upset, just curious.

"I don't know," Blaine dodged. Kurt punched him gently in the shoulder.

"This is blowing my mind," Kurt admitted.

Blaine laughed. "I bet," he said as Sue turned to walk away.

"My commercial's on hiatus," Cooper explained, throwing an arm around Blaine's neck, "so I told my agent I was headed back to the heartland to press the flesh, do some character research. Next season's commercials have a lot more intense, gritty character stuff so I really want to explore my salt of the earth roots."

"Blaine, your brother is the best looking man in North America," Kurt said from behind the brothers.

Blaine did _not_ want to do the whole "your brother is so hot" thing, so he tried to escape the situation.

"Um, Coop and I are going to head over– to head..."

His attempt to escape to lunch with Coop before things could get especially embarrassing was shut down by Sue, who interrupted again. As Sue led Cooper away down the hallway, leaving Blaine and Kurt behind, Blaine knew that he wouldn't be going out to lunch with Cooper today.

"Yeah..." Blaine fumbled over his words briefly. "That– that's why I never really talk about my brother."

Kurt stared after Cooper for a moment, and Blaine didn't know what to say.

"But, uh... surprise!" Blaine said lamely.

"Oh god," Kurt suddenly remembered, as if he hadn't heard Blaine at all, "I've gotta meet the rest of the seniors about senior ditch day."

Blaine nodded. "It's okay," he said, "I should go find Cooper anyway."

Kurt took a deep breath, as if he was trying to remind himself that this was real life.

"See you after school for glee?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed.

Kurt smiled at him and hurried away, and Blaine turned and headed to Sue's office. As he reached the doorway, Cooper emerged, and they almost collided.

"Oh!" Cooper said. "Sorry, bud."

He glanced at a clock on the wall.

"Hey, I don't think we have time for the kind of brotherly lunch I had imagined, so what about dinner tonight?" Cooper suggested.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Blaine agreed.

"In the meantime," Cooper said, falling into step beside Blaine as they walked down the hallway, "Sue has asked me to come speak to your glee club this afternoon!"

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but he realized that it wasn't worth it. The news of his famous brother had probably spread to all his friends by now, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.

Cooper Anderson was his big brother.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When glee club was about to start later that afternoon, Blaine had no idea what to expect. He never knew what Cooper might say or do.

"Lazy idiots," Sue addressed the group. "Your leader, Will Schuester, has informed me that my teaching methods are harsh and too extreme. So, I have decided to show you what a _real_ artist looks and acts like."

Blaine took a deep breath. Maybe Cooper did have some useful information to share. Blaine hoped so.

"Ladies and gays," Sue continued, "as my gift to you – which you do not deserve – I give you Porcelain's famous brother –"

"Actually," Blaine tried to interrupt, "it's my brother."

"– Cooper Anderson," Sue finished.

Cooper walked to the center of the room. As he kissed Sue instead of shaking her hand, Blaine reminded himself that everyone else was really excited about this. Only Blaine felt uncertain.

"Guys," Cooper said, "it was just a few years ago that I was sitting in a sad, drab room like this with dreams like yours that I never thought would come true. But you know what? They did. So, tomorrow, at Sue's insistence, I will be teaching a master class in acting for anyone who's interested in becoming successful in the business. Like me."

Blaine applauded with his classmates, but he wasn't sure that this was a good idea. A master class in acting?

"Cooper, we can't thank you enough," Mr. Schu said. "This is so generous of you to share your time and expertise."

"Well," Rachel piped up, "it's very clear that the Anderson brothers are _very_ talented. I'm sure that there were many a family holiday where the two of you maybe did a little duet by the piano..."

"Actually," Cooper said, "it's funny that you should mention that. Because Blaine and I were famous around the neighborhood –"

"We were not famous," Blaine disagreed.

"We were," Cooper argued happily. "We were pretty famous around the neighborhood for our dueling Simon Le Bon impressions."

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Blaine begged. "Please... please don't make me do that."

"Oh no, Blaine, you have to," Kurt insisted. "You're both so handsome and good."

Blaine knew that Kurt meant it as a compliment, but he hated being compared to Cooper.

"Oh, come on Blaine, whataya say?" Cooper asked. "How about a little Duran Duran?"

Cooper turned to Mr. Schu. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" Mr. Schu said.

"Great!" Cooper said, turning his attention back to Blaine. "Come on, get up here."

Blaine knew it was futile to resist. And, he reminded himself, he _wanted_ to spend time with Cooper. And he loved performing. This could be fun.

"Okay," he agreed. "Okay!"

"Get a little eyeliner going on," Cooper teased, waving a hand in Blaine's face as he walked to the front of the room.

"Alright, okay," Blaine said, unbuttoning his cardigan and trying to psych himself up as he prepared for a duet he and Cooper hadn't sung together in years.

"Oh, the cardigan's coming off," Cooper teased, pulling off his own jacket and tossing it on the piano with Blaine's cardigan.

As Blaine stepped up to begin the song, he felt a surge of familiarity. He knew this song. He was going to get to sing with Cooper in front of all of his friends. They could nail this.

"_Dark in the city, night is a wire. Steam on the subway, earth is afire. Do do dodo do dodo do dodo do dodo do do._"

The performance was fun, but there was also a degree of competition. Blaine wanted to prove that he could keep up with Cooper, and Cooper wanted to be the center of attention.

But, for Blaine, it was mostly fun. He couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed himself with Cooper like this.

When the song ended, everyone screamed and applauded, and Blaine was pleased. They sounded great together.

"Standing O," Cooper said happily, throwing an arm over Blaine's shoulders. "Wow, I was really great in that number."

He brushed his hand through Blaine's hair, and all of the joy from the performance drained out of Blaine in an instant.

Cooper was still the self-obsessed brother, using Blaine when it was convenient.

It was going to be a long week.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"This place is adorable," Cooper commented as he and Blaine were seated at Breadstix later that evening. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"We haven't even eaten yet," Blaine reminded him.

"Doesn't matter," Cooper explained, sitting sideways in the booth so he could stretch his legs out across the bench. "It's the atmosphere."

"Can I get a wee bit 'o cheese with that?" Cooper asked in a fake Irish accent as their waitress brought their salads out.

"What part of Scotland are you from?" she asked.

"Ireland," Cooper corrected kindly. "We're the Mcs. They're the Macs."

"I'll get you guys some free Cokes," the waitress said, delighted.

"Oh, cheers! Bless you," Cooper replied as she walked away.

"Why do you do that?" Blaine asked, simultaneously amused and embarrassed.

"The service industry is a great place to try out new accents," Cooper explained. "Keeps your instrument from getting rusty. _Use everything_."

"Yeah, will do," Blaine replied.

"So, nice job on the song today," Cooper said. "Really nice."

"Oh, thank you!" Blaine replied.

"You were a little pitchy on Rio and your moves lacked a theme, though," Cooper amended.

Blaine hated the way that every little correction from Cooper made him feel like he had done something wrong.

"Uh, my theme was... dancing, I guess," he explained.

"Yeah, but you have to give in to it," Cooper explained. "Stanislavski says that the fingers are the eyes of the body, but he never mentioned that the toes are the ears."

Blaine tossed his silverware down onto his plate in frustration.

"You're unbelievable," he scolded.

"What do you mean?" Cooper asked, looking genuinely confused.

"What are– what are you doing?" Blaine accused.

"What?"

"All you ever do is tell me what I'm doing wrong," Blaine explained. "You waste no opportunity to remind me how much I suck at, like, everything."

"And it's always been that way," Blaine added. "When I was four or five and you were trying to teach me that dance to MmmBop... you kept telling me that my dancing was terrible. I was a _toddler_..."

Blaine trailed off, knowing that it was ridiculous to hold a grudge for something Cooper had done more than a decade ago. But it was only one example in what was, in Blaine's mind, a long pattern of behavior.

"If that happened, I am so sorry," Cooper said. "But I don't– I don't remember it."

"Of course you don't," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Cooper said, shifting to sit properly in his seat. "Hey, little brother."

Blaine met his gaze.

"I know there is an age difference between us," Cooper said, "but I really want to be closer to you. I want to get to know you a little better. Right? That's why I'm here."

That was exactly what Blaine wanted. Behind all the annoying stuff, Blaine knew there was a big brother worth looking up to inside of Cooper. And Blaine wanted them to be friends. He wanted a brotherly relationship.

"Yeah, no, I– I would love that. I– I'd like that," Blaine admitted.

"Great, so you're gonna come to my master class tomorrow, right?" Cooper replied. "Right?"

"Yeah, sure," Blaine agreed.

"Great!" Cooper answered.

"Of course," Blaine added, almost as an afterthought.

The waitress brought them their drinks, interrupting the conversation.

"Cheers," Cooper thanked the waitress in his fake Irish accent.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "That accent," he mumbled.

"Top of the mornin'," Cooper added as the waitress walked away.

"I'm not coming to your class if you keep up that accent," Blaine told him.

"Too late," Cooper said. "She thinks I'm from Ireland. If I switch accents, she'll know I was faking it."

Blaine shrugged, and they spend the rest of the meal alternating between talking about Cooper and his acting and talking about things that were more interesting to Blaine. By the end of the night, Blaine was mentally exhausted, but he felt good about how dinner had turned out. Cooper _had_ asked a little bit about Kurt. And about school. Cooper _was_ interested. Blaine hoped that they could get past their differences, and Cooper's tendency to think that he was always right, so they could actually be brothers and not just strangers who had DNA in common.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Whoo! Welcome, guys, to the Cooper Anderson acting master class."

Blaine had to force back a laugh as Cooper began his acting class the following afternoon during glee practice. How was everyone taking this so seriously?

"Thank you, yes," Cooper acknowledged the students' applause. "Buckle your seatbelts, kids. Buckle your seatbelts. Because I'm about to pour you a tall glass of 'this is how it is'."

Blaine tried to have an open mind. Maybe this would be helpful. Or, at least, not completely mortifying.

"First thing you're going to want to know... don't go to college," Cooper instructed. "College is a waste of time."

No, Blaine decided, this was going to be a disaster.

"Number two, don't go to New York," Cooper continued. "Theater is lame, and Broadway is dead. _Real_ actors do TV and film, which means Hollywood is where it's at."

Blaine watched as Rachel twisted around and exchanged a worried and slightly annoyed glance with Kurt, and he was hopeful that they weren't taking Cooper too seriously.

"Now, let's talk headshots," Cooper said. "Always, without fail... turn into a pose. Again. And again. And one more time."

As he demonstrated, Blaine wanted to die of embarrassment.

"That is a dynamic headshot," Cooper explained. "and BAM! You just got your first callback! So now you've got your sides. Foot's in the door..."

As Cooper continued, Blaine looked around and noticed that everyone was paying very close attention. And writing everything down.

"Why are you writing this down?" Blaine asked Kurt. Kurt ignored the question, too intent on listening to Cooper to hear him.

Blaine felt a twinge of jealousy, and instantly hated himself for it. Kurt didn't _want_ Cooper in that way. He was just smitten with Cooper's good looks. Just like any other attractive teacher.

The fact that his jealousy was completely unfounded just frustrated Blaine even more.

"Okay," Cooper asked, "what is the key to a dramatic scene?"

"Finding the emotion," Sam suggested.

"Connecting with your scene partner," Rachel answered.

"Oh no... no and no," Cooper disagreed. "The key to a dramatic scene... is pointing!"

He pointed in Blaine's direction, and Blaine tried not to look at him.

"When people are really emotional, they point their fingers," Cooper explained. "A lot."

"That's not true at all," Blaine retorted without really thinking. "That's– that's terrible advice."

"Excuse me, guys, I'm sorry," Cooper said, and the room fell silent as Cooper stepped forward to look at Blaine. "I'm sorry, Blaine, are you an internationally beloved spokesman for the Internet's fastest-growing credit score website?"

Everyone turned to look at Blaine, and he felt self-conscious and completely alone in the room full of people.

"No," Sugar commented.

"I didn't think so," Cooper said. "So let's focus in, okay? I'm here for you."

Blaine knew that, somehow, Cooper believed that. He believed that he was doing something nice. But, really, this was all about showing off. Everything Cooper did was to show off.

"I don't normally do this," Cooper said, "but, because you're my brother's class and you guys are so nice, I'm gonna give you some level two stuff."

As he continued with his lesson, Blaine tried to pretend that the whole thing was a dream. He imagined that he was home, but that only conjured up images of Cooper. He imagined that he was out with Kurt, but all he could think of was Kurt talking about how _attractive_ Cooper was. And his stupid ringtone.

Blaine felt like Cooper had swept in and stolen his ability to be an individual. Suddenly he was just Cooper's little brother.

"... SCREAMING ALL MY LINES! Because I'm really intense AND THE THINGS I'M FEELING ARE REALLY INTENSE because I'M AN INTENSE ACTOR!" Cooper shouted, pulling Blaine out of his thoughts.

"Nicolas Cage, right?" Cooper suggested, "ARGH!"

Everyone applauded, and Blaine glanced around, looking for _one_ skeptical face. He found none.

"Alright, guys," Cooper said, "I don't want you to go cray-cray, but I brought in sides – industry term – from a little show that I auditioned for last week... called NCIS."

That excited the group even more.

"My nana loves that show!" Puck commented.

"Okay..." Cooper said, "Blaine, why don't you read the male lead, and –"

"I'll do it!" Rachel's hand shot up.

Cooper pointed at her and called everyone up to the front of the room. Once Cooper had set the whole thing up – with Tina as their dead body, and with the other students gathered around to watch – he addressed Blaine and Rachel.

"Now, in this scene," Cooper explained, "Agent Sciuto has just discovered a dead body... who knows what will unfold? Don't look at each other... action!"

"Here's what we know," Rachel said, flinging her arm out to point in Blaine's face. "Sergeant Pembroke took a bullet a point-blank range. What we don't know is why he's wearing a dress."

"There's a rumor that Sergeant Pembroke was a transvestite," Blaine read his line.

"No, Blaine," Cooper interrupted immediately, "say that line again, but this time point your finger. Things are serious. A man in a dress is dead."

"I don't really feel like pointing, Coop," Blaine replied. "It just feels a little stupid."

"Well, when a choice feels wrong, it's actually a good sign," Cooper replied. "It means you're right on the edge, man."

"See, I don't know about that," Blaine argued, fighting against the resentment and embarrassment that was coursing through his veins. "I feel like when it feels wrong it means that I don't feel like –"

"Why don't you just take the note, man?" Cooper asked. "I'm working here –"

"Coop, you're my _brother_!" Blaine shouted.

The room was suddenly silent.

"Can't you just... support me?" Blaine blurted out.

"I'm sorry, are you talking to me right now?" Cooper asked. "Because I can't tell if you're talking to me if you don't point your finger."

The presence of his friends from New Directions was the only thing that kept Blaine from punching Cooper in the face.

"Right?" Cooper asked the other students, brushing over Blaine's outburst. "That is lesson number one, guys..."

"Scene. Scene, scene." Cooper closed the lesson, reaching out to pat Blaine's shoulder. "Good work, buddy. We'll get it next time... let's go, whoo!"

Blaine turned to leave the room, completely overwhelmed, but he hesitated. He couldn't just walk out of class. He was going to have to stay and face Cooper's criticism.

"Let's move on to a little acting exercise that I like to call the emotion tornado. Get your hands up to the sky..." Cooper instructed.

Blaine was glad that the emotion tornado was more of a physical action than a mental exercise. Once they had all spun around until they were dizzy and had to sit down, Cooper seemed ready to finish the lesson.

"Alright, kids, great job!" Cooper clapped his hands. "Really great stuff. Now, if anyone wants a little one-on-one advice, I'll be over here..."

Blaine was out the door before Cooper even finished the sentence.

He was mildly surprised when Kurt followed him instead of staying to talk to Cooper.

"Hey," Kurt nudged him as they walked. "Goin' somewhere?"

"Home," Blaine said, glancing at the other boy.

"Wanna skip with us tomorrow?" Kurt asked. "We're going to Six Flags."

"It's _senior_ skip day," Blaine said sourly.

"A bunch of juniors and sophomores are coming," Kurt explained. "I think it's really more of an 'anyone who wants to skip' day."

"I don't want to," Blaine replied.

Kurt was silent, and Blaine turned to look at him.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Blaine answered.

Kurt looked a little hurt, but he nodded. "Okay," Kurt said. He stopped walking, and Blaine stopped too. "Well, I'll see you Friday, then, okay?"

Blaine nodded.

Kurt turned to walk away, and Blaine reached out to catch his arm to stop him.

"Have fun," he said, offering a little smile.

Kurt smiled back at him and stepped back toward Blaine to hug him.

"I'll miss you," he said as he stepped back.

"See you Friday," Blaine nodded, hoping that he didn't look as unhappy as he felt.

Kurt turned and walked back to the choir room, and Blaine walked to his car so he could go home and shut himself into his bedroom and be alone.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Ask me why I am so happy, Squirt," Cooper instructed the following day as Blaine approached him in the hallway.

"Don't call me that," Blaine said.

"My life just completely changed," Cooper explained. "I just got an audition for a Michael Bay movie."

"Oh, that's great," Blaine replied sourly.

"Hello, did you hear me?" Cooper asked. "Michael freakin' Bay. The movie's untitled, which you know is code for Transformers 4."

All Blaine could imagine was how much _more_ he would have to live in Cooper's shadow if Cooper booked a role in a Transformers film.

"You don't seem very happy for me," Cooper observed.

"Oh, I'm thrilled," Blaine said bitterly.

"Well you've got a weird way of showing it," Cooper chided. "It wouldn't kill you to smile. It also wouldn't kill you to stop letting Kurt pick out your clothes."

"He d–does not," Blaine lied.

"Mmm, could'a fooled me," Cooper said.

Blaine just wanted Cooper to go away. At least Kurt didn't think every move Blaine made was ridiculous.

"Come on man," Cooper said excitedly, gently grabbing Blaine's arm so he would stop walking. "We'll have our own ditch day. You can help me run lines."

That was it.

All of the resentment and hurt that had been building up inside of him all week flooded into his brain, and Blaine was sure that there wasn't anything in the world he wanted _less_ than to skip school to run lines with his self-absorbed brother.

"It's all about you, isn't it?" Blaine asked.

Cooper didn't disagree.

"You know what, big brother?" Blaine said. "I'm sick of it. And I'm not gonna take it anymore."

"What?" Cooper asked.

"I'm. _done_." Blaine said sharply. "I don't want to skip with you. I don't want to _read lines_ with you."

He shoved past Cooper to walk away, but he turned back around to face his brother as more words bubbled out of him.

"I thought this time would be different," Blaine accused. "But you're just the same. Never thinking about anyone but yourself. Always ready to correct me at every opportunity. But you know what? I don't have to just take this crap from you. Because I'm smarter and stronger and more capable than you think I am. I'm _done_ letting you treat me like your inferior baby brother."

He threw his hands in the air in agitation, turned, and walked away. He wasn't surprised when Cooper didn't call after him.

Blaine stormed into the locker room and quickly changed into his boxing outfit. He attacked the punching bag, trying to release all of his bitterness, but it wasn't helping as much as it usually did.

He felt like he was having an identity crisis. Cooper didn't care. His friends in New Directions didn't notice. Even Kurt didn't seem to want to be around him much this week. Blaine knew that it was his fault for saying no, but he was sad that Kurt hadn't pressed him harder to come along to Six Flags for senior skip day.

Nobody seemed to notice how miserable Blaine was, and it made Blaine feel horribly lonely.

He wanted to run away. Back to Dalton where he fit in.

But, as Blaine stood in the shower after boxing until his arms ached, he realized that he didn't _actually_ want to run. He had run away once before, and he had regretted it. He had grown and matured since then. This was something he could handle.

He had underestimated the degree of Cooper's selfishness and how his brother's return to Lima would affect him. But he was still himself. Cooper didn't hold any power over him.

And there was one thing Blaine _knew_ that he did well. Something that always made him feel better.

Once he re-dressed, Blaine rushed to the auditorium.

Boxing hadn't made him feel better because he didn't need to release physical anxiety. He needed to release his emotional turmoil.

He let it all out in a song, imagining the music and the lighting and everything that would make the performance amazing.

"_I am a fighter and I, I ain't gonna stop. There is no turning back. I've had enough!_"

Maybe Cooper was hard on him. Maybe Cooper was selfish. But Blaine didn't have to bow down to him. Or anyone.

"_Made me learn a little bit faster. Made my skin a little bit thicker. Makes me that much smarter. So thanks for making me a fighter._"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next afternoon, Kurt grabbed the little stuffed dog he had brought back from Six Flags and hurried to catch Blaine at his locker before he left to go home.

And nearly collided with Cooper as he rounded the corner near Blaine's locker.

"Oh," Kurt gasped. "Uh, sorry, I–"

"Hey Kurt!" Cooper greeted him warmly. "I'm just here to see Blaine... do you know where he is?"

As Kurt's mouth opened to explain that Blaine would be at his locker, his brain engaged and forced him to say something else instead.

"He asked me to tell you that he'd like to meet in the auditorium to talk for a minute. It's just down the hall," Kurt motioned with his hand in the direction of the auditorium. As Cooper nodded, Kurt simultaneously mentally smacked himself and congratulated himself on so quickly orchestrating an opportunity for the brothers to talk.

The news that Blaine wanted to talk seemed to please Cooper, and he smiled. "Thanks, Kurt," he turned to walk away to the auditorium.

As soon as Cooper was far enough away that he wouldn't hear, Kurt turned and ran to Blaine's locker.

He was relieved to see the other boy standing there – Cooper must have just missed him.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine put some of his books into his locker after school, he was so lost in thought that a sudden voice and movement to his right startled him.

"Hello, I'm Margaret Thatcher dog," a voice said as a little stuffed dog appeared from behind his open locker door. "My relationship with the Queen was _ruff_!"

Kurt peeked out from behind the locker door, and Blaine let his head fall forward in relief and amusement.

"Ah, look what Finn won you playing skee ball," Kurt said lightly.

"Finn won this?" Blaine asked, confused.

"Yeah, well, Rachel kept making him win stuffed animals for her," Kurt explained. "And at the end of the day, out of the fourteen she had, I confiscated this little guy. To give to you. Since there was no convincing you coming with us."

Kurt made a pouty face, and Blaine wasn't sure if he would ever be able to articulate how much the simple gesture meant to him.

"Well, I would've just brought you guys down," Blaine explained sadly.

"Look, I get it," Kurt said as they started to walk down the hallway together. "Family stuff is hard. Especially between brothers. I mean, Finn and I aren't even real brothers and we pretty much disagree on everything. But I love the big lug!" Kurt shook the stuffed dog in Blaine's face. "And, at the end of the day, we're in each other's corners. You only get one brother, Blaine. Don't give up on that."

"He's the one leaving," Blaine scoffed. "Huge audition. You didn't hear about it?"

"Actually..." Kurt said cryptically, "he hasn't left yet."

Blaine waited for an explanation.

"He's in the auditorium, hoping that you come and talk to him," Kurt said.

"I've tried talking to him!" Blaine argued. "It doesn't... doesn't really work with him."

"Maybe talking's not the answer," Kurt agreed. "Maybe you need to show him how you really feel in the best, most honest way you know how."

Blaine thought about how _good_ it had felt to sing out his feelings the day before. He glanced at Kurt, and was grateful not to see any pressure in Kurt's eyes. Just affection and encouragement.

Blaine knew the perfect song.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt smiled as he watched Blaine walk away. The impromptu meeting would be beneficial for both brothers.

As Blaine turned the corner and disappeared from view, Kurt felt a strong desire to follow him. To watch Blaine sing out his feelings to his brother. But he knew that he shouldn't. Blaine and Cooper needed to work things out alone, and Kurt had done enough meddling to get them to this point.

But that didn't mean he had to leave entirely.

With a parting glance in the direction of the auditorium, Kurt turned and wandered away to find a place to wait until Blaine and Cooper were done talking.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"_But you didn't have to cut me off! Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough._"

Blaine was glad that Cooper had decided to sing with him, rather than staying in the audience to watch Blaine sing alone. It felt good. Singing with his brother. Letting out his feelings.

"_Now you're just somebody that I used to know_."

"Best you've ever sounded," Cooper said immediately once the song was over.

Blaine waited for the clarification. _But you're _too_ emotional. You've gotta take your emotion and _use_ it. Don't let it use you_.

"I am tough on you," Cooper said instead. "This week, maybe a little tougher than I should've been. And... I need to apologize for that."

That surprised Blaine. He turned to look at Cooper.

"But it's only because I see – I've always seen – how insanely talented you are," Cooper said seriously. "I want you to be as successful as you can be, Blaine. And you will be. You're gonna do it all. Movies, concerts, Broadway."

Blaine's first instinct was to believe Cooper, so he gave in and just let himself feel good about the compliment.

"Even though it's dead?" Blaine remembered.

"You'll resurrect it!" Cooper encouraged, throwing an arm around Blaine's neck. "And when I'm in the audience watching you, I want to be able to say 'that's my kid brother up there... I helped him get there'."

"Thanks for saying that, Coop," Blaine said, unable to resist the urge to tease his brother a little. "And I know you really mean it, too, because you weren't pointing your finger at me or speaking REALLY LOUDLY to be intense!"

Cooper released him in mock protest, and they both laughed.

"I'm really glad we could sing together one last time before you left to be Mr. Hollywood," Blaine admitted.

"Actually, my audition got canceled," Cooper said.

"What?"

"Eh, I dunno. Apparently Michael Bay just decided to 'go in a different direction'," Cooper explained. "Which is industry speak for 'thanks, but we found somebody who's better and/or hotter."

"Okay, first of all," Blaine said, not willing to let Cooper just give up on his dreams because of one bump in the road, "you don't know that. And, second of all... screw Optimus Prime."

"Even though we don't live in the same town and, uh, we don't see each other all the time," Cooper said, turning to face Blaine, "we're not just brothers, right?"

Blaine didn't know what to say.

"We're friends, too," Cooper clarified.

Blaine felt tears flood into his eyes without his permission. He had always wanted to be Cooper's friend. Not his less talented, less important little brother, but an equal.

"That's... exactly what I've always wanted us to be, Coop," Blaine admitted.

He was surprised to see tears in Cooper's eyes as Cooper reached out and crushed him into a tight hug.

"Hold on a second," Cooper protested as Blaine moved to pull away. "I just... I want to remember this emotion so I can use it in a scene someday."

Blaine laughed. "You are ridiculous."

"You never know, right?" Cooper reminded him.

For the first time in a long time, Blaine felt nothing but amusement at Cooper's words. He knew that they would never have an effortless relationship, but Blaine felt so hopeful about the future that he couldn't stand the thought that Cooper might not get everything he ever wanted.

"Hey, I wanna help you," Blaine said as they stepped back from the hug. "I don't want you to give up on this audition. Come on, I've got an idea!"

"Where're we going?" Cooper asked.

"_We_," Blaine replied as he descended the stairs off the stage, "are gonna put you on tape so Michael Bay can see what real acting is."

"Pointing," Cooper noticed as he rushed to follow Blaine out of the auditorium. "Nice touch! See, I believed that! That's why it's lesson number one!"

They emerged into the hallway, and Blaine stopped abruptly.

"Hey Coop?"

Cooper turned to him and Blaine knew that he didn't really need to ask. But he wanted to anyway.

"Can Kurt come with us?"

Cooper threw his arms in the air. "God, it's about time you asked that question."

"What?" Blaine asked.

"We may not know each other as well as we should, little brother," Cooper said, "but I see the way you look at Kurt. And I see the way he looks at you. I need to know this kid better."

Blaine didn't know what to say to that.

"So, is he around?" Cooper asked, looking around the empty hallway. "I talked to him just before you came to the auditorium...

"Wha –?" Blaine started, but Cooper took a deep breath and drowned him out as he shouted.

"KURT?" he called. "KURT? _KURT?_"

"Shhhhhh!" Blaine gasped, but he couldn't hold back a smile at his brother's complete disregard for his surroundings.

"What?" Kurt came running around the corner. From his locker, Blaine guessed. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Cooper said casually.

Blaine tried so hard not to laugh at the look on Kurt's face that the noise that escaped from his mouth was even more obvious than if he had just laughed normally.

Kurt's eyes landed on his, and Blaine bit his lip to keep from smiling like an idiot as Kurt approached.

"Are you laughing at me?" Kurt threatened.

Blaine nodded.

Kurt just rolled his eyes playfully as he stepped up to Blaine, and Blaine realized that he had really _missed_ Kurt this week. Sure, they had seen each other at lunch and at glee club, but they hadn't really spent much time together outside of school all week.

Without thinking, Blaine closed the gap between them and pressed a warm kiss to Kurt's lips.

His brain registered his brother's presence almost immediately, and he quickly stepped back. He risked a bashful glance in Cooper's direction, only to feel his face burning with embarrassment as his brother raised an amused eyebrow at him.

He glanced at Kurt, and was pleased to see that Kurt's face was flushed, too.

"Well," Cooper said, "now that I've got that mental image..."

"Shut _up_," Blaine mumbled as Kurt burst into a fit of giggles.

"... Kurt can run the camera! Come on!"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I can't believe you tricked us," Blaine laughed late that evening as he and Kurt sat in Blaine's car in the driveway at Kurt's house. They had dropped Cooper off at a friend's house, and he was catching an early flight back to Los Angeles the next day.

"Well," Kurt shrugged, "someone needed to give you both a little shove."

He reached out and grabbed Blaine's hand.

"I'm sorry, though," he said. "I could tell you were struggling this week, but –"

"It's okay," Blaine said quickly.

"No," Kurt countered, giving Blaine a stern look. "I could tell that you were hurting, but I let myself believe that it was none of my business what was going on between you and your brother."

"It _is_ none of your business," Blaine teased. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Fine, don't let me be serious," he pouted.

Blaine smiled at him and pulled their interlaced hands up so he could kiss the back of Kurt's hand.

"I missed you so much this week," he said softly.

"I was only gone for one day," Kurt protested.

"I miss you every second you're not with me," Blaine said, fluttering his eyelashes.

Kurt laughed and leaned over the center console to press a kiss to Blaine's lips.

Blaine whined unhappily as Kurt pulled away, and Kurt smiled at him.

"Goodnight," he winked, reaching for the door handle.

"Ugh," Blaine pouted.

Kurt opened the door, leaned over to kiss Blaine one more time, and climbed out of the car.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The song they sing at the beginning is 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (youtube DOT com SLASH watch?v=R1j1RRWcYSg). Just something cute (and kinda fitting to the way their relationship started, right?)... and I wanted it to be with the Warblers because, hey, that's how they met! And I think the Warblers would love it... they've shipped Klaine from the beginning! ;)<strong>_

_**And, let's just be honest, I miss Blaine and the Pips.  
><strong>_

_**Thanks again for your patience with my random absence, guys. We're back on schedule now!**_

_**Up next... 'Saturday Night Glee-ver'!**_


	33. 3x16: Saturday Night Gleever

_**Disco week! Kurt and Blaine don't really interact at all in this episode ('More Than A Woman' is a fantasy sequence)... but that fits with what happens in the NEXT episode, so we're good to go!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

At the start of the week's first glee rehearsal, Mr. Schu brought the group to the auditorium.

"Three of your friends have prepared a number for consideration for Nationals," Mr. Schu explained as everyone settled into their seats. "So... let's give them our full attention!"

Kurt watched Blaine, Brittany, and Mike walk out onto the stage. He was excited to see the performance. Blaine had told him what song they were working on, but he wouldn't let Kurt come anywhere near their rehearsals. "It'll be a surprise!" Blaine kept telling him.

Blaine shimmied his shoulders in anticipation as he found his starting place on the stage, and Kurt smiled. One of Blaine's favorite things about being in New Directions was that it allowed him to work on his dancing.

The music began, and a large disco ball hanging from the ceiling started to turn as Blaine began the song.

"_My baby moves at midnight. Goes right on to the dawn. My woman takes me higher. My woman keeps me warm._"

Kurt wasn't a fan of disco music, but he loved watching Blaine. He looked so happy and energized as he danced and sang.

"_You should be dancing, yeah!_"

Blaine, Brittany, and Mike looked incredibly pleased as they finished the performance, and Mr. Schu jumped to his feet.

"Wow, guys, what brought this on?" Mr. Schu asked as he walked up onto the stage.

"Well," Blaine explained, "we knew this year's theme for Nationals was 'vintage', so we thought we needed something old but something with a lot of energy. So, we thought... disco!"

"Absolutely!" Mr. Schu agreed. "I don't know if I ever told you guys this, but, back when I was in glee club, we took it all the way to Nationals with the pure power of unadulterated disco."

Kurt did know. He remembered Mr. Schu forcing them to consider disco when New Directions had just started.

"Um, well, there's only one problem with that idea," Puck said.

"And what's that?" Mr. Schu asked.

"Disco sucks!" the group shouted.

Kurt could see Blaine rolling his eyes all the way from his seat, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand, pretending to scratch his nose, to keep from laughing.

"Disco does _not_ suck," Mr. Schu disagreed. He turned to the trio on the stage. "Great job, guys."

Blaine came to sit beside Kurt as Mr. Schu talked about how they were getting to Chicago for Nationals.

"Did you like it?" Blaine whispered eagerly as he sat down.

"Yes," Kurt replied. "You were amazing."

"It's so fun," Blaine said.

"I'm not sure Finn could master those dance moves," Kurt said skeptically.

"Well, we could change it up," Blaine said, undeterred. "Or..."

"What?" Kurt turned to look at the other boy as Blaine fell silent.

"You don't want to do disco at all," Blaine accused.

He looked so disappointed that Kurt tried to backtrack.

"I... well, I'm not _absolutely_ opposed to it. I mean..."

Blaine shook his head.

"No," he whispered, "it's okay. I know you don't like it."

"I like it if _you_ like it," Kurt offered.

Blaine smiled.

"It's okay," he said, "I'm going to find a way to show you how fun disco can be."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day in glee club, Rachel was having a moment about her upcoming NYADA audition. She had a list of ten songs that she was considering, and she was bouncing from song to song, stressing about what she would wear.

"I don't want to distract the judge with too many props," Rachel worried, "so my outfit has to say it all. It has to be the whole set."

"I think you're going to nail it," Blaine reassured her.

"It just has to be perfect," Rachel replied, playing nervously with her hair. "I mean, there are millions of talented people in the world, so I need to stand out."

Rachel glanced at Kurt, who was absentmindedly flipping through a book he needed to read for one of his classes.

"If I do not find an outfit that portrays the paranoid, near-Eastern mise-en-scène, I am screwed." Rachel decided.

"What are you even talking about?" Kurt mumbled.

"Oh, stop that, Kurt," Rachel chided. "Don't pretend you're Mr. Cool Guy about this whole thing. I know how much you've been rehearsing. Have you thought about what you're going to wear?"

Kurt ignored her.

"Can you not talk?" Mercedes suggested without looking up from her phone. "I'm trying to beat my high score, and your stress is rubbing off on me."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

After glee practice, Blaine went up to the front of the room to talk to Mr. Schu, so Kurt left the room with Mercedes.

"So," he asked casually as he opened his locker, "have you decided yet what you're doing after graduation?"

"Same plan as before," Mercedes said vaguely. "I've gotten two acceptance letters so far, but there may be others coming soon."

"I'm thrilled you got into Defiance College and Cleveland State," Kurt said, "but... what about NYU?"

His attempt to not-so-subtly nudge Mercedes in the direction of New York City was interrupted by a stranger's voice.

"Kurt Hummel? Mercedes Jones?"

The pair turned to see an unfamiliar student approaching.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the student said, "but I'm your biggest fan! I've been to every last one of your performances... except West Side Story. I boycotted that one because you two weren't Tony and Maria."

"Well, hello kind sir," Kurt greeted, pleased at the compliment. He closed his locker and stepped forward to shake the other boy's hand. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Wade Adams," the student introduced himself. "I go to Carmel High... and I'm in Vocal Adrenaline. And I know we're supposed to be arch enemies, but I swear I'm not here to spy. I want to ask your advice about something. Our coach is Jesse St. James."

"Oh gosh, let's not talk about that in the hallway," Mercedes decided. She led them into an empty classroom so they could speak freely without fear of being overheard.

"He doesn't care about any of us," Wade explained as they sat down. "All he cares about is winning."

"He's awful," Mercedes agreed.

"He's nothing compared to the kids at school," Wade countered. "Or my parents."

Kurt was glad that Wade had come here for advice. He hated that Wade's peers, and even his parents, weren't accepting of him the way he was.

"Do you know how I get through it?" Wade continued. "Ever since I was a little kid, I would play this game where I'd pretend I was a different person. The person that I dreamed of being. The real me. I even have a different name: Unique. I got so nervous I almost didn't speak to you guys today. But then I thought... 'how would Unique do it?'."

He smiled.

"And I realized... Unique isn't afraid of anything," Wade said.

"Unique sounds like a really great person," Kurt approved. "I hope that, one day, you can build up enough courage to be him."

"Actually," Wade corrected, "Unique's a 'her'."

Oh.

Kurt didn't have any experience with issues of gender identity. He wasn't sure what to say.

"That's why I want your advice," Wade explained. "Regionals are this Saturday, and I want to go on stage wearing a dress and heels... because that's who I feel like I am inside."

"Unique," Kurt understood.

"Yes," Wade confirmed. "What would you do?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Later that afternoon, Kurt met Blaine at the Lima Bean. As they ordered and found a table, Kurt told Blaine Wade's story.

"... and he wants to wear a dress when they perform at Regionals. And heels!" Kurt explained as they sat down.

Blaine frowned and took a sip of his coffee. "What did you tell him?" he asked.

"This is _Ohio_," Kurt fretted.

Blaine nodded.

"But," Kurt said, "on the other hand... _someone_ has to lead the way. He has a lot of courage. But..."

"It's complicated," Blaine agreed.

Blaine wasn't as worked up about the whole thing as Kurt wanted him to be.

"Why can't things just be simple?" Kurt pouted.

"Because everything would be boring?" Blaine suggested with a smile.

Kurt returned the smile.

"We need to do this more," Kurt said, motioning around them. "I miss coming here with you."

Blaine nodded, but didn't say anything.

"We'll have to find a coffee place in New York," Kurt mused. The thought distracted him from his worries about Wade. "Maybe we can go one weekend this summer and find the best one near NYADA!" Kurt concluded.

"I'd like that," Blaine agreed.

Kurt sighed happily and reached out to grab Blaine's hand on top of the table.

"It's going to be perfect," he said, thinking about New York. About the future.

Blaine nodded, but didn't answer, but Kurt was too engrossed in imagining what life would be like in New York to really notice. He still had to audition and be accepted to NYADA, but he was confident. At the end of the summer, he would be living in New York City. Living his dream. And, in a year, Blaine would be there too, and they could have the life together that they wanted.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"This is going to be so much fun on an actual dance floor," Blaine said enthusiastically. "Thanks for letting us help, Mr. Schu!"

"We need all the help we can get to persuade the others that disco is a good idea," Mr. Schu said.

"I would've never have thought that snake head here would be into disco," Sue chimed in, motioning at Joe.

Joe flipped his dreadlocks, and they all laughed.

"See you tomorrow," Mr. Schu said as he and Sue left the room.

As the adults left the room, Blaine's phone rang. It was Kurt.

"Hey there," Blaine answered as he and Joe gathered their things.

"Are you still at school?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine replied.

"Can you get my history book out of my locker before you come over, please?" Kurt requested.

"Sure!" Blaine smiled. "History book, got it."

"Thanks," Kurt said. "See you soon!"

"I love you," Blaine smiled into the phone.

"I love you too," Kurt replied. "Bye!"

When Blaine looked up from his phone after ending the call, Joe was staring at him.

"What?" Blaine asked casually.

"It's, uh, nothing," Joe said quickly, looking away.

Blaine narrowed his eyes at the other boy, but he didn't press the issue.

"It's just..." Joe said suddenly as Blaine was about to walk out the door, "... how– or, well, yeah, how do you... how did you know?"

"How did I know...?" Blaine asked, turning back around toward Joe.

"That you–" Joe paused and took a deep breath before making eye contact with Blaine again. "That you're gay."

Blaine smiled to let Joe know that the question was acceptable, and he took a moment to consider his answer.

"I guess," Blaine said, "it's probably the same as how someone knows they're straight."

"And you just always knew?" Joe asked.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah."

He could tell by the look on Joe's face that the other boy had a ton of questions.

"You were homeschooled before you came here, right?" Blaine asked.

"Yes," Joe said. "Faith is really important in my family, and my parents wanted to make sure that I got a Christian education."

He looked nervous again.

"I'd never met a gay person until I came here," Joe admitted.

"Do Kurt and I make you nervous?" Blaine asked. He was reasonably sure that Joe wasn't homophobic, but he often found that even open-minded people could be nervous around him if they didn't know much about homosexuality.

"Not really," Joe said. "Kurt... uh, not in a bad way, but he's so different from anyone else I've ever known. But I like him."

Blaine laughed. "He has the strongest sense of self of anyone I've ever known," he agreed.

They were silent for a brief moment.

"You can always ask if you have any other questions," Blaine offered kindly. "I'm gay. It's not some big, taboo thing."

Joe nodded.

"Thanks, Blaine," he said. "I think that's all for now. I... I'm glad I get the chance to know you."

"And Kurt," he added.

Blaine smiled. "Thanks," he said, clasping Joe on the shoulder on his way out the door.

He got Kurt's book out of his locker and drove to the Hummel-Hudson house. It was Wednesday, which was the day they had scheduled to spend together each week. Every Wednesday for the previous few weeks, Blaine had come over after school. Burt was in Washington DC during the week, and Carole worked on Wednesday afternoons, so they generally had the house to themselves. Sometimes Sam or Finn would be there, but they seemed to have gotten the hint that Kurt and Blaine wanted to be home alone on Wednesdays.

"Oh my god," Kurt greeted him at the door. "I am _so_ inspired today. I was just sketching out the design for my NYADA audition..."

He pecked a kiss to Blaine's lips before grabbing Blaine's hand and practically dragging him upstairs to his room to look at all the things he had strewn across his bed.

"I'm thinking," Kurt explained, "that I'll make my cape out of this material. Or maybe it should be something shinier?"

Blaine shook his head. "I like that," he confirmed, motioning at the fabric in Kurt's hands.

"Perfect," Kurt said, shoving a bunch of stuff aside to make a place for Blaine to sit on the edge of Kurt's bed.

"And _this_," Kurt said, handing Blaine a drawing, "is kind of how I'm thinking the set should look. I was thinking we should use fake candles, but they're too expensive. So we'll just have a fire extinguisher on standby..."

He sat down on the bed beside Blaine, and Blaine leaned over and nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck.

Kurt giggled and tipped his head so Blaine could kiss up his neck to his mouth.

"Mmm," Kurt hummed happily as Blaine kissed him. When Blaine pulled back from the kiss, Kurt smiled at him.

"Oh!" he remembered. "And I got a brochure in the mail about the dorm situation at NYADA..."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine walked through the choir room door the next afternoon and saw the dance floor, it was even better than he had imagined. As Mr. Schu explained to the group that the week's assignment was songs from _Saturday Night Fever_, Blaine was excited to get started.

As he and Joe helped Sue and Mr. Schu lead the group in a rendition of _Night Fever_, Blaine felt like he was really hitting his stride in New Directions. Disco had been his idea, and the group was going along with it. Sure, some of the students had halfheartedly protested, but Blaine could tell that they were all having fun.

It felt good to have his classmates following his lead.

"This is rigged," Kurt whined when the song was over and Mr. Schu led Santana, Mercedes, and Finn out of the room as the winners of the dance-off.

"You could probably make yourself one of those suits," Blaine offered.

"That's not the point," Kurt pouted.

Blaine smiled.

"Okay, the rest of you," Sue said loudly. "No time for standing around. We've got dance moves to learn. Let's go!"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt was surprised when Becky Jackson brought him a note that said that Coach Sylvester wanted to see him and Mercedes in her office before glee club.

"Porcelain, Wheezy," Sue greeted them as they arrived, "have a seat."

They sat down.

"_Traitors_," Sue accused.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked.

"As you may as well know, I have a large portion of this school bugged and wire tapped," Sue explained. "I am already pushing the very limits of physics by joining forces with Will Schuester, and you repay my help by giving tips to the enemy?"

"Oh," Mercedes realized that Sue was talking about Wade Adams. "No, that's not what happened at all."

"Wade was asking us for advice because he wants to wear a dress and perform at Regionals as his alter-ego, Unique," Kurt explained. "And we didn't think it was a very good idea."

"It's not a good idea," Sue said. "It's a great idea."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a quick, disapproving glance.

"But Coach Sylvester," Mercedes argued. "This is _Ohio_. I don't think many people are gonna be down with that."

"Exactly," Sue agreed. "He'll tank them at Regionals. And the New Directions will coast to a win at Nationals."

"I happen to have a pair of thirteen wides right here," Sue continued, pulling a large pair of heels out from behind her desk.

"Where'd you get those?" Kurt asked, intrigued.

"They were autographed by my good friend Janet Reno," Sue said. "She wore them on the day they caught the Unabomber."

Kurt didn't really hear her as he looked at the shoes. Kurt had never worn heels, aside from trying to thump around the house in his mother's shoes when he was five years old and when New Directions had done Lady GaGa sophomore year, but he appreciated the aesthetic of the sparkly shoes.

"Deliver these unto Unique," Sue suggested. "Get him to cram his ham hawks into these platoons at Regionals, and we'll be well on our way to a national championship."

Sue stood up.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Sue said, "I need to take approximately one thousand vitamins before the start of glee club, and I can't swallow pills with children in the room."

Kurt rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Don't forget these!" Sue said, holding out the heels.

Kurt took them and followed Mercedes out of the room.

"What are we going to do?" Mercedes asked as they walked down the hall.

Kurt swung the shoes as they walked.

"Maybe we should send them to him," Kurt offered.

"What?" Mercedes gasped.

Kurt shrugged. "It's not our decision to make whether or not he wears a dress and heels... and everyone else just comes down on him for it. So why not be supportive? It's who he is."

"But what if he _wears_ them?" Mercedes asked.

"We should trust his judgment," Kurt suggested.

Mercedes shrugged. "Okay," she agreed as they stopped at Kurt's locker so he could put the shoes away before glee club, "let's send them to him."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I'm gonna be famous," Santana said confidently at the end of the discussion of her post-graduation plans. "If it's the last thing I do."

"_Okay_," Mr. Schu said. "Thank you, Santana."

The teacher looked around the room.

"Let's call it a day, guys," he said. "Work on your moves for our group number, and I'll see you tomorrow!"

As the group dispersed, Blaine said goodbye to Mike and Tina before hanging back to wait for Kurt to finish talking to Mercedes.

"What's up?" Blaine asked as Mercedes left the room and Kurt bent over to pick up his bag.

"Oh, you know," Kurt said sarcastically, "_drama_."

Blaine smiled. "I'm sure you can handle it," he offered.

They walked out of the room together.

"Do you want to be famous?" Kurt asked as they walked down the hallway.

"No," Blaine answered immediately.

"You want to be a... non-famous performer?" Kurt asked skeptically.

Blaine shook his head as they arrived at Blaine's locker. "It's just... I know Cooper isn't _that_ famous," Blaine explained. "Yet, anyway. But you saw what it was like when he came here."

Kurt leaned against the row of lockers as Blaine grabbed a few things out of his locker.

"I suppose," Kurt agreed. "But, you have to admit, it would be fabulous sometimes, too."

Blaine shrugged. "Yeah," he agreed vaguely.

As Kurt chattered on about how living in New York and attending a prestigious school like NYADA would give him a decent chance at achieving fame on a Broadway stage one day, all Blaine could think about was that he wouldn't be there with Kurt.

Soon, Ohio wouldn't be "home" for Kurt. Kurt's life would be in New York, and Ohio would only be in his periphery as he thrived at college in the big city. His life would be big and full of new adventures. And Blaine would be in Lima. Still in high school. Left behind.

Blaine thought about it all the time. Kurt had given him a suitcase for Valentine's Day, and Kurt _used_ to talk a lot about what they would do together in the city when Blaine visited. Or the year after, when Blaine hoped to join him in New York. But, lately, Kurt was just talking about New York as the place _he_ was going.

Blaine knew that it wasn't on purpose. Kurt hadn't suddenly decided that he didn't want Blaine in New York with him. It was just that Kurt's NYADA audition was coming up, so Kurt and Rachel were consumed by everything about New York and how they were going to get there. But it still hurt. Blaine had even looked into taking summer classes so he could graduate early, but he couldn't take all the classes he would need. He had to stay in Lima for another year.

Blaine was struggling with how to deal with the fact that Kurt would be gone by the end of the summer. It was so easy to forget that Kurt was going anywhere when he was tangled up in Blaine's arms or snuggled up beside Blaine on the couch or dancing and singing his heart out with Blaine and the rest of New Directions. But it was getting more and more difficult to be in denial as the date for Kurt and Rachel's NYADA auditions drew near. The more Kurt talked about it, the more desperate Blaine felt about the whole situation.

He didn't want to break up. He _never_ wanted to break up with Kurt. But, Blaine had decided, it was time to distance himself – emotionally, and sometimes physically – from Kurt. He needed to see if he could function in New Directions, and at McKinley as a whole, without the boy for whom he had returned to public school.

So, Blaine had started by forcing himself not to hang out with Kurt all the time. They still had fun together. They still talked every day at school. They still called each other every night so they could get ready for bed together. But Blaine had made a conscious effort to make sure that he was spending more than half of his spare time doing something _else_. He hung out with Mike. He helped Tina with costume ideas. He did homework with Artie. He had even gone to the mall once with Rachel, which he was pretty sure had confused both Kurt and Finn. And maybe even Rachel.

Kurt was definitely noticing that _something_ was different. His comment in the Lima Bean about not going out together as often as they used to... he wasn't suspicious, but he did notice.

So far, it wasn't working the way Blaine wanted it to work. Instead of somehow mellowing his feelings for Kurt, it was just a constant reminder that Kurt was going to be gone. There was no more denial.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice cut through his thoughts. "Hey, you okay?"

Blaine nodded, quickly slamming his locker closed.

"Yeah," he confirmed, reaching out to grab Kurt's hand as they headed out into the parking lot.

He needed to remind himself that, for now, Kurt was still here.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I feel horrible," Kurt said as they snuck through the door into the auditorium where Vocal Adrenaline was preparing for their Regionals competition. "We should've never given Wade those high heels."

"Look, there's still time to stop it," Mercedes said. "I mean, he wouldn't _actually_ go out like that, would he?"

"Finn dressed up like Lady Gaga," Kurt reminded her. "And I never thought _that_ would happen."

It didn't take them long to find Wade.

"Oh, thank god," Kurt breathed as he saw that Wade was still sitting at a vanity applying his stage makeup.

"Hey Wade," Kurt greeted. "We just came by to tell you to break a leg."

"And to make sure you're still dressed as a guy," Mercedes added.

"Not for long," Wade corrected.

"Look, Wade," Kurt replied, "I know we sent you those shoes as a good luck gesture, but... we talked it over, and you can't do this. I admit that I've worn some flamboyant designer outfits, but I've never dressed up like a woman."

"That's because you identify yourself as a man," Wade responded. "I thought _you_, of all people, would understand."

That bothered Kurt. Was he being unreasonable? He was conflicted between wanting Wade to be whoever he was inside and not wanting Wade to become a target for people who weren't particularly open-minded.

He made a mental note to educate himself further on gender identity.

"I'm wearing them," Wade told them.

He already had them on. Kurt wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Well," Jesse St. James suddenly appeared, "look who Schuester sent to spy on me. The laziest person alive and the pasty-faced ghost boy."

"Come on," Jesse said, leading them away from the students in Vocal Adrenaline.

"We're not spies," Mercedes argued, "we're friends of Wade's."

"Really?" Jesse commented. "All the more reason to fire him after the show."

After Jesse brushed by them and left them alone, Kurt grabbed Mercedes arm and dragged her in the direction of the door.

"Are we leaving?" Mercedes whispered.

"Of course we're not leaving," Kurt replied. "But we need to make Jesse think we're gone."

They hid until it was time for Vocal Adrenaline to take the stage.

"Oh gosh," Mercedes said nervously as she and Kurt approached the edge of the stage to watch the performance.

"I know," Kurt agreed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, "please welcome to the stage... from Carmel High in Akron, Ohio: Vocal Adrenaline!"

There were a bunch of people gathered near the edge of the stage, but Kurt just shoved his way through until he and Mercedes were at the front of the group.

As the curtain rose and the song began, Kurt was very pleasantly surprised. Unique looked great. Sounded great.

It was a huge success.

Kurt and Mercedes were still talking about it on Monday after school.

"I'm still in shock," Kurt said, leaning against the row of lockers beside Mercedes as she gathered her books.

"I cannot believe Unique pulled that off," Mercedes agreed.

"There's something to be said about the power of a dream," Kurt said as Mercedes shut her locker and they walked down the hall together. "He took a risk and it paid off... but I guess that's just having a dream."

"Hey Mercedes."

At the sight of Sam, Kurt knew it was time to leave. He spun around and hurried away, hoping that Sam and Mercedes would... do _something_ in his absence. He knew that his friend wanted to be with Sam more than she wanted to be with Shane. Mercedes never talked about Shane. Ever. She didn't talk much about Sam, either, but only because every time someone mentioned him she got all flustered and shy.

Kurt was pleased to find Blaine at his locker.

"Hey you," Kurt said happily, leaning against the row of lockers on one arm and reaching out with the other to rub Blaine's back affectionately.

"Hey," Blaine smiled at him.

"So," Kurt said teasingly, "it's the last day of disco week. How do you feel?"

Blaine laughed. "Best week ever," he winked. "And how do _you_ feel?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I knew it," Blaine said happily, closing his locker and brushing past Kurt on his way to the choir room. "I knew you'd enjoy it!"

"I didn't say that," Kurt argued as he followed Blaine toward glee rehearsal.

"You didn't have to," Blaine glanced over his shoulder to flash a huge smile at Kurt before walking through the choir room door, "your expression said it all."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Okay, this is kinda random and has nothing to do with this story, but 'You Should Be Dancing' is one of my absolute favorite songsperformances from the whole season. It's just so FUN. I'm on Team Blaine – disco is awesome!)**_

_**I really think Blaine and Joe are – or, at least, are on the path to being – friends. They're both just really nice and they're both a little bit naïve sometimes... I just think they'd get along really well! And they both love disco! I hope they get to interact more next season!**_

_**Blaine says in the next episode that Kurt has been talking pretty much nonstop about NYADA lately, so I tried to put some of that in here... Kurt, honey, I know you're super excited about NYADA, but think of sweet Blaine! He's going to miss you so much. But don't worry, the two of you will have that talk soon enough...**_

_**Up next (on Monday!)... 'Dance With Somebody'!**_


	34. 3x17: Dance With Somebody

_**Well, this is quite an episode for Kurt and Blaine! And it's a long one... the longest chapter in this story so far, I believe! I hope that's a good thing!**_

_**Thank you all, as always, for being so very lovely. I appreciate it so much!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The week's assignment was Whitney Houston.

"It's about celebrating her legacy. Honoring her memory, her accomplishments. But I also want you guys to use her songs to get underneath your own feelings. To express and explore what's really going on with you," Mr. Schu had explained.

As Blaine transferred his books in and out of his locker after glee rehearsal, he heard Kurt's voice before he saw the other boy.

"How thrilled am I for this week's assignment!" Kurt hurried over, animated. "I'm going to Between The Sheets to find music."

Blaine tried to look interested, but he was having a hard time absorbing Kurt's good mood. He settled for just nodding along as Kurt continued. "I've got to figure out what song I want to do. I could do _So Emotional_, which was obviously written for me. Or _One Moment In Time_, which was also, obviously, written for me."

Blaine tried to think of something positive to say.

"Well, you can't really go wrong," he managed.

Kurt didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm. "I figured I could kill two birds with one stone," Kurt explained. "I could do one for the assignment this week and then one for my NYADA audition."

Blaine had to turn away. The emotional turmoil that he was feeling more and more every day regarding Kurt leaving for New York, combined with his annoyance that Kurt didn't seem to be feeling that same anxiety, meant that he wanted to talk about anything _but_ NYADA.

Kurt, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to _stop_ talking about NYADA. Ever. And, as much as Blaine understood that Kurt was just excited about his upcoming audition, it was starting to really get on Blaine's nerves. Was Kurt going to miss McKinley, and Blaine, at all?

"You'll come with me, right?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I can't today," Blaine lied. He _did_ have an unusually large amount of homework, but he had never let that stand in his way of hanging out with Kurt before. He just couldn't bear the thought of spending the entire afternoon listening to Kurt gush about NYADA.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt felt a large portion of his enthusiasm drain away as Blaine said that he couldn't come to the music store.

"Okay," he said, trying to ignore the way that the back of his mind was telling him that Blaine just didn't want to hang out with him. "Boo."

"Well– well, just text me when you're done," Blaine suggested.

As Blaine walked away, Kurt felt uncertain. "Will do," he answered, too late.

What was up with Blaine lately? He was so much more distant than normal. At first, Kurt had thought that maybe it was emotional runoff from Cooper's visit, but as the weeks had passed he was starting to think that it must be something else. Blaine was less affectionate, less upbeat, less talkative. And he had started turning down offers to hang out with Kurt, which he had _never_ done before. Not without a really solid reason.

Kurt was trying his best to pretend that it wasn't happening. All of his dreams of New York – not to mention the rest of his life – included the sweet, talented boy he loved so much. What if Blaine's attitude change meant that Blaine was starting to have second thoughts about being a couple?

Kurt shook his head and leaned his head back against the row of lockers.

He _knew_ that Blaine still loved him. Maybe this was the much-talked about "end of the honeymoon phase". Maybe they were just settling into a routine that was more comfortable than romantic.

That must be it, Kurt decided as he set off down the hall toward the parking lot and his car. Because he couldn't accept the alternative.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Things at the music store didn't go at all as Kurt had anticipated.

He wasn't in a particularly great mood when he arrived, but suddenly there was a loud, sweet young man named Chandler bouncing around in front of him. Complimenting him on his clothes and his song choices.

_Is he _flirting_ with me?_

Kurt had never been flirted at by anyone other than Blaine (and, he reminded himself, Mercedes. But he liked to pretend that had never happened). It felt... nice.

"I'm sorry, am I being really loud?" Chandler suddenly realized. "When I get excited, I tend to start yelling."

"No, no," Kurt reassured him. "You're just really... enthusiastic. It's refreshing. Infectious, actually."

It was true. Kurt felt so much better than when he had walked in.

"Then I should quit while I'm ahead," Chandler said briskly. He stuck his hand out and Kurt shook it. "Nice to meet you, Kurt Hummel. I'm sure you'll nail whatever song you pick."

"Thank you," Kurt felt a tinge of pride at this stranger's confidence in him.

"Oh, and good luck with your NYADA callback," Chandler added. "Let me know if I can be of any help. We future New Yorkers gotta stick together."

Chandler hesitated, and then suddenly: "Can I get your number?"

Kurt's mind exploded with conflicting emotions. Nobody had _ever_ asked for his number before. Not like this. And this Chandler guy was so _nice_.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Kurt stammered, pulling out his own phone.

As they exchanged numbers, Kurt felt his heart beating a little faster than normal. This was a new friend. Someone who was comfortable complimenting him in public and who shared his dream. It was exciting.

When Kurt's number was finally in his phone, Chandler smiled. "Text ya later," he shrugged his shoulders playfully before turning and leaving the store.

Kurt finished his shopping in a daze, and, as he was climbing into his car, his phone vibrated. His heart leapt as he yanked it out of his pocket.

It was from Chandler.

_Are your feet tired? Because you've been running through my mind since I left the store._

Kurt's jaw fell slack at the forwardness of the message. He looked around, wondering if Chandler was still in the parking lot, but he saw no indication of the other boy.

He chewed on his lip as he typed a response. _No, but only because I've got such fabulous shoes._

By the time he got home, there was another text from Chandler (_What are you most looking forward to about New York?_), and he spent the remainder of the evening attempting to do his homework while being sporadically interrupted by his new acquaintance.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

_So, what song did you decide on?_

Blaine typed the message into his phone, but hesitated. Kurt hadn't texted him after the music store.

"I am so needy," Blaine mumbled, erasing the message and setting his phone down on his bedside table. Kurt wouldn't be around every second next year, so he needed to stop relying on Kurt's company so much. Kurt had better things to do than to text back and forth with Blaine all the time.

With a sigh of discontent, Blaine rolled over and stretched out on his bed to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Hey," Blaine snuck up behind Kurt at his locker the next morning.

"Hey yourself," Kurt smiled at him.

"So... how was the music store?" Blaine offered lightly.

"It was great!" Kurt finished gathering his stuff and slammed his locker closed. "I'm still not sure about _Music Of The Night_, so I got a few other options. I'm gonna _kill_ the audition."

"I can't possibly imagine any other scenario," Blaine agreed, happy to absorb some of Kurt's enthusiasm. Even the talk of NYADA didn't bother him so much.

They didn't talk much during glee practice, which started in the choir room before moving to the auditorium so that Brittany and Santana could show them the Whitney number they had been rehearsing with the Cheerios. Blaine felt better than he had felt all week as he danced along in his seat and felt Kurt's comfortable presence by his side.

"We should have a _Being Bobby Brown_ marathon later this week," Kurt suggested when glee practice was over and they were standing by his locker so he could put a few of his books away.

"That sounds great," Blaine agreed.

Reality television was kind of their thing. Blaine loved curling up on Kurt's bed – and Kurt always made a tray of delicious food – and watching mindless shows together.

"Hello!" Rachel suddenly appeared from behind Blaine.

"We're going to my house to rehearse on the stage in my basement," Rachel explained happily as Blaine turned a curious glance in her direction.

"Want to come?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, no, that's okay," Blaine smiled, feeling genuinely happy that they had each other so that they could spend the afternoon talking about next year at NYADA. It _was_ exciting, and he wanted Kurt to be able to talk about it without Blaine's uncertainty bringing him down.

Kurt jutted his lower lip out, and Blaine leaned forward to kiss him softly on the lips.

"Have fun," he smiled.

He gave Rachel a brief hug, and then he escaped to his car before he changed his mind and decided to spend the afternoon with the New York-bound duo.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"...and we are _definitely_ going on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty the first week we're in the city," Rachel said as she put away the microphone after a long afternoon of rehearsing with Kurt.

They had each sung four songs, and then they had discussed which one was best.

Rachel was down to _Don't Rain On My Parade_ and _On My Own_, while Kurt was stuck trying to decide between _Music of the Night_, which he had been rehearsing for more than a month, and _Dancing Through Life_. He had considered _Defying Gravity_, but Rachel had reminded him that this wasn't the time to do something crazy. He needed to sing something that proved that he could play a leading male role. There would be plenty of time for reinterpreting roles and songs when he was at NYADA.

"Of course we are," Kurt agreed. "You know... maybe Blaine could come along, too."

"I think NYADA starts about a week before McKinley," Rachel agreed.

Kurt sat down on the edge of the little stage and thought about how amazing it would be to have Blaine with him in New York. Blaine had never been to the city before, and Kurt couldn't wait to show him things and to discover things together.

"You should go for your birthday," Rachel said.

"What?" Kurt asked, returning to reality from the fantasies in his head.

"Your birthday," Rachel repeated. "It's right after graduation, after all, so you'll both be free. And, really, what more could you ask for on your birthday than a city like New York and the boy you love?"

Kurt fell over backward to lie on the stage.

"You're a genius," he said dreamily.

"I know," Rachel agreed, sitting down on the stage near his head.

Kurt looked up at her, and they both dissolved into giggles.

"We're going to live in New York, Kurt," Rachel wiggled her shoulder happily.

"I get to decorate our dismally small, yet charming, kitchen," Kurt said seriously.

"Okay," Rachel agreed, smiling widely.

Kurt closed his eyes and imagined it. A tiny apartment. Their own space. A bunch of rundown furniture that he could paint and reupholster to look just right. A little kitchen and a little bathroom and a little closet that would somehow have to hold all of his clothes.

And, a year later, maybe it would hold Blaine's clothes, too.

They could actually live together.

The thought excited him so much that he had to sit up. He turned to look at Rachel, and he could tell that she was daydreaming about the future, too.

It was going to be everything that they had imagined. Kurt couldn't wait to conquer New York and NYADA with Rachel. Together they would be unstoppable.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

After school the next day, Blaine went to Mike's house to hang out with Mike and Tina while Kurt went to Rachel's house again for another round of rehearsal.

"So, any idea what you're going to sing for Whitney week?" Blaine asked as they hung out in Mike's bedroom.

Tina shrugged, but Mike shoved her shoulder.

"She wants to do _One Moment In Time_," Mike told Blaine.

Blaine nodded enthusiastically. "That would be beautiful, Tina! You should definitely do it."

"You don't think Kurt's gonna sing that one?" Mike asked.

Blaine shrugged. "I don't think he's decided yet."

"Well, text him and ask him," Tina laughed. "I need to know if I can get my hopes up!"

Blaine pulled out his phone.

_Have you decided what song you're doing for Whitney week yet?_

The response came almost immediately.

_I was thinking about One Moment In Time, but I haven't decided for sure. You?_

"He's thinking about it," Blaine told Tina and Mike.

_I'm not sure either,_ Blaine replied to Kurt.

Blaine knew that there was really nothing to send as a reply to his final message, but he was still a little disappointed when Kurt didn't text him back.

"Well," he said to Tina, "why don't you give us a preview of your song?"

"No, no..." Tina whined.

"I agree," Mike winked at her.

Tina pretended to be annoyed, but Blaine and Mike exchanged a knowing glance as Tina stood up. She wanted to sing the song for them.

"_I want one moment in time when I'm more than I thought I could be. When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away. And the answers are all up to me. Give me one moment in time when I'm racing with destiny. Then in that one moment of time I will feel. I will feel eternity._"

As Tina sang, Blaine forced himself _not_ to let his mind wander. He was here, right now, with his friends. If he kept letting his uncertainty about the future with Kurt consume him, he would miss out on his life.

And he was overreacting, anyway. Kurt was going to New York, but they would be okay. They could handle it.

The two boys gave Tina a standing ovation when she finished, and she bowed and blew them kisses.

"You're amazing," Mike said, pulling her over to him for a sweet kiss.

"Thank you," Tina smiled.

"Do you ever wonder what next year is gonna be like?" Blaine asked before he could stop himself.

Tina and Mike turned to look at him.

"Sometimes," Tina admitted. "But this is the Twenty-First Century. Just because we're physically separated doesn't mean we're cut off from each other."

Blaine nodded.

"There's something kinda romantic about the idea of Skyping late into the night, don't you think?" Tina smiled, turning to Mike.

"Totally romantic," he agreed.

Blaine smiled as he watched them. They seemed so at ease with the idea.

He was definitely overreacting. He and Kurt would be fine. Blaine had managed to branch out a little – spending more time with their other friends and even spending more time with his friends from Dalton – and he would be okay for a year without Kurt. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, anyway, because it would only be a year after Kurt moved to New York before Blaine could move there too.

It was going to be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt was dusting off the inside of his locker – specially decorated for Whitney week – when Rachel hurried over.

"Oh my god," she huffed, "I've been practicing Whitney's Houston's version of _The Star Spangled Banner_ all night and I still can't sing it."

"You're just realizing this now?" Kurt admonished, "I'm surprised anyone's attempted it after she nailed it to the wall."

Kurt's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to find a message from Chandler.

_Do you have an eraser? Because I can't get you out of my mind._

"Ohhhh," Rachel cooed as she watched Kurt read the message, "I know what that is!" She tugged on Kurt's jacket. "Finn sends me cutsey text messages all the time. Usually they're puns about my boobs, but I still appreciate the effort."

"It's not from Blaine," Kurt admitted.

Rachel was more stunned than Kurt had anticipated. "Then who is it?" she asked.

"He's just a guy..." (Rachel made a disapproving sound, and Kurt ignored her) "...I met him at Between The Sheets. His name is Chandler. He's nice."

"And what did Mr. Between The Sheets say, then?" Rachel prodded.

"Nothing! We just joke around! It's sweet," Kurt informed her.

She looked unconvinced, so Kurt decided to share one of Chandler's recent messages.

"Okay, alright..." Kurt said. Rachel leaned in to hear him read one of Chandler's texts, "'Are you an astronaut? Because your smile is out of this world'."

Rachel snatched the phone out of his hands. "Are you _kidding_ me?" She scolded. As she scrolled through Chandler's messages, she gasped dramatically.

"Kurt, you have been going at this with him for two days now?"

"It's nothing!" Kurt reiterated. "It's just fun; he makes me feel good."

Rachel looked incredulous. "_Blaine_ is supposed to make you feel good," she informed him.

That was true. In the deepest depths of his soul, Kurt knew that he was coping with Blaine's recent lack of affection by allowing himself to be complimented by this almost-stranger. As Rachel stared at him, he decided to partially confess.

"You said that Finn sends you cute text messages every day," he told her.

Rachel nodded a confirmation.

"Does he compliment you?" Kurt asked, "Constantly try to get in your pants?"

"Yeah, he's an eighteen-year-old boy," Rachel stated, as if this had nothing to do with Kurt's texting with Chandler.

Kurt closed his locker and decided that if he couldn't be honest with Rachel, he couldn't be honest with anyone.

"Have you ever heard of 'lesbian bed death'?" he asked her.

"No."

"I read about it online," Kurt explained. "It's when two lesbians date for long enough... they become like sisters."

Rachel saw the problem with the idea.

"And Blaine and I are like an old married couple," Kurt admitted. "A _fabulous_ old married couple, like Paul Newman and John Woodward, but... I don't think we've had an unscheduled make out session in like a month."

"You schedule make out sessions?" a hint of judgment crept into Rachel's voice, and Kurt squashed the urge to remind her that she had once made a relationship calendar for Finn.

"The point is," Kurt tried to clarify as they turned and started walking down the hallway, "I love Blaine and Blaine loves me. But he doesn't exactly make me blush with his texts right now. And what's the harm of someone making me feel special if it's all innocent?"

Rachel spun around in front of him and put out a hand to stop Kurt from continuing down the hallway.

"Okay," she said authoritatively, "would you show Blaine those text messages?"

"Of course not!" Kurt answered automatically.

"Well then, I guess it's not that innocent," Rachel stressed. She gave him a knowing look before she brushed by and walked away.

Kurt's phone buzzed, and he was a little bit relieved to find that it was a photo message from his father (of the fancy dinner he had eaten the night before – _I hope you're proud of your old man for eating this!_) rather than a message from Chandler.

As he continued down the hall to class, Kurt reminded himself that his texting with Chandler wasn't a huge deal. He was never going to _do_ anything with another guy. He didn't _want_ to do anything with anyone but Blaine. His texting with Chandler was just a silly thing that made him feel good.

He was allowed to have guy friends. Blaine had a bunch of guy friends.

And didn't people always say it was important not to let your partner be your _whole_ world?

It wasn't a big deal, Kurt decided. Rachel was just being overly emotional. And why would he take relationship advice from Rachel, anyway?

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"_I've been waiting for the phone to ring all night. Why you wanna make me feel so good? I got a love of my own, baby. I shouldn't get so hung up on you._"

As Rachel and Santana sang together, Blaine tried to concentrate on their performance rather than on Kurt, who wasn't paying any attention to the song in favor of his phone.

Movement caught Blaine's eye, and he turned to see Sam leaning over to look at whatever Kurt was seeing on his phone. Blaine's stomach twisted nervously. He wanted to ask. Or, he admitted reluctantly to himself, he wanted Kurt to _want_ to show him.

He leaned over, hoping to distract Kurt from his phone.

"This could be a contender for Nationals, don't you think?" he offered.

Kurt's eyes barely flickered up. "Yeah, maybe."

Blaine sat back in his chair and tried to ignore the gnawing feeling that Kurt was doing something he didn't want Blaine to see.

But he knew Kurt well enough to know that, as Kurt giggled into his hand, something was going on.

He had never seen that look on Kurt's face before when he wasn't the one who put it there.

Blaine had noticed Kurt texting quite a bit on his phone over the past few days. But he was hardly texting Blaine at all. So, who was he texting?

It couldn't be one of their friends in New Directions, because sometimes he would text at lunch or, like now, during glee rehearsal. All their friends were in the room.

Blaine looked around, hoping to find that someone else had their phone out. But, other than Finn and Brittany, who were filming the performance on their phones, there wasn't a phone in sight other than Kurt's.

Blaine tried not to let his mind run away with him. Maybe there was an explanation.

But why hadn't Kurt talked to him about it? Kurt _always_ told him about things that were going on in his life. They talked on the phone almost every night while Kurt did his moisturizing routine and Blaine got ready for bed.

Blaine knew that he shouldn't be surprised that Kurt wasn't texting him as much – Blaine _had_ been making a conscious effort to emotionally distance himself from Kurt lately. But it still hurt. A lot.

Sam wasn't helping, either. He kept leaning over to look at Kurt's phone, and Kurt didn't stop him. But Kurt had made sure that _Blaine_ couldn't see.

When the song was over, Blaine applauded, but all he wanted to do was go home. Mr. Schu made a few announcements, and as soon as he was done Blaine was out the door.

He didn't wait for Kurt. He didn't even stop at his locker – he was pretty sure he had everything he needed to do his homework – because he didn't want to chance running into Kurt.

When Blaine got home, he did his homework, sent an absurdly casual and generic email to Cooper, and blasted the _Saturday Night Fever_ soundtrack (which he had rediscovered as a result of disco week) as cleaned his room until it was cleaner than it had been in years.

He stayed up until well after midnight, even though he had to get up early for school, so that he could just collapse into bed and fall asleep. He didn't want to think about what was happening. If he couldn't be in denial about Kurt leaving, he would be in denial about what Kurt was doing on his phone. It was probably just something silly, anyway, and, Blaine decided as he drifted off to sleep, he would probably feel silly later for worrying at all.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Stop that! Stop!" Kurt smacked Sam's hand as the other boy reached across the counter to grab a piece of cheese from Kurt's tray. Sam laughed.

"Not sorry," he admitted as he popped the cheese into his mouth.

Kurt rolled his eyes and picked up the tray, shooting Sam a "stay away from me" glance before hurrying up the stairs.

"Okay, I've got the cheese plate..." he announced as he entered his bedroom, "our _Being Bobby Brown_ marathon can officially begin!"

"Who's Chandler?"

Blaine looked so devastated as he glanced up at Kurt from his seat on the bed – Kurt's phone was clutched in his hand – that Kurt's mind couldn't quite process everything properly. He skipped feeling guilty and jumped straight to defensiveness.

"Why are you going through my phone?" Kurt dodged the question.

"I'm not going through your phone," Blaine clarified. "It's just that it keeps buzzing because _Chandler_ won't stop texting you."

Kurt didn't know what to say.

"'When we go to New York, let's go to the front of The Plaza and reenact the end of _The Way We Were_'." Blaine read one of Chandler's most recent messages.

"Give me that," Kurt demanded, reaching for his phone.

Blaine ignored him and read the next message. "'Can you sing into my voicemail? I want to make your voice my ringtone'."

That one sounded so much worse when Blaine read it out loud than when Kurt had read it on his phone's screen.

"Give me my phone," Kurt insisted as Blaine got off the bed and shoved gently past him before turning to face him again. He still had Kurt's phone in his hand.

"There are literally dozens of texts between the two of you," Blaine accused. "Do you know how many times you've texted _me_ in the past few days? Four. And three of them were about finding peach-colored shoe polish."

The rational part of Kurt understood why Blaine was upset. Kurt _had_ allowed Chandler to occupy time that would've otherwise probably been spent texting or taking to Blaine. But the urge to be right and the knowledge that he had no ill intentions pushed him not to back down. "Why are you getting so upset?" he responded. "This is all innocent."

"This is _cheating_, Kurt," Blaine accused.

_Cheating_? Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cheating involved clandestine dates and sketchy motels and lies and a complete lack of morals. Cheating was not sending silly text messages. He would never cheat on Blaine.

"This is _texting_, okay?" Kurt retorted. "He is just a guy that I met at the music store. Nothing happened."

And Kurt couldn't believe Blaine was getting on his case for texting another guy when he had been friendly with Sebastian earlier in the year without Kurt's approval. "You used to text Sebastian all the time," Kurt reminded him. "You would _call_ him, even."

"But I didn't _like_ him," Blaine interrupted. "And all of those texts were family friendly."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Kurt sighed in aggravation, and Blaine felt physically ill. He had always imagined a worst-case scenario of them breaking up as a result of growing apart or if Kurt realized once he got to New York that he didn't want Blaine in his life anymore. He had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that Kurt would cheat.

"You _like_ this guy," Blaine accused, his voice cracking with emotion. He knew it was true; Kurt wouldn't flirt with some guy who he wasn't attracted to.

Kurt was silent for a moment, taking the opportunity to sit down on the edge of his bed, and the lack of an immediate denial made Blaine's chest ache.

"I like the way he makes me feel," Kurt admitted.

Blaine wanted to run away. Kurt was going to break up with him. Why had he ever thought that a long-distance relationship would be such a huge deal? He would rather be in a long-distance relationship with Kurt for the rest of his life than _this_.

"I mean, when was the last time that you complimented me?" Kurt accused. "Or told me how special I was?"

Kurt didn't think Blaine thought he was special? Kurt was _the_ most special person in Blaine's entire life.

"I transferred _schools_ to be with you," Blaine reminded Kurt as tears filled his eyes. "I– I changed my whole life! That doesn't make you feel loved?"

Kurt surprised him with his response. "You don't know what it's like being your boyfriend, okay?" Kurt explained. "You are the 'alpha gay'. Even Rachel wanted to make out with you!"

Blaine hated hearing that from Kurt. He knew what Kurt meant; it was the same reason Blaine's father was in a constant state of denial about Blaine's sexuality. Blaine wasn't Kurt. His voice was lower. He enjoyed many traditionally masculine activities. He was more traditionally handsome. Blaine admitted silently to himself that he had never really imagined what that must be like for Kurt.

He had never thought that it mattered. They loved each other. The opinions of the rest of the world didn't matter.

But they did. To Kurt.

Blaine felt like his chest was going to crack open as he realized that, somehow, he had made Kurt feel inferior just by existing.

"I used to get solos every week," Kurt continued, "and do you know how many times I've had to sit on a stool and watch you perform?"

Jealousy over solos was not a new conflict in their relationship. Blaine didn't care about solos.

"Then _talk to me_," Blaine pleaded. "Tell me that you're unhappy. But don't _cheat on me_."

"I feel like I have taken crazy pills!" Kurt exclaimed, jumping up off the bed. "I didn't _cheat_ on you!"

Kurt snatched his phone out of Blaine's hand. "I'm _really_ sorry if this made you upset," he said, "but it– it's okay."

The pain in Blaine's chest was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of anger. Kurt was telling him to get over it. Like it was no big deal.

It _was_ a big deal.

"It's not right," Blaine mocked as his brain quickly made the decision of what song he would sing for Whitney Houston week. "But it's okay."

Rejection washed over Blaine as the considered how easily Kurt had dismissed his feelings.

He needed to leave.

As Blaine turned toward the door, he made the mistake of casting his eyes down to a framed photo of him dancing with Kurt at Kurt's junior prom. Blaine's boutonnière was there too, and Kurt's prom queen crown and scepter.

It was the last thing in the world Blaine wanted to see. Every emotion he could imagine flowed through him, and he stormed out of the room. Kurt protested, but Blaine ignored him. As he slammed Kurt's bedroom door closed behind him and turned toward the stairs, he nearly collided with Sam. The blond-haired boy wouldn't meet his eyes, and Blaine felt an enraging rush of shame at the thought that Sam had probably overheard them arguing.

Blaine could feel the urge to release his frustration in a physical manner bubbling to the surface, so he ignored Sam completely and rushed down the stairs. He wasn't interested in anything but getting away before he said or did something he would regret. There was already enough regret coursing through his veins.

By the time he reached his car, Blaine felt as if his mind was short-circuiting. He paused briefly before he started the car, secretly hoping that Kurt would come rushing out to try to stop him from leaving, but there was no sound or other indication that Kurt had even left his bedroom. With a huff of frustration, Blaine tried to ignore the pain in his chest and let his anger at Kurt's betrayal fill him completely as his car roared to life.

The drive home was completely forgotten as soon as he reached his house. He couldn't even remember if he had turned on the radio.

His parents barely looked up from the television as he came in, and he restrained himself just enough not to slam the door and draw their attention.

When he made it to his room without incident and managed not to slam _that_ door, he turned to look at his tidy space. His eyes fell on Kurt's photograph on his nightstand. Without thinking, he rushed over, grabbed the frame, and flung it with all his might across the room and through the open door into his closet. It thudded dully against the wall, padded by some of his hanging clothes, before crashing to the ground.

The physical release felt so satisfying that Blaine pulled his shirt off as fast as he could, grabbed his boxing gloves, and hurried past his distracted parents again to the garage.

As he attacked the punching bag that his father had installed in a corner of the garage – probably, Blaine thought, because the idea of his gay son doing something so traditionally masculine had given him a glimmer of hope for Blaine's future – Blaine tried unsuccessfully to stop his mind from getting carried away.

He thought about Chandler's text. "When we get to New York..."

That was something _he and Kurt_ did together all the time. When we get to New York, let's buy soft pretzels at one of those little stands and eat them in Central Park. When we get to New York, let's do all the touristy things like taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and going to the top of the Empire State Building and gaping at Times Square at night. When we get to New York, let's get all dressed up and go see a Broadway show together.

The fact that Kurt and this other guy were also making plans – plans that had no reason to involve Blaine – made him feel crazy with jealousy and heartache. He had never even considered that Kurt was making those kinds of plans with anyone other than him and Rachel. The betrayal was devastating.

Blaine boxed until he was so physically exhausted that he knew he would not lie awake in bed for long. After a quick shower, he turned off his phone and collapsed into bed for an uneasy night of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Blaine whirled around and stormed out of the room, Kurt jumped off the bed.

"Blaine!" he called. "Wait, Blaine!"

But Blaine slammed the door and Kurt's pride flared inside him. He would _not_ chase Blaine and beg his forgiveness for typing words into his phone to _some guy_ with whom he would never in a thousand years be intimate.

Tossing his phone onto his bed, Kurt sank back down to sit on the edge of the bed and tugged at his clothes in frustration. He heard the front door close, and he groaned in frustration.

The last time they had fought, outside of Scandals, Blaine had stormed off. And things had been a little weird for a few days, but they had eventually talked it out.

But that was a fight caused by a little too much alcohol and a disagreement that was relatively simple to resolve once they got over the initial emotions of the situation.

What was _this_?

"At least I don't have to worry about him driving home this time," Kurt mumbled to himself as he stood up to change into his pajamas.

He could understand why Blaine was upset. Kurt had been upset when Blaine had been texting with Sebastian earlier in the school year. But _that_ had been nothing in terms of their relationship. And _this_ was nothing. Kurt had been overreacting then, and Blaine was overreacting now.

The cheese plate he had brought up for their television marathon caught Kurt's eye, and he picked it up and carried it downstairs to put it in the refrigerator.

"You can eat this if you want to," Kurt called casually in the direction of the living room.

"At least _someone_ should have a good evening," he added to himself as he stomped back up the stairs to his bedroom.

As he worked on his evening moisturizing routine, Kurt decided not to worry too much. Blaine was upset. Blaine was more upset than Kurt had ever seen him. But they would work it out. They had to work it out.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"How's the Whitney assignment going, everyone?" Mr. Schu asked brightly as he entered the room to begin glee club the following afternoon. "Anyone got something for us today?"

To Kurt's surprise, Blaine stood up.

They hadn't interacted all day. Kurt had hoped to see Blaine at lunch – maybe talking about frivolous things with their friends like nothing was going on would help – but Blaine hadn't been there. Kurt wasn't sure where the other boy had gone.

And Kurt had no idea that Blaine had chosen a song for the week.

A little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that maybe Blaine would have told him about it if they hadn't had such a huge fight the night before.

"Alright," Mr. Schu nodded approvingly as he took a seat among the students, "show us what you've got, Blaine."

"This song is for anyone that's ever been cheated on," Blaine said as he walked to the front of the room.

Many of their fellow students turned surprised eyes on Kurt, and he could not _believe_ this was happening.

"This is insane. I didn't _cheat_ on you!" he said. He was shocked that Blaine was calling him out so publicly.

Blaine ignored him.

"_Friday night you and your boys went out to eat. Then they hung out, but you came home around three. Yes, you did. If six of y'all went out, then four of you were really cheap. 'Cause only two of you had dinner. I found your credit card receipt._"

As Blaine sang, he was not shy about looking at Kurt. Kurt could see a horrible mix of anger and pain in Blaine's facial expressions and body language, and he felt horribly guilty. He had never meant to hurt Blaine like this.

But, at the same time, he knew he was right. He _hadn't_ cheated. Texting wasn't cheating.

"_It's not right, but it's okay. I'm gonna make it anyway. Close the door behind you. Leave your key. I'd rather be alone than unhappy!_"

The longer the song went on, the more uncomfortable Kurt felt. Did Blaine want to break up?

As soon as the song ended, Blaine turned quickly to leave the room. But not before Kurt saw his face. Without the anger of the song, all that was left on Blaine's face was devastation.

"_Snap_," Santana commented, but Kurt didn't have the energy to chide her for her commentary as he watched Blaine storm out of the room.

Kurt wasn't sure how much time elapsed before someone else spoke.

"Is everything okay, Kurt?" Mr. Schu asked.

Kurt didn't want to talk about it. _Especially_ with Mr. Schuester. He just waved a dismissive hand and didn't say anything.

"Doesn't seem like it," Santana commented.

"_Shut up_, Santana," Rachel snapped.

They continued to bicker – Rachel taking Kurt's "side" and Santana defending Blaine even though neither of them knew what was going on – but Kurt didn't hear them. He wondered where Blaine had gone.

How were they going to work things out now?

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine went straight home.

As soon as he reached his bedroom, he sank to the floor at the end of his bed and had a meltdown.

He sobbed out all of the emotions that had been trapped inside of him over the past few months. The anxiety about Kurt leaving. The fears he had about his senior year at McKinley. The pain of deciding to pull away from Kurt when all he really wanted to do was spend every second of every day with Kurt. The betrayal of Kurt secretly flirting with another guy. The devastation of hearing Kurt say that he wasn't sure if Blaine still loved him as much as he used to.

This was all so new. Feeling so betrayed by the boy he loved.

When his tears finally dried up, Blaine _did_ feel a little better.

They hadn't spoken since their argument. Maybe, with a little time, things would cool off and they could talk about it. They _always_ talked about things.

As Blaine let his gaze wander around his room, he suddenly remembered the photograph of Kurt he had hurled into his closet the night before. He climbed to his feet and went to retrieve it.

The glass was broken, which Blaine had expected. What he hadn't expected was that one of the shards of glass had ripped the actual photograph.

Blaine shook the rest of the broken glass out of the frame onto the floor – making a mental note to get the vacuum and clean it up soon before he forgot about it and sliced his feet up one morning trying to find something to wear – and rushed back into his bedroom with the photograph and the empty frame. He gently pulled the photo out of the frame so he could examine the damage. It wasn't terrible. The photo was ripped across one of Kurt's arms.

"I'm sorry," Blaine mumbled miserably as he tried to align the tear so it wasn't so noticeable.

He found some tape so he could tape the ripped area on the back so it would stay together and he put the photograph back in the frame.

It felt good to put the photo back where it belonged on his nightstand.

He wasn't going to just give up on Kurt. He still wanted the other boy in his life. As his boyfriend. They would get thought this, somehow. Because the alternative was unacceptable.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt went home that evening and went to work deciding which things he wanted to take to New York. Reminding himself that he had a big adventure waiting for him in the city helped to dull the pain of his fight with Blaine. It was a nice distraction.

He had transitioned from feeling incredulous to feeling hurt, and now he was feeling fatalistic. His pride was pushing his other emotions aside again, reminding him that he _hadn't_ cheated.

"Hey, what's up?" his dad interrupted his silent moping. "What's with all the stickers?"

Kurt had chosen a color-coded Post-it note system.

"I'm triaging all my things for my departure to New York," Kurt explained. "Pink is for 'stay', blue is for 'go', red is for 'trash', and green is for 'humidity-controlled storage to keep in mint condition'. To sell as memorabilia after I get famous."

"Well, what if I wanna keep some of this stuff?" Burt asked, picking up Kurt's scepter from prom the year before.

"You can go through my leftovers," Kurt allowed.

"You're not taking this with you?" Burt asked, pointing at the framed photo of Kurt and Blaine dancing together at prom.

Kurt sighed heavily. He didn't _want_ to leave it behind.

"Blaine and I are on the rocks," he said, trying not to give away too much to his father. "I honestly don't know what's up with him. But, with that said, I do reserve the right to re-Post-it later."

He leaned over to put a red Post-it note on a framed certificate on one of his shelves.

"Hey! Hey, what're you doing? This isn't garbage!" his father protested.

"Dad, it's a certificate of participation for Regionals," Kurt said. "The one that we lost. Come on, we have to be heartless about this stuff. You've seen hoarders; this is how it starts."

"I– I'd like to keep it," Burt said, pulling the red Post-it note off.

"Dad, don't be sentimental on me," Kurt whined.

"Well no, screw that, we haven't been gettin' sentimental enough, okay?" Burt replied as Kurt sat down on the edge of his bed. "The both of us, we've been way too casual about this. Do you realize that we haven't had our Friday night dinner for three weeks?"

"You've been in DC," Kurt reminded him.

"Yeah, you think I couldn't get an earlier flight?" Burt said. "Most of the other Congressmen are gone on Thursday night."

So his father had canceled their Friday night dinners on purpose.

"Okay, I don't get it," Kurt admitted. "So why have you been skipping dinners?"

"Because I don't want you to go!"

Kurt's heart clenched tightly as his father confessed that he didn't want Kurt to leave for New York. Kurt was trying not to think too much about how strongly he would miss anyone or anything in Ohio. He wanted to be in denial. He _wanted_ to go to New York. Worrying about how much he would miss his friends and family only got in the way of that dream.

His father put the framed certificate back on the shelf and looked at it for a moment.

"Ya'know, you and me, we've been doing this dance for over a decade," Burt continued. "You know, Starsky and gay Hutch. Everybody warned me that, when you were eight and you were bugging the crap outta me, that one day I'd be begging for you to wake me up at 4am with a nightmare or, you know, wreck the kitchen playing restaurant."

"I was nine," Kurt remembered. "Who knew paella was going to be so complicated?"

They both smiled at the memory.

"So you've been skipping dinners because you're sad there's not going to be any more dinners?" Kurt returned to the topic at hand. "I'm confused."

"You don't get it yet," Burt replied. "You know, I know you got a taste of it when you lost your mom, but it's just like... the older you get, you just _see_. It just, none of it lasts."

Kurt tried, unsuccessfully, not to think about Blaine.

"Yes," his father continued, "you and I will always love each other. And you and I will always be there for each other. But, you know, as soon as you walk out our door towards New York... everything's gonna change. And it won't change back. Not to the way it is now."

Kurt thought about his relationships. His father. Carole. Finn. Even Sam, who had somehow become like a third brother.

And Blaine.

How would things change for him and Blaine? Had they irreversibly changed already?

"Listen, I am so happy for you, Kurt," Burt said firmly. "Really. I am so happy and I am so proud. You know, you and me, we, uh, we made each other men."

"Yeah," Kurt breathed, thinking of all the things the two of them had been through together. The great times. The not-so-great times. He was so grateful to have a father like Burt in his corner.

"Just, sometimes, I just– I just want my sweet little boy back," Burt admitted.

Kurt saw tears in his father's eyes, and he felt the sting of his own tears.

"I'm gonna miss you, Kurt," Burt said. "A lot."

Kurt stood up.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Dad," he said, reaching out to hug his father.

"Your mom would be so proud of you," Burt said as they stepped back from the hug.

A lump formed in Kurt's throat, and he couldn't answer. So, he settled for nodding and hoped that the tears in his eyes said it all.

"We're having Friday night dinners," his father said, getting himself together, "every Friday between now and when you head off to the big city."

"I'd like that," Kurt admitted.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said, glancing around the room. "Let me know if you, uh, need any help with this."

"I love you too, Dad," Kurt said.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Kurt was glad they had talked.

"Well, I'll... I'll leave you to it," Burt said.

As his dad left the room, Kurt's gaze fell on the photograph of him and Blaine at prom the year before.

Blaine.

The two of them had been through a number of changes already. From friends and classmates at Dalton to boyfriends at different schools to boyfriends at the same school. Kurt thought about what New York would mean for them. He had always assumed, mostly because Blaine had once told him so, that Blaine wanted to go to New York too. Kurt had a secret plan in his mind to find a way to fly home and surprise Blaine one day around the time when college applications were due so they could do Blaine's applications together. The way they had done Kurt's NYADA application together.

But lately Blaine's usual warmth and affection had started to fade away. And Kurt hated how insecure it made him feel when he wasn't _absolutely_ sure that Blaine wanted him.

He couldn't imagine his future without Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Mr. Schu?" Kurt raised his hand as soon as glee practice began the following afternoon. "If I may?"

"Sure, Kurt," Mr. Schu allowed, motioning for Kurt to come to the front of the room.

As Kurt found a microphone and shooed Mr. Schu to a seat, Blaine wondered what Kurt was going to sing.

Kurt didn't preface the performance with an explanation. He just stepped up to the microphone and motioned for the band to begin.

"_Share my life. Take me for what I am. 'Cause I'll never change all my colors for you. Take my love. I'll never ask for too much. Just all that you are and everything that you do._"

Mike twisted around to look at Blaine, and Blaine challenged him with a silent gesture. Blaine wasn't interested in pity from his friends.

Mike turned back around. But Blaine knew that everyone in the room wanted to look at him, too. He had gone out of his way not to interact with the other members of New Directions if at all possible since his argument with Kurt, but his song and the way that he and Kurt had been actively _not_ talking was all that their friends needed to know that something major had happened between them.

Blaine didn't care what any of them thought. He just wanted to work things out with Kurt.

"_I don't really need to look very much further. I don't want to have to go where you don't follow._"

This was Kurt's apology.

Blaine _knew_ that Kurt still loved him. And he loved Kurt so much that sometimes he felt overwhelmed. Everything about Kurt was that much more emotional because he cared _so_ much.

Kurt didn't want them to break up either. That was a relief, but Blaine still wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't just forget Chandler. He was still reeling from the betrayal.

"_Don't you dare walk away from me! I have nothing. Nothing. Nothing. If I don't have you._"

As the song ended, Blaine clapped his hands a few times, hoping that Kurt would understand that he appreciated the sentiment. He knew that Kurt would see the tears in his eyes.

He felt horribly conflicted. _Take me for what I am. 'Cause I'll never change all my colors for you._ Kurt was not convinced that his flirty text messages with Chandler were anything but innocent. Blaine's heart ached that Kurt couldn't empathize with how unwanted it made him feel to watch Kurt's face light up due to someone else's compliments.

He knew that he hadn't been as affectionate as he usually was toward Kurt in the past few weeks. He had done it on purpose. Trying to prepare himself for losing Kurt to New York at the end of the summer.

His plan had backfired. Instead of making things easier, he had pushed Kurt to another guy. And Kurt had wanted attention so badly that he had convinced himself that flirting with this other guy was okay.

Kurt returned to his seat, and Blaine made sure not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Thank you, Kurt," Mr. Schu said, moving to the front of the room.

The rest of the rehearsal passed in a blur for Blaine, and when it was over he trudged silently to his locker to put away some of his books.

"Hey."

His head snapped around at the sound of Kurt's voice, and Kurt was standing right beside him.

"Hey," Blaine said softly.

"Your song was beautiful," Blaine added after a short pause.

"Thanks," Kurt said, looking hopeful.

"I –"

Blaine was interrupted by the sound of Kurt's phone buzzing in his pocket, and the moment was gone.

"See you tomorrow," Blaine said briskly, gently closing his locker and turning away.

"Wait, Blaine..." Kurt protested.

Blaine turned back around to face him.

"I'm not..." he felt tears rushing into his eyes, and he just waved his hands vaguely.

"Okay," Kurt said softly.

Blaine turned and walked away. He wasn't ready yet. He _wanted_ to be ready, but he wasn't.

He was glad that Kurt had spoken to him, though. It reminded him that they were still _them_. Kurt was still the boy he loved. There was still hope for them as a couple.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine was walking down the hall, completely lost in thought, when someone called his name.

"Blaine?"

Blaine turned, surprised, to see Ms. Pillsbury standing near the door of her office with Kurt by her side.

"Could you come into my office for a minute, please?" Ms. Pillsbury asked kindly.

Blaine's eyes flickered to Kurt. What was going on?

Without a verbal acknowledgement, he readjusted the shoulder strap on his bag and followed them into the small office. As he sat down and put his bag on the ground beside the chair, Ms. Pillsbury was just staring at him. And Kurt wasn't saying anything either.

Blaine knew what this was about.

"I'm a little confused as to what we're doing here," Blaine started the conversation, trying not to sound _too_ irritated.

"Well, Kurt said that you two might need a little couples' counseling," Ms. Pillsbury offered.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, who didn't look at all bothered that he had pulled Blaine in for this 'counseling' session without asking him about it first.

"Are you qualified for that?" he asked, wary of accepting advice from a woman he barely knew. He wasn't sure he was ready for this conversation at all, much less in front of a teacher with no experience in this kind of situation.

"Not really," Emma admitted. "Or at all. But Sam and Mercedes came to talk to me and, you know, I think they found it pretty helpful."

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure they broke up," Blaine said sourly.

"Gosh, they seemed like such a good fit, too, right?" Ms. Pillsbury brushed it off. Her eyes flashed from Blaine to Kurt and back again, and she changed the subject.

"Brutal honesty is the cornerstone of any relationship," she said with authority. "I want you to feel like this is a safe space for you to air your differences."

Blaine's first instinct was _not_ to spill his innermost feelings just to placate a teacher. But, in the back of his mind, he knew that Kurt had requested this. Maybe Kurt wanted someone else there to mediate.

If Kurt wanted them to have an honest conversation, he'd give him an honest conversation. He wasn't going to let his pride get in the way of talking about what was going on.

"Okay," he started. "Well, uh, first. Kurt has been texting this guy. And I got really upset." As Kurt sighed in frustration, Blaine knew he had to be _really_ honest if this was going to work at all, so he amended with "Although, a while back, I was sort of doing the same thing. But it was –"

"With a guy who almost _blinded him_," Kurt interrupted.

Blaine didn't argue. It _hadn't_ been the same situation with Sebastian. But Blaine knew that he _had_ disregarded Kurt's feelings about the matter. Blaine hadn't seen anything wrong with being friends with the Warbler, but Kurt had. And Blaine hadn't always been open to Kurt's opinions on the matter. So, in that sense, he could see where Kurt was coming from.

"Blaine, I sang you a _song_ to express my regrets," Kurt said.

Anger and bitterness clawed their way into Blaine's mind. Kurt was still acting like this was no big deal. As if repeatedly flirting with another guy behind Blaine's back was as silly as if he hadn't cleaned up his dishes after dinner. Blaine felt a swell of resentment, and he decided to show Kurt what _little_ grievances were.

"Okay, if we're here to be _brutally_ honest," Blaine said, "there are a few things that I'd like to change."

"I'm actively listening," Kurt said unemotionally, and as Blaine noticed Ms. Pillsbury wink at Kurt he realized that they had talked about this before he had arrived. They were ganging up on him.

"Well, for starters, Kurt has a tendency to snap his fingers at wait staff," Blaine explained. He turned to look at Kurt and snapped his fingers as he spoke. "The cheesecake's on its way, Kurt, you don't have to snap your fingers. It's not gonna make it come any faster."

"Okay, I hear you and that's something I'm willing to work on," Kurt poured out. Blaine could feel himself starting to lose control of his words, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"But also? Please stop slipping bronzer into my moisturizer."

"You look good with a little color," Kurt countered.

"I only use lotion on my hands!" Blaine couldn't believe they were having this discussion, even though he had started it. "It looks weird if a person just has tan hands!"

For the first time since the conversation had started, Blaine was glad Ms. Pillsbury was there as she interrupted. "Okay, Kurt, wouldn't you love Blaine just as much if he didn't have tan hands?"

This was ridiculous. Blaine was angry with Kurt for being too proud to admit that texting Chandler wasn't right – he _knew_ that Kurt knew it was wrong – but Blaine wasn't being absolutely honest either.

If he _really_ loved Kurt, he needed to tell the whole truth. This wasn't just Kurt's fault.

"And while we're being perfectly honest," Blaine said, letting his mouth spew out the words without really thinking so he wouldn't censor himself, "I don't like that, with every conversation, we end up always talking about NYADA."

That got Kurt's attention. Blaine steeled himself for an argument. "What song you're gonna sing," he elaborated, "What outfit you're gonna wear to your callback. How _amazing_ New York is."

Kurt wasn't happy about this turn in the conversation, but Blaine forgot that Ms. Pillsbury was in the room as his resentment rapidly faded away into sorrow and he couldn't stop talking.

"And it's like New York is the only thing we talk about now, Kurt," he admitted, his voice going high with emotion, "And it's like..."

This was it. The last moment to back out and just say something else. But he saw a glimmer of realization in Kurt's eyes, and he knew this should've happened weeks ago.

"It's like you can't even _wait_ to get out of here," Blaine accused. "How's that supposed to make me feel?"

Kurt hadn't thought about that before. Blaine could tell. Blaine understood; Kurt was so wrapped up in his excitement about his NYADA audition that he had allowed it to consume him. But Blaine wasn't sure if maybe Kurt also wanted a clean break. A clean break from his old life.

"In a few months," Blaine continued, "you're gonna be gone. With this brand new life, and these brand new friends, and this brand new everything. And I'm gonna be right here. By myself."

He had never admitted this to anyone before. But he had thought about it almost every night for a month. He had thought about it so much that he had decided to pull away. To see if he could lessen the eventual pain of Kurt leaving by letting things fade away instead of snapping off at the end of the summer.

He knew that his distance had been hard on Kurt. It was hard on _him_. All he ever wanted to do was hold Kurt's hand. Or sit so close to him in Glee club that their elbows would brush against each other from time-to-time. Or kiss him good morning in the parking lot before school when it was so early that there weren't many other students around. But he had stopped doing those things, and Kurt had definitely noticed. It had strained their relationship.

"You're right," Blaine confessed. "I have been distant. And I'm sorry. But I'm just... I'm trying to practice what life is gonna be like... without you."

The look on Kurt's face made his chest constrict with fondness. Kurt still loved him.

"You are the love of my life, Kurt," Blaine explained. "And I'm pissed off that I have to learn, over the next year, what being alone is going to be like."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt was stunned by Blaine's confession. He had thought about the physical distance that they would find between them when Kurt moved to New York. The long-distance relationship would be difficult, but not a deal-breaker. He had always planned to be in contact with Blaine all the time. To hold on to Blaine with all his might.

He had never considered that Blaine might be worried that his enthusiasm about leaving Ohio was also enthusiasm about leaving _Blaine_. That thought had never even crossed Kurt's mind.

"But you're not gonna be alone," Kurt leaned over to get as close to Blaine as he dared in front of Ms. Pillsbury. "I'm gonna Skype you every day, and you're gonna come visit me in New York every weekend as far as I'm concerned."

Kurt felt severely unhappy with himself that he hadn't thought to express this sentiment sooner. He had just assumed that Blaine knew.

"But I _promise_," Kurt continued, "you aren't going to lose me."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"I love you so much," Blaine said, overwhelmed by relief.

He felt like he was going to explode with happiness when Kurt immediately said it back to him.

"I love you too."

Kurt closed the gap between them and wrapped Blaine into a tight hug.

Blaine closed his eyes and soaked in the moment. They were okay. They still loved each other and they still had a future together.

"Well, that's lovely," Ms. Pillsbury announced, sounding incredibly pleased. She continued to talk, but Blaine's mind drowned her out in favor of listening to Kurt's breathing and relishing the feeling of Kurt's arms hugging him close.

When they finally released each other, Kurt reached out, cupped Blaine's face in his hands, and pressed their lips together. It was gentle and sweet, and it filled Blaine with hope. It felt so natural and easy, even with a flustered guidance counselor sitting on the other side of the desk.

Blaine protested almost involuntarily as Kurt pulled away, so Kurt swept in and kissed him again, this time more lighthearted and teasing. Blaine could feel Kurt smiling against his lips.

"Okay!" Ms. Pillsbury said rapidly, and loudly enough to ensure that they noticed her. "Well, I think this was wonderful progress, don't you think?"

Kurt settled back into his chair, but he let one of his hands fall into Blaine's lap so they could hold hands. Blaine squeezed his hand tightly. They still needed to talk it out more, but this was a start. Kurt still wanted him. And admitting that he had been pulling away in anticipation of their upcoming separation felt like a weight had been lifted off of Blaine's shoulders.

"Thanks, Ms. Pillsbury," Blaine gushed, feeling genuinely grateful that she had pulled them into her office to talk and that she hadn't interrupted as he poured his heart out.

Kurt stood up, pulling Blaine to his feet by their clasped hands, and dragged him out of the room without another word. Blaine barely heard Ms. Pillsbury's "Come back any time, boys!" as the door closed behind them.

Blaine didn't even care where they were going as long as they were together, but when Kurt reached the door to the parking lot and didn't stop, Blaine had to ask.

"Kurt, wha–?"

"We're skipping," Kurt explained. He turned his head to look at Blaine as Blaine opened his mouth to protest.

"It's not a question," Kurt said firmly.

Blaine felt weak with relief and joy that they had survived their first _real_ fight that he didn't even argue. He just wanted to go somewhere and touch and kiss and love Kurt until the end of time.

Kurt seemed to have the same idea, because they climbed into Kurt's car and he drove straight to his house.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

One of them kicked Kurt's bedroom door closed behind them as they entered the room, and for a moment they paused to look at each other.

Blaine's eyes suddenly flickered to their surroundings, and Kurt realized that the colorful Post-it notes were still all over his things. Much to Kurt's relief, Blaine's back was to the photo of them at prom. Kurt stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, and snatched the pink Post-it note off the frame. It fluttered to the ground, and Kurt resisted the urge to go right then and get a blue Post-it note for the frame.

"I've been organizing," he explained, answering Blaine's silent question.

"Huh," Blaine acknowledged, no longer looking at anything but Kurt's face. He was so close that Kurt could smell the familiar scent of his breath.

"I missed you," Kurt admitted.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck and kissed him fiercely.

They hadn't kissed like this in _weeks_. Kurt could hardly even remember the last time a kiss from Blaine had made him feel so amazing. He forgot about everyone else and everything else, and suddenly it felt as if he and Blaine were the only two people in the universe.

"Let's never fight again," Blaine suggested as they stumbled over to climb onto Kurt's bed.

"Okay," Kurt agreed.

Kurt didn't know how much time passed between that moment and the next time he felt coherent enough to speak again, but everything was so full of love and desire that they didn't really need words anyway.

He was pretty sure he had fallen asleep when it was all over, though, because suddenly he was lying on his back and Blaine was sitting on the bed just watching him.

"You didn't sleep for very long," Blaine smiled at him, anticipating Kurt's question.

Kurt returned the smile.

"I love you," he reminded Blaine.

"I love you too," Blaine replied happily.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

They looked at each other for a moment, and Blaine tried to re-memorize every feature of Kurt's face.

"I'm so glad you forced us into Ms. Pillsbury's office," Blaine admitted. "I didn't want to."

"I know," Kurt admitted. "I didn't really want to either. But I didn't know _what_ to do. And I didn't– I wanted someone else there."

"Good," Blaine said seriously. "I don't care why you did it. I just hated fighting. _So_ much."

Kurt reached out, asking Blaine to lie back down beside him, and Blaine was happy to obey. He propped his head up on one arm so he could still see Kurt's face as he settled down beside him.

Kurt broke the brief silence with a little laugh.

"At least now I know you are _such_ a drama queen," Kurt giggled.

Blaine scrunched his nose, both in disagreement and curiosity.

"_It's not right, but it's okay..._" Kurt sang nonchalantly.

"Shut up," Blaine smacked Kurt's chest, embarrassed.

Kurt tried to reign in his giggling, but only partially succeeded. "I appreciate the drama," he managed.

Blaine shifted so he could kiss Kurt's cheek briefly before he sat up.

"Let's get dressed," he suggested. "We should talk."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Once they were both dressed again, they made coffee – "not as good as the Lima Bean," Kurt apologized – and returned to Kurt's room to cuddle on the bed.

They apologized and explained themselves and teased each other and cried a little, and by the time they were finished Kurt was more confident than ever that they were together for the long haul.

"There's one thing that really bothered me about what you said, though," Blaine said as their conversation drew to a close. "About yourself."

"Yeah?" Kurt asked, drinking the final sip of his coffee.

"The whole thing about not being the 'alpha gay'," Blaine said.

Kurt shook his head.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I was freaking out. It's just... it's just me and my insecurity, okay?"

"Hey," Blaine said, reaching out to tip Kurt's chin up so Kurt had to look at him. "You're _perfect_."

"Oh, no," Kurt smiled, "it's okay. You don't have to –"

"I'm serious, Kurt," Blaine stressed, releasing Kurt's chin so he could scoot closer to him. "You're exceptional."

"I know," Kurt teased, leaning over to kiss him. Blaine laughed softly.

"And I think you're pretty spectacular, yourself," Kurt added.

"Thank you," Blaine smiled.

Kurt kissed him again before settling down to rest his head on Blaine's shoulder.

Things were back to normal. Or maybe even a little bit _better_ than normal. Kurt was proud of them. They had gotten over their initial flood of emotions and had talked about it. And they had come out the other side stronger and more in love than ever.

Kurt couldn't wait for glee practice the next afternoon. The song they were singing was a perfect ending to the week.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next afternoon, Kurt was closing his locker after dropping off all of his things before glee club when Blaine approached.

"I love your jauntily-placed cap," Blaine complimented as he approached Kurt at his locker. "Like a Russian czar."

Kurt smiled. Blaine was going out of his way to compliment Kurt after what had happened, and Kurt found it incredibly endearing. They were both making an effort to be more affectionate since their fight... in some ways, it had renewed their relationship, and Kurt was grateful for that.

Kurt's phone buzzed, and both he and Blaine glanced down at it in Kurt's pocket.

Kurt sighed. "It's not Chandler, I swear. I told him not to text me anymore."

He had been surprised at how easy it was to ask Chandler not to send him flirty texts. He had just been honest. He had a boyfriend, and nothing that he and Chandler could possibly talk about was even half as important as Blaine. Chandler had been disappointed, but he had agreed. No more texting.

"I know," Blaine said as Kurt pulled out his phone to look at the message. "It's from me."

_I cleaned out my car last night, so there's plenty of room for both of us in the back seat..._

Kurt glanced up at Blaine, pleasantly surprised at the offer. "How unscheduled of you," he teased.

Blaine shrugged, and Kurt wanted to step forward and kiss him right there in the hallway. But he resisted.

"But what about glee practice?" Kurt remembered.

"No one will be there," Blaine said. "Mr. Schu said it wasn't mandatory. So, Rachel's working on her NYADA piece, Finn's at the shop, Quinn's getting physical therapy, Puck's driving to Gomer for a sale on chlorine... everyone is going their own way."

Blaine had definitely thought about it quite a bit.

"Come on, let's blow it off," Blaine urged.

"But it's glee," Kurt said, trying to convince both Blaine and himself. "I mean, we only have so many left together."

Blaine silently acquiesced, but Kurt could see in his eyes that he wasn't going to forget his offer _after_ glee practice.

They wrapped their arms around each other as they walked, not caring who saw. Kurt _wanted_ everyone to see. Their reconciliation had reinforced his confidence in his relationship with Blaine, and he was tired of having to downplay that confidence because some of his classmates were small-minded.

"No bow tie today?" Kurt teased as they walked, noticing Blaine's casual ensemble.

To his surprise, Blaine turned a serious gaze on him as they walked.

"I think I changed too drastically," Blaine admitted. "I was _so_ excited to come here and find my way in this new place... and I really _have_ loved letting you help pick out my clothes. I love the bowties."

"But...?" Kurt smiled.

"But I need to find a balance," Blaine said.

"The old you and the new you," Kurt understood.

Blaine smiled. "Yeah," he agreed.

"Well," Kurt stopped and released Blaine so he could step back a little and pretend to examine Blaine's outfit with a critical eye, "I think you've done a fine job."

Blaine stepped forward and kissed him briefly.

"I'm going to thank you for that later," he whispered as he stepped away.

Kurt's mouth fell open and he glanced around, ready to scold Blaine for saying something so forward in public, but somehow the words tangled up in his mouth and he just giggled instead.

They heard the music starting in the auditorium – at least one or two other people had decided to stay for glee club – and Kurt could tell that Blaine was excited to get in there and sing with their friends.

"Let's go," Kurt suggested, motioning with his hands toward the auditorium.

Just before Blaine swept the curtain aside so they could step into the large room, Kurt grabbed his arm.

"Thanks," he said, thinking of how many times he had dreamt of this very moment. Getting to sing with Blaine in glee club. In New Directions. Together. Blaine had sacrificed a lot to come here, and Kurt never wanted Blaine to feel like he took that for granted ever again.

"These aren't just _your_ friends now, Kurt," Blaine smiled as he pushed the curtain back and they stepped into the auditorium.

Blaine had been wrong. The other students didn't blow off the non-mandatory rehearsal. Even Puck, who was the king of skipping if he could manage it, was there.

"_Your love is my love and my love is your love. It would take an eternity to break us. And the chains of Amistad couldn't hold us._"

Blaine sat down on the piano bench and motioned for Kurt to sit with him. Instead, Kurt hopped on top of the piano, earning him a huge smile from Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As they sang with their friends, Blaine felt better about the future than he had felt in quite some time.

It had been a wild school year so far. Leaving Dalton. Finding his place in New Directions. Sebastian. West Side Story. His first time with Kurt. Winning Sectionals. His first Christmas together with Kurt. His eye injury and subsequent surgery. Winning Regionals. Fighting and making up with Kurt.

It had all been worth it, he decided as they sang. He belonged here now. And not just because Kurt was with him. He had found a new group of friends in New Directions.

"'_Cause your love is my love and my love is your love..._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>What an emotional roller coaster, right? Whew! I absolutely love this episode and the argument between Kurt and Blaine. It's so <strong>_**real**_**. It was a situation where things weren't completely black and white, and both of them were a little bit to blame for things getting out of hand. And then they got upset and they fought, but they found a way to apologize and move forward. Because they love each other so much. I just love the way they worked things out. They're in it for the long haul, folks.**_

_**And am I the only one who thinks that Blaine has a thing for making out in the back seat of his or Kurt's car? I think, somehow, in my mind it fits with Blaine's old-fashioned side or something. And can't you imagine him being all adorable and crawling from the front seat into the back seat any time Kurt agrees to a make out session after they've been driving but Kurt refuses to crawl over the seat so he always gets out of the car and walks around to the back door?**_

_**Yeah, okay, I'm just crazy. I know. ;)**_

_**Up next... 'Choke'!**_


	35. 3x18: Choke

_**This episode was fun to write... after all of the emotional turmoil of the previous episode, it's time for some sweet, happy Klaine! Yay!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Ever since Kurt and Blaine had worked their way through their first major fight, Blaine felt like a completely new person.

It was as if a huge weight had lifted off of his shoulders. They hadn't talked much yet about how the next year would play out, but they _had_ made it clear to each other that they wanted to remain a couple. That they loved each other. It had freed up a huge portion of Blaine's mind that had previously been consumed with uncertainty, and suddenly _everything_ seemed better.

He was even enjoying helping Kurt prepare for his NYADA audition.

"Okay!" Kurt said excitedly as he, Blaine, and Tina, finished lighting a bunch of candles on the stage of the auditorium for a dress rehearsal of _Music Of The Night_. "Let's go, let's go!"

Blaine looked around.

"Are we sure this isn't going to set off the fire alarm?" he wondered.

"They're just little flames," Kurt dismissed the idea. "It's fine."

Blaine and Tina exchanged a skeptical glance, but they didn't argue. Blaine hopped off the stage to take a seat in the audience, and Tina moved to her starting position on the stage.

It was the first time they had ever put the whole thing together. The props, the music, the costumes.

Blaine thought it was beautiful.

"_Help me make the music of the night..._"

"Fantastic!" Blaine applauded as the song ended. "I loved it."

Kurt pulled off the Phantom mask.

"I don't know," he said skeptically. "My entire future is riding on this audition. It has to be perfect."

Blaine shrugged. What was there to improve?

"What if I sequined my cape?" Kurt wondered. "Or if I sang it in German? Or if I did it in the nude?"

"What?" Blaine asked.

"I'm serious!" Kurt replied. "I've always been ahead of the curve, and my audition needs to show that. I mean, right now it's too safe. It's too predictable. It's too boring. _I'm bored_!"

"I think you're over-thinking it," Blaine admitted.

"Excuse me?" Tina interrupted, "My foot fell asleep. I can't feel it at all. Can I walk it off?"

"Yeah, sure, sure," Kurt said dismissively. "Just don't go too far. And thanks!" he added as Tina walked out of the auditorium.

Blaine waved at her as she left, then turned his attention back to Kurt.

"Alright," Kurt said thoughtfully, "I'm starting from scratch."

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but he thought better of it and closed it again to let Kurt finish.

"I need something fresh," Kurt mused, pacing around the stage. "I need something edgy. Something completely unpredictable."

He stopped walking. "Or maybe I just need more candles," he wondered.

"Oh, god no. No more candles," Blaine mumbled. He was relieved when Kurt didn't hear him.

"It's not the candles," Kurt whined. He started walking around the stage again, this time blowing out all the little flames.

Blaine hopped onto the stage to help him. "Well, if something about _Music of the Night_ isn't inspiring you," he said, "what does?"

"That's it!" Kurt gasped, whirling around and almost knocking one of the candelabras over in the process. "_Inspiration_."

"What?" Blaine asked, feeling like a broken record.

Kurt rushed over and bounced on the balls of his feet in front of Blaine. "The song needs to be _inspired by me_," he said enthusiastically. "It needs to say something. About me."

Blaine nodded, enjoying the sudden glimmer of excitement in Kurt's eyes.

"Oh my god," Kurt said seriously, reaching out to grab Blaine's shoulders. "I know the perfect song."

Blaine shimmied impatiently in Kurt's grasp.

"_Not The Boy Next Door_," Kurt breathed.

Blaine barely had time to hum his agreement before Kurt released his arms and yanked him forward by his shirt into an energized kiss.

"I _adore_ you," Kurt declared as he pulled away.

"Thanks," Blaine grinned.

Blaine felt like he could almost see Kurt's brain working as fast as it could to create the perfect mental image.

"I can get some of the girls to sing background," Kurt rambled as he released Blaine and turned to continue pacing around the room. "And I'll need a piano..."

Tina wandered back into the room, and Kurt waved at her.

"That's all for today, thanks!" he said pleasantly.

"We set all of this up for that one run-through?" Tina asked.

Kurt ignored her in favor of pulling out his phone to type a list of ideas for his new song choice, so Blaine strolled over to where Tina was standing.

"He's... adjusting his vision," Blaine explained.

They both watched Kurt mumbling to himself as he typed furiously on his phone until Tina turned her attention back to Blaine.

"Well, let me know if you need me tomorrow or anything," she said.

"I will," Blaine nodded. "Thanks, Tina."

He hugged her, and she pulled off her wig as she disappeared off the stage.

"So," Blaine said, wrapping his arms around Kurt from behind, "what do you say we put all of this away and..."

"Do you think I even need props at all?" Kurt asked. "I mean, I can see it both ways. On one hand, the audition is about _me_, not about a big scene. But, on the other hand, it _can_ add something to –"

He stopped suddenly and twisted around a little in Blaine's arms so he could look at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm obsessing. What were you saying?"

Blaine kissed his cheek. "Never mind," he said.

"So..." Kurt said teasingly, "... props or no?"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day in history class, Blaine was diligently reading an assigned chapter of their textbook when Rachel reached over from the seat beside him and grabbed his notebook. Before he could protest, she had flipped to a blank page and scribbled down a short sentence. Blaine snatched the notebook back from her and glanced down at her question.

_Are you coming to the audition tomorrow after school?_

Without moving his head, Blaine rolled his eyes up to give her what he hoped was an "is that a serious question?" glare.

She shrugged happily and gave him a thumbs-up, and Blaine couldn't hold back a smile. He hadn't spoken to Rachel much about her audition – he heard most of the details secondhand from Kurt – but he was excited to watch her perform.

He grabbed his pen.

_Are you still planning on doing Don't Rain On My Parade? Kurt's thinking about changing his song. He's not sure if Music Of The Night is fresh enough._

Rachel's brow furrowed unhappily as she read his note. She responded: _He's just panicking._

Blaine shook his head.

_I don't think so. I can see what he means... Not The Boy Next Door would make a statement for sure! But his Music of the Night is fabulous, too._

Rachel gasped out loud as she read the message, and their teacher turned her attention on the two of them.

"Yes, Ms. Berry?"

"Uh, um," Rachel stammered, "I just– I dropped–" She bent down and pretended to pick up her pencil from the floor and wiggled it in the air in satisfaction.

The teacher sighed and dropped her eyes back to what she was reading.

_NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR?_ Rachel scrawled across the page and shoved the notebook at Blaine. Blaine nodded, and Rachel grabbed the notebook back before Blaine could write anything. _He can't! He needs to know this number so well that he could do it in his sleep. You simply cannot learn a routine of high enough quality in one day!_

Blaine rolled his eyes at her and didn't even bother to pull the notebook closer to him in favor of leaning over and reaching out to write: _Kurt can._

_Oh my god, you are NOT encouraging this! He could stand there on the stage silently and you'd think it was perfect. He CANNOT sing that song. Music of the Night is the perfect, classic audition!_

Blaine circled "_He could stand there on the stage silently and you'd think it was perfect_" and drew a bunch of tiny hearts around it. Then he wrote: _It's up to Kurt, really. He's going to kill it either way._

Rachel threw her arms in the air and almost _actually_ threw her pencil across the room in the process. _You're just better at hiding your anxiety than I am. I know you're nervous for him._

_Of course I'm nervous for him_, Blaine responded. _But I have more faith in him than you do._

Rachel glared at him for a second. _I'm going to talk to him._

_I am neither wishing you luck nor giving you my blessing._

Blaine started to hand the notebook to Rachel Rachel, but pulled it back at the last second and wrote: _P.S. Can't wait to finally get to hear you sing Don't Rain On My Parade tomorrow. My first time!_

Rachel rolled her eyes as she read his first sentence, but her face softened as she read his additional note. She turned to look at Blaine and he clutched his heart dramatically.

The bell rang shortly after that, and Rachel handed Blaine's notebook back to him before rushing out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt was switching some of his books at his locker between classes when Rachel suddenly appeared beside him.

"Um, this is insanity," Rachel accused.

"Wait, why are you talking to me?" Kurt asked. "I thought you were resting your voice for your audition."

"No, I vowed not to speak with you unless William and Kate got pregnant, Liza passed, or in less one of us was in grave danger," Rachel clarified.

"Tell me Liza's okay," Kurt demanded. He hadn't been on his phone for more than an hour... what had he missed?

"She's fine," Rachel reassured him. "But _you're_ not, okay? I just talked to Blaine, and he told me about _Not The Boy Next Door_. You _cannot_ sing that for your NYADA audition."

Kurt sighed.

"I need to be excited about this," he explained, "and this is the first time I've been inspired in this whole process!"

"No, it's too controversial, okay?" Rachel pushed back. "You can't wear Peter Allen's gold lamé pants!"

She glanced around, realizing that she was speaking too loudly.

"It was too controversial in 1962," Kurt argued. "Look, the play, and that song, won Hugh Jackman a Tony."

"I know," Rachel said.

"And NYADA is a Broadway school," Kurt added.

"Yes, but you haven't _rehearsed_ it enough, okay?" Rachel said passionately. "I'm not singing _Don't Rain On My Parade_ because it's my go-to song and because it's impossible for me not to cry when I sing it, but because I have been belting out that song since I was two years old, alright? This is the biggest moment of our lives here. We cannot be taking risks."

"Isn't that the exact moment to take a risk?" Kurt suggested.

"Kurt, can I be honest with you?" Rachel said, stepping closer to him. "I think this is self-sabotage, alright? You're scared you're not gonna get in, so you're using something to blame just in case this all doesn't work out."

Kurt shook his head as he closed his locker. Sure, he was scared that he wasn't going to get in. But he knew that, if he sang his best, he was talented enough to have a shot at attending the prestigious school.

Or was he?

"Do you really think I'm doing that?" he asked, second-guessing himself.

"Yeah," Rachel affirmed. "I think you think you're not good enough. But you _are_ good enough, okay? You don't have to go and do some big, flamboyant number, alright? _Music Of The Night_ is your _Don't Rain On My Parade_."

"I'm torn," Kurt admitted. "I _have_ been practicing Phantom for the last three months."

"Yes!" Rachel agreed. "And I believe in you. I believe in that song so much... that I will be your Christine."

"You will?" Kurt gasped.

He had asked Rachel to play Christine during his audition when he had decided on the song, but she had turned him down because she didn't want any extra distractions.

"I will," Rachel confirmed.

The mental image of singing on the stage with Rachel by his side was exciting. She shared his passion. She was his best friend. Together they were unstoppable.

"Okay, let's do it!" he decided. "_Music Of The Night_ it is!"

"Good!" Rachel said excitedly. "Alright, good!"

"Tina won't mind being re-cast," Kurt decided.

"No, she won't," Rachel agreed. "So..."

"Oh, that's great!" Kurt said, happy to have made a final decision. "Okay!"

"NYADA's not gonna know what hit 'em, trust me," Rachel said.

"Okay," Kurt agreed.

"Let's rehearse in the auditorium at lunch," Rachel suggested as the warning bell rang.

"Great!" Kurt agreed.

Rachel turned and rushed away, and Kurt hurried to his next class.

He was doing _Music Of The Night_. With Rachel. It would be perfect. It was the safe choice. His desire to stir things up was just a side effect of his anxiety. This was the right decision.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

That afternoon, Kurt and Blaine were cuddling on Kurt's bed watching a movie, but Kurt could hardly concentrate. All he could think about was the audition the following afternoon.

"I'm doing Music of the Night," Kurt said quickly, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Okay," Blaine said.

"Okay?" Kurt repeated. "God, what does that mean?"

"Woah, woah," Blaine lifted his head up to look at Kurt. "It doesn't mean anything. 'Okay, I hear you'."

Kurt groaned in frustration. "I _know_. I'm just so conflicted! "

Blaine snuggled back down into Kurt's shoulder. "Well, pros and cons of _Music of the Night_?"

Kurt had thought about it enough to rattle off a quick list. "Pros: It's classic. I've rehearsed it to the point that I could probably do the whole thing blindfolded and it wouldn't even be a fire hazard. I can sing it. It will showcase my ability to take on a leading role in a major musical production."

"Cons?" Blaine asked.

"I'm so _bored_," Kurt stressed. "How am I supposed to give a compelling performance when I'm so uninterested in what I'm singing?"

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and interlaced their fingers, and Kurt sighed dramatically.

"And _Not The Boy Next Door_?" Blaine encouraged.

"Pros: It's practically written about me in the future. I would rock those gold pants. It just _feels_ right. Cons: Sure, I've sung it in the shower plenty of times, but I haven't rehearsed it at all as a real performance! It's an unnecessary risk."

"I don't think you could go wrong with either one," Blaine said.

"That's not helping!" Kurt wailed. He squashed the voice in the back of his mind that was whispering that he really just wanted Blaine to give him permission to do _Not The Boy Next Door_.

"Well," Blaine lifted his head off of Kurt's shoulder to nuzzle against his ear, "maybe you should wear some gold pants underneath your _Phantom_ costume and make an on-the-fly decision!" He giggled out a burst of air against Kurt's skin, and Kurt was suddenly incredibly distracted by Blaine's face so close to his. But, simultaneously, everything clicked into place.

"I've gotta go!" He gasped, pulling out of Blaine's grip and jumping off the couch. When he turned back to Blaine, the other boy's face was a mixture of surprise and worry.

"Was that– am I– I'm sorry, I didn't–" Blaine stammered.

"No, no, _no_!" Kurt clarified. "NO." He leaned over to look into Blaine's eyes. "You have _no_ idea how much I want to..." he trailed off, still _just_ shy enough that he didn't want to say out loud all the things he wanted to do with Blaine instead of leaving.

"I get it," Blaine said, his eyes dark with longing, "you need to go _practice_."

"_Stop_," Kurt whined.

"You're going to have to make up for this tomorrow," Blaine said with authority, and Kurt felt like an entire flock of butterflies was living in his stomach as he looked into Blaine's eyes.

"We'll see," he quipped, turning to scoop up his bag. He turned one more time as he reached his bedroom door to lock eyes with Blaine for a long moment before he forced himself to open the door and hurry out to his car.

He was reaching out to open the car door when a hand on his arm stopped him.

Blaine twisted him around and kissed him gently.

"Bye," Blaine smiled.

Kurt felt himself blushing, both from Blaine's kiss and because, in his rush to leave, he had completely forgotten than Blaine didn't live with them. Of course Blaine wasn't just going to hang out in Kurt's house all afternoon by himself.

"Sorry," he said shyly.

"Don't be sorry," Blaine smiled, clearly amused by Kurt's flustered state of mind. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you," Kurt reminded him.

"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine leaned forward to kiss him one more time.

Kurt waited until Blaine's car disappeared from view before he jumped into his own car and drove to school. When he arrived in the parking lot, he pulled out his phone and called Mercedes.

He needed a few girls to help him if he was going to pull this off.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt was exhausted but incredibly excited.

He knew that Blaine had been joking about wearing both outfits and making the decision on the fly, but it made sense. Kurt knew he could trust his gut. And his gut was flip-flopping all over the place depending on his mood.

So, he had readied both outfits and had begged Mercedes, Tina, and Brittany to stay up late rehearsing _Not The Boy Next Door_ with him. They hadn't had to stay long – they didn't have much choreography – but Kurt had stayed for an extra hour and half after they had gone home practicing his choreography and singing the song a few times to make sure he could nail it.

He was ready.

He would trust his gut at the last second and do whichever song felt right.

Blaine was waiting for him at his parking spot when he arrived at school.

"Good morning," Blaine said happily, holding out a red rose.

Kurt giggled as he took it, and then laughed harder when he saw that it was a chocolate rose.

"You're the best," he said, reaching out to hold Blaine's hand as they walked into the building.

"How're you feeling?" Blaine asked.

"Nervous," Kurt admitted as they reached his locker. "But ready."

As Kurt opened his locker, he noticed the photos and other decorations on the inside of his locker. He had changed all the images inside after he had cleared away his tribute to Whitney Houston. It was strange not seeing Blaine's Dalton photo inside his locker now, but Kurt liked the new setup too. It reminded him of all of his friends, not just Blaine.

He carefully set the chocolate rose in his locker, making sure that it would stay steady when he closed the locker door.

"I don't think I can eat anything right now," he explained. "I might throw up."

"Well, we certainly don't want that," Blaine teased.

Kurt closed his locker and turned to face Blaine.

"You're ready," Blaine reminded him.

Kurt nodded and stepped forward to pull Blaine into a hug.

"Thanks for believing in me," he said softly as he clutched the boy who had transferred here to make Kurt's senior year the best that it could be.

Having Blaine around to share this with made it feel so much more special. Both of his best friends would be there to watch him this afternoon for the most important audition of his life so far.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The day flew by, and suddenly Blaine found himself standing backstage with Kurt and Rachel as they both finished getting ready for their auditions.

Mr. Schu had gone to meet the NYADA scout and bring him or her to the auditorium.

"Break a leg," Blaine said as he hugged Rachel. She smiled nervously and nodded, but didn't speak.

Blaine turned to Kurt.

"You've got this," he said with conviction.

Kurt kissed him gently on the lips. "Thanks," he smiled. "I feel good. I feel good about this."

He sounded like he was still convincing himself.

Blaine stopped to get a drink of water on his way to the audience section of the auditorium, so by the time he arrived it was time for Kurt's audition.

"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt introduced himself as Blaine rushed to a seat behind the NYADA scout. "And I'll be performing _Music of the Night_ from the seminal _Phantom of the Opera_ by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber."

Kurt hesitated briefly, and Blaine felt like he might explode. _Don't panic_, Blaine thought with all his might. _Please, don't panic, Kurt._

"Which I bet you hear a lot of... that song," Kurt said.

"That, _The Impossible Dream_ from La Mantre, and _Being Alive_ from Company," Carmen Tibideaux confirmed. "Yes."

"It's a safe and standard choice," Kurt argued casually, and Blaine realized what was happening. Kurt still wasn't sure if he wanted to sing _Music Of The Night_.

"Which is why I've decided to change things up a bit," Kurt continued, his voice growing more confident. He pulled off the Phantom mask. "Here, in the eleventh hour, I have decided to go in a different direction."

Blaine was so nervous he could hardly sit still.

"Something that's a little more out there," Kurt explained, "but much more 'me'. _Not The Boy Next Door_, from the Peter Allen bio-musical _The Boy From Oz_."

Blaine reminded himself that Kurt was one of the most competent people he knew. Kurt wouldn't do this if he wasn't _sure_.

Kurt turned and rushed to the side of the stage to toss his Phantom cape and mask away.

"Ladies?" he called.

To Blaine's complete surprise, Tina, Brittany, and Mercedes emerged from the opposite side of the stage. They were all dressed up in golden dresses.

"I had my swans on standby," Kurt said nervously as the girls walked onto the stage.

Blaine twisted around briefly to look at Mr. Schu. The teacher looked as nervous as Blaine felt, and Blaine turned immediately back around to watch as the music started and Kurt began the song.

"_Coming home used to feel so good. I'm a stranger now in my neighborhood. I've seen the world at a faster pace. And I'm coming now from a different place._"

Blaine felt his anxiety giving way to some excitement. Kurt looked so _confident_. He was going to blow this song away.

"_Though I may look the same way to you, underneath there is somebody new._"

Kurt rushed over to the side of the stage, and suddenly he ripped off his outfit to reveal the black shirt and golden pants so often associated with this song.

Blaine's hands flew up to his face in a mixture of delight and surprise. Of _course_ Kurt had both outfits on. Deep down inside, Kurt must have known that this was the song he was going to sing.

"_I am not the boy next door. I don't belong like I did before._"

As Kurt continued the song, Rachel crept down the row of seats to sit down beside Blaine. He barely looked at her. All he could do was watch Kurt.

Everything about the performance was electrifying. Kurt was full of energy and passion as he sang and danced his way around the stage.

This was _Kurt_.

"_I am not the boy next door!_"

Blaine knew that it wasn't a good idea to scream or applaud loudly – this was an audition, not a concert – so he settled for clapping lightly and flailing his arms in delight as Kurt ended the song on a soaring high note.

He had _nailed_ it.

Blaine glanced at Carmen Tibideaux, and he felt like he might throw up. What was she going to say?

"You know, Hugh Jackman won a Tony Award for playing Peter Allen," Ms. Tibideaux said. "Hugh trained with me the summer I was in residence at the Sydney Opera House."

Blaine clutched his arms around his chest. She _had_ to have loved it. It had been _perfect_.

"And I'm certain," Ms. Tibideaux continued, "that he would've been as impressed with what you did with that song as I am."

_Yes_.

"A bold choice, young man," the NYADA professor said. "I congratulate you for taking such a risk today."

"Thank you," Kurt gushed, fighting back tears. He turned and blew a kiss at the trio of girls who had sung backup for him before hurrying off the stage. "Thank you!"

Blaine exercised every tiny piece of self-control that he possessed as he stayed in his seat while Kurt disappeared off the stage. He didn't want to run to meet Kurt in front of the NYADA judge.

He was especially glad that he had refrained from jumping up when Ms. Tibideaux swiveled around to look at where he was sitting with Rachel.

"We'll take a short break, and then it will be your turn, Ms. Berry."

Rachel nodded rapidly, and Blaine had to reach out and clutch Rachel's hand to calm himself as Ms. Tibideaux stood and walked slowly down the row and up the stairs to the door in the back of the auditorium.

The second the door clicked shut behind her, Blaine jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he dared – not wanting to trip and hurt himself and ruin such a perfect moment – down the stairs, bypassing the long way around by leaping up onto the stage and rushing off in the same direction Kurt had gone a few moments before.

Finn was there. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, and Blaine realized that he must have arrived too late come join them in the audience.

Kurt was chattering away to his step-brother, but as soon as he saw Blaine he stopped mid-sentence and ran to close the distance between them to throw himself into Blaine's arms.

Blaine kissed him over and over as they both laughed with relief and exhilaration.

"That was _perfect_, Kurt!" Blaine gushed. "_Perfect_. I'm _so_ proud of you!"

"I did it," Kurt laughed, tears of relief pooling in his eyes.

"You did it," Blaine agreed. You _did it_, Kurt."

He pulled Kurt into a tight hug, and he could feel Kurt's hands grasping at the back of his cardigan.

When Kurt pulled away, he looked so happy that Blaine wondered if either of them would ever stop smiling again.

"I – mmmm!" Blaine smiled as Kurt kissed him. "I knew you could do it."

"Me too," Kurt breathed. "I knew I could. I knew it." His voice was giddy, and Blaine imagined that he was probably having an intense adrenaline rush after such a brilliant performance.

"Hey guys," Finn interrupted, "let's go. Rachel's up."

Kurt kissed Blaine once more before rushing over to kiss Rachel on the cheek and say something in her ear. She smiled at him, and Kurt rushed back over to Blaine and Finn so they could go sit down and watch Rachel's audition.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As they took their seats in the auditorium, Kurt felt like he could take on the entire world.

He and Rachel were getting into NYADA for sure. Everything was amazing. _Life_ was amazing.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. And I'll be singing _Don't Rain On My Parade_ from my favorite musical, _Funny Girl_."

Rachel choked.

She couldn't remember the worlds.

Kurt felt as if his heart had plummeted into his stomach as Rachel turned her back to them to instruct the band to start over.

But Carmen Tibideaux didn't stop her, so Kurt clung to hope. Maybe the NYADA professor would be lenient. Rachel would definitely kill it the second time.

She didn't.

As she stuttered into silence for a second time, Kurt knew it was over.

"Oh god," Finn said.

"This isn't happening," Kurt added.

Blaine was silent as they all stared at Rachel. She looked horribly small and vulnerable all alone on the stage. Kurt's whole body ached for her.

Carmen Tibideaux didn't allow her to try again. Kurt barely heard the woman's voice as he watched Rachel falling apart on the stage. He barely even noticed as Ms. Tibideaux left the auditorium.

As soon as the professor was out of the room, Rachel fell to the ground and Finn and Blaine both jumped to their feet.

"No," Kurt caught Blaine's hand. Blaine looked down at him, confused, but Kurt shook his head.

"She wants to be alone," Kurt knew. "With Finn."

"But is she okay?" Blaine worried frantically, looking again at where Rachel was now lying on her back on the stage, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No," Kurt said softly, his own eyes filling with tears. "She's not okay."

Blaine looked conflicted, but he allowed Kurt to restrain him from rushing to the stage. They watched as Finn made it to Rachel, and he picked her up off the ground and carried her off the stage.

Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand, and Kurt stood up.

He felt like this was a strange dream. How had _he_ just nailed an audition and Rachel had choked?

"This isn't what's supposed to happen," he whispered.

Blaine wrapped him into a hug, and Kurt didn't know how to feel. So much of the joy of his audition was gone. How could he be happy when Rachel was suffering so much?

And what if this meant that Rachel wouldn't get to go to NYADA with him? He couldn't go without her. It was _their_ plan. Together.

"Let's go," Blaine suggested gently, pulling out of the hug and grabbing Kurt's hand again.

Kurt let him lead them out of the auditorium and then out into the parking lot before he realized that he was still wearing his audition outfit. He was too shocked at what had just happened to really care.

"Let's go back to your house," Blaine suggested as they approached Kurt's car. "But let's both drive our cars over there, because I've got to come back later to help Puck study for his history test."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, starting to feel better. Sure, Rachel had choked on her audition, but she had so many other things on her resume. Maybe there was still a chance that she would get in.

And Kurt didn't even know if _he_ would get in. The audition wasn't everything.

By the time they reached his house, Kurt was feeling great. Nothing was set in stone yet, so he allowed the joy of his audition to push away his worries.

It also helped that Blaine was _so_ excited for him.

Kurt just wanted to make out all afternoon, but Blaine insisted on first taking a few photographs of him so they would always remember the perfect audition. It got a little out of hand, and half an hour later they had filled up the camera's memory card with all kinds of silly photos of the two of them, individually and together.

Blaine set the camera down on Kurt's vanity and turned back around toward Kurt, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I really like those pants," Blaine said, and Kurt raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Blaine strolled over to the bed and gently shoved Kurt over onto his back.

"I'm going to kiss you now," Blaine teased as he climbed on top of Kurt, straddling his hips. "If that's okay."

"It's okay," Kurt accepted, propping himself up on his elbows to lean up into the kiss. "I've got to make up for running out on you yesterday, remember?"

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Rachel didn't come to school the day after her audition, but Kurt was relieved to see her at her locker before school on Friday.

He needed to talk to her. To see how she was feeling.

"Can I just say, for the record," Kurt said briskly as he walked up to her, "that Carmen Tibideaux is a total bitch. I mean, she should've let you start over."

"She did," Rachel said miserably.

"I mean a second time," Kurt corrected, trying desperately to think of a way to cheer his friend up. "You killed the beginning of that song. I wouldn't be surprised if you got accepted just from that."

"Kurt, I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but we both know what happened, alright?" Rachel said. "I had my chance, and I choked. I choked on a song that I've been singing my entire life. And now it's over and there's no one to blame but me."

Kurt didn't know what to say. Rachel looked absolutely devastated.

"You were amazing, though," Rachel said, turning to look at him. "You were. I mean, you went with your gut and you were better than you've ever been. You and Finn are gonna be great in New York together."

"Well you're coming too," Kurt replied. "_Of course_ you're coming. Even if it doesn't work out with NYADA –"

"Just don't talk about this anymore, please," Rachel said rapidly, fighting back tears. "It's just... I haven't– I haven't slept in like two days and I just am really tired of talking about it, okay?"

Kurt nodded and stepped forward to hug her.

"I love you, Rachel Berry," he reminded her.

"I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

On Friday evening, the Hummel-Hudson family went out to dinner to celebrate Kurt's successful NYADA audition.

"I wish I coulda been there," Burt said as Kurt gave them a play-by-play of the audition.

"It was spectacular," Blaine said enthusiastically.

Kurt smiled across the table at him. Blaine didn't always attend their Friday night dinners, but Burt had insisted that he come along on this specific Friday.

"Well," Burt said, "a toast. To Mr. Kurt Hummel, NYADA finalist. Soon we'll be here celebrating your acceptance letter, Kurt. We're all so proud of you."

They all clinked their glasses together, and Kurt blushed happily.

They ate and chatted and ordered an entire cheesecake so that they could take some home and have it again the next evening, and Kurt tried to soak it all in. Regardless of what happened with NYADA, this wasn't going to be his life for much longer. Things were going to change.

He thought about Rachel. What would happen if one of them didn't get into NYADA? Or if they both didn't?

What would New York be like without Rachel?

Or what if Rachel got in and he didn't? What would he do then?

He wasn't sure. But he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy what was left of his final year of high school. They would deal with whatever NYADA decided when their letters came in the mail.

* * *

><p><em><strong>KURT HUMMEL! YOU KILL THAT AUDITION! I basically screamedcried/flailed my house down when **_**Not The Boy Next Door**_** happened. I still get chills watching it. After everything that Kurt has been though, it feels SO good to watch him sing and dance his heart out like that and then get to cry some HAPPY tears for once! GO KURT! And gosh, Blaine was just way too adorable watching in the audience. I'm so glad they wrote it so that Blaine was there to see Kurt's audition!**_

_**Is this the first time Kurt has ever sung a Broadway song that's traditionally sung by a man? I think so.**_

_**(Oh, and if you're wondering why Blaine and Rachel have a class together... in my mind, Blaine takes a few classes that are normally taken by seniors because he got ahead of the public school curriculum at Dalton. They've already shown him in class with Mike and Puck more than once, so...)**_

_**Up next... 'Prom-asaurus'!**_


	36. 3x19: Promasaurus

_**This episode is kinda silly, but I'm actually glad that they made it not-so-serious... there is NO way they could come close to matching the perfection of 'Prom Queen' last season!**_

_**And thank you, jetsonastro24, for reminding me that Kurt HAS sung a Broadway song that is traditionally performed by a man! His audition for New Directions was Mr. Cellophane from 'Chicago'! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As Brittany announced that the theme for the senior prom would be dinosaurs, Blaine was surprised (_dinosaurs_?), but he felt neutral about the idea. He already had an outfit picked out, so it didn't really matter.

"And, last but not least," Brittany said, glancing briefly at Blaine, "all hair gel has been banned from the prom."

Blaine burst out laughing.

"_Right_," he laughed.

"I'm actually not joking," Brittany said seriously. "Hair gel was not invented until almost thirty million years after the Upper Paleolithic Stone Age."

The room was silent.

"And, frankly," Brittany continued, "I don't like the way you look."

Blaine offered her an indignant glare. Why was she singling him out?

"Therefore, anyone who shows up to prom wearing hair gel will be turned away at the door," Brittany decided. "I hereby decree this to be the best prom ever!"

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, and Blaine started to raise his hand to protest but thought better of it before Mr. Schu noticed.

"Okay," Mr. Schu said, sounding almost as confused as Blaine felt. "Let's start thinking of... dinosaur songs."

That was their cue to break up into groups or pairs to brainstorm. Kurt turned immediately to Blaine.

"What is her _problem_?" Blaine huffed.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted.

"I think you look very handsome, Blaine," Rachel offered.

Blaine offered a grateful nod, but his mind was whirling. No hair gel at prom? It didn't make any sense.

Kurt and Rachel switched topics to dinosaur songs ("_If We Hold On Together_ from _The Land Before Time_!" Rachel said enthusiastically. "I don't care if it's Diana Ross," Kurt replied, "we are _not_ singing that song at our senior prom."), but Blaine couldn't concentrate.

He was incredibly self-conscious about his hair in its natural state. It was curly and unruly, and Blaine didn't like it at all.

And now Brittany had forbidden him to style his hair at prom.

"But _she'll_ probably have plenty of hairspray in _her_ hair," he mumbled unhappily.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing," Blaine said quickly.

"She'll probably forget that rule, anyway," Rachel offered. She had heard him. "I mean, it's Brittany."

"And her reasoning doesn't even make sense," Kurt said skeptically. "You know what else wasn't around in the time of dinosaurs? _Human beings_."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt and Blaine met Rachel in the auditorium during lunch the next day to rehearse a song they had decided to make into a trio after hearing it on Rachel's iPod over the weekend.

"_And_ _I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket, but I've gotta get a move on with my life. It's time to be a big girl now. And big girls don't cry._"

"Is that what we're gonna sing for prom?" Blaine asked as the song ended. "Because I love that song. But it's sort of a downer, don't you think?"

"It's just how I'm feeling right now, okay?" Rachel explained, getting up from her stool to pace across the stage. "I don't want to watch Finn and Quinn get prom king and queen at my prom. And I don't want to watch him dance with her!"

Kurt reached up to scratch the back of his neck. He had seen the posters of Finn and Quinn together. He could guess why Finn had done it – both Finn and Rachel still harbored some guilt about Quinn getting into her accident on the way to _their_ wedding – but he had a feeling Finn hadn't thought very hard about how it might bother Rachel to see her fiancé running for prom queen with his ex-girlfriend.

"I know that she can't really dance anymore," Rachel added, "but –"

She caught herself and shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You know– you know what I mean."

"She's right," Kurt agreed. "Prom sucks. I don't want to go either."

"Well you have to go," Blaine reminded him. "You're the reigning prom queen. You have to crown the next one."

Rachel pointed at him teasingly as she paced by.

"As much as I love a good coronation," Kurt replied, "I can't risk it. With this school's strong and insane tradition of write-in ballots, I could get elected prom queen _again_, alright? And I know I put on a brave face last year, but it was _humiliating_."

In the year since he had been crowned McKinley's junior prom queen, Kurt's memory of the night had evolved a bit. At first, the humiliation had been the dominant memory any time he thought about that night. But, with time, he was starting to think more of Blaine and how he had risked his own emotional well-being to make sure that Kurt felt wanted and loved. Dancing with Blaine at junior prom was one of Kurt's happiest memories. A beacon of light in an otherwise dark memory.

The humiliation was not something he wanted to experience again, though.

"And had I known, I would have worn a full kilt," Kurt added as an afterthought. "So..."

"Well, how do you think I feel with Brittany's insane ban on hair gel?" Blaine joined the pity-party. "It's _prom_. There's gonna be balloons all over the place, not to mention the taffeta and the silk blends. The sheer amount of static electricity in that room is gonna be terrifying!"

"It's _crazy_," Kurt teased.

"You've never seen my hair without gel," Blaine argued. "It's baby hair fine."

Rachel couldn't hold back her giggles, and Kurt reached up to scratch his face in an attempt to hide the smile he could feel stretching across his face. Blaine was obsessed about the ban on hair gel. And he was exaggerating, anyway... they _had_ seen him without hair gel before. At Rachel's party the year before, and earlier in the school year during their mash up competition against the Troubletones.

Maybe, Kurt thought, Blaine's hair hadn't been _completely_ free of gel on those occasions. But still. He thought Blaine's curly hair was cute.

"No, it– I'm gonna look like Medusa!" Blaine pouted. "It's not funny. I don't wanna go."

Kurt had to change the subject or risk laughing and hurting Blaine's feelings.

"Well," Kurt suggested, "if we're all gonna be so miserable about it... who says we have to go?"

"You're right, Kurt," Rachel said immediately. "But I have a better idea."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"You watch the door," Rachel said to Blaine as most of the students in New Directions arrived for glee rehearsal that afternoon. "We can't have Mr. Schu overhearing us and shutting us down."

Blaine stood in the doorway and urged the students to hurry up and take their seats so he, Kurt, and Rachel could explain their idea before their teacher arrived.

"Kurt and Blaine and I are throwing an anti-prom party!" Rachel announced to the group as soon as everyone was in the choir room.

"What's an anti-prom party?" Mercedes wondered.

"It's a party for those of us who maybe feel a little, you know, disenfranchised by the actual prom," Rachel explained. "And I got us a hotel room at Lima's best hotel – the Red Rooster Express suite – and everyone's invited!"

"You're supporting this?" Quinn asked Finn, who was standing behind the piano with Kurt.

"I'm supporting _her_," Finn explained. "And I'll be there as soon as I'm done fulfilling my... obligations."

"The mood will be celebratory," Kurt elaborated on the anti-prom idea, "the food will be catered, the libations will be plentiful, and the dress code will be creative black tie!"

Blaine smiled. Kurt was excited to plan his outfit now that there would be no threat of being humiliated in front of all of his classmates. But, unlike last year, Kurt was keeping his outfit a complete secret from Blaine.

"Optional," Rachel amended. "Optional. Optional! And keeping up with the anti-prom theme, everyone is welcome."

Satisfied that Mr. Schu wasn't going to suddenly walk in on them and hear their plan, Blaine abandoned the doorway and walked over to stand by Kurt. He reached out to nudge Kurt's shoulder as he walked up to him, and Kurt flashed him a huge smile.

"And, unlike the actual prom, which ends at 11pm," Rachel continued, "ours goes into the wee hours of the night. It's where the fun's at, you guys!"

"Okay, how is everyone welcome when this is clearly just a party for you and the two gay Winkelvii twins?" Santana retorted.

Blaine resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"Actually, Santana," Rachel corrected, "we've invited most of McKinley's underclassmen."

"I'm in," Puck said suddenly, getting up from his chair.

"But what about your tradition of trying to spike Coach Sylvester's punch bowl?" Artie asked. "I almost lost my teeth for it last time."

"It's impossible," Puck said as he walked toward the door to the hallway. "Plus, it's a bummer always failing. At everything."

"Can we just talk about what this _really_ is?" Santana asked as Puck walked out of the room. "Rachel Berry isn't getting her way, so she's punishing the rest of us."

"Santana, that's not the case at all," Rachel argued lightly.

"Stop acting like you're fine and start dealing with your crap!" Santana scolded.

Blaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise and displeasure at Santana's superior tone of voice.

"Look, you choked at your big audition. I get it," Santana continued. "I'm _sorry_. But it happens. And I understand that you're pissed off at the universe, but imploding on one of the last nights that we have to spend together because _basically_ you're just not in the mood to dance is maybe the pettiest thing you have ever done. So, have fun at your 'I'm a victim' party acting like you're not some selfish, self-centered, lame ass wannabe diva from hell. Because me? I'm gonna go to my senior prom with my girlfriend and my friends."

Santana turned to walk away.

"Hey," Blaine reached out with his voice to stop Santana before she walked out the door, "wait."

Santana turned in his direction.

"Are you talking to me, gel boy?" she challenged.

"Give it a rest, Santana," Kurt snapped.

"I'm not going to let you speak to her like that," Brittany piped up. "It's –"

"Bullying?" Blaine interrupted, stepping forward. He felt Kurt's hand on his arm, and he reminded himself to remain calm.

Blaine turned his attention back to Santana.

"That wasn't nice, what you just said to Rachel," he said sternly. "This isn't just Rachel's idea, and nobody's forcing you to skip prom and come with us. There was no reason to say those things to Rachel except to be hateful."

"Oh, come _on_," Santana rolled her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest. "Look, Blaine, you're sweet. But you know what? You're _too_ sweet. Sometimes people need to hear the harsh reality of what's really going on."

"You're a bully," Blaine said immediately.

"Excuse me?" Santana said, unfolding her arms and taking a few steps in his direction.

"You heard me," Blaine replied. "You and Brittany talk all day long about people 'bullying' you, but what you really mean is 'don't disagree with me'."

Santana opened her mouth, but Blaine didn't let her interrupt.

"And what's disappointing is that I know that's not who you are deep down inside," Blaine said. "You're a nice person, Santana."

"Awesome," Santana said sarcastically.

"But you don't get to say whatever you want, wherever you want, with no consequences," Blaine finished.

"Oh yeah?" Santana said, stepping forward again until she was directly in front of Blaine. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Blaine didn't shrink away from her. He knew she wouldn't physically attack him. And he knew that he could restrain her if she did. He gently pulled his arm out of Kurt's grip, just in case.

"I'm not going to _do_ anything," Blaine replied. "But what I'm _not_ going to do is stand by and let you say mean things to our friends without calling you out."

Santana scoffed and spun around to leave.

"You're just bent out of shape because you can't wear your precious hair gel to prom," she said coldly as she reached the doorway and disappeared in to the hall. Brittany followed her out.

Blaine rolled his eyes and turned away from the door.

Directly into a hug from Rachel.

"Thank you," she kissed his cheek as she pulled away.

Mr. Schu chose that particular moment to walk through the door, whistling a happy song.

"Alright, guys!" he said cheerfully. "Who's got a song for prom to show us?"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine arrived at Kurt's house to pick him up for prom – they hadn't told Burt or Carole about their anti-prom, so it was important to keep up the pretense that they _were_ heading to McKinley – he felt a flurry of nervous energy in his stomach.

He and Kurt had been in love the previous year. Very much so. But things were so different now. They knew each other so much better. They had experienced so much together. Their relationship was stronger than ever.

Burt answered the door.

"Hey, Blaine," he greeted. He reached out and offered his hand for a handshake. But, when Blaine grasped his hand, Burt yanked him forward. Burt laughed as Blaine stumbled forward into the hug, and Blaine had to laugh too.

"Sorry, kiddo," Burt said as he released Blaine. "Couldn't resist."

Blaine could hear Kurt's voice from the next room, and he felt his heart rate accelerating. He couldn't wait to see what Kurt was wearing this year. He had a feeling it wouldn't be a kilt like the year before – Kurt wouldn't want to look the same – but he knew it would be something different.

"Hey, uh," Burt stopped Blaine as he took a step in the direction of the other room.

Blaine stopped and turned back to face Kurt's father.

"I'm sorry, I've just gotta... do the father thing," Burt said, only a little awkward.

Blaine nodded.

"Not _that_ father thing," Burt amended. "Although, you know, be safe and all that."

Blaine nodded again.

"I just want you to know how grateful Carole and I are for you," Burt said.

Blaine felt a rush of warmth spreading to his face. What?

"Kurt's special," Burt continued. "And I know, I'm his father, so of course I think he's perfect. But he's... he's different. He's so different than I ever imagined 'my son' would be."

Burt clasped a hand on Blaine's shoulder.

"I guess, uh, thanks for 'getting' him," Burt said, his voice suddenly full of emotion. "I know he can be a handful, especially when he's got his sights set on something. Maybe he gets that from me. And sometimes, in the past, it was hard for me to imagine that someone would ever..."

Burt trailed off, unsure of how to explain himself.

"He's everything I ever wanted," Blaine said, hoping that he understood what Burt was trying to say. It was easy to imagine a small-town dad worrying that his gay son might not ever find someone who would love him for everything that he was. Without conditions.

Burt pulled him into another hug, this time much gentler.

"Dad?" Kurt's voice called from the next room. "Where'd you go?"

Burt pulled back from the hug, and Blaine could see all the words he wanted to say in his eyes.

"Your boyfriend's here!" Burt shouted back.

There was a flurry of activity from the other room, and Kurt appeared around the corner.

Blaine felt as if his face might split open from smiling too broadly as he looked at Kurt in his prom outfit. It was casual and fancy all at once. Creative black tie.

"I'll just, uh –" Burt retreated, leaving the two of them alone in the hallway.

Blaine held up the tiny box he was carrying. A boutonnière.

"Oh!" Kurt remembered. "And hold on... I'm missing..."

He disappeared into the other room for a moment, and returned with a small box.

And a top hat.

Blaine laughed as Kurt put the top hat on and moved down the hallway to where Blaine was standing.

"That definitely makes the whole outfit," Blaine complimented.

"I agree," Kurt grinned, and Blaine's knees felt a little weak. Kurt looked so _good_. And, at the same time, he looked like _Kurt_.

Blaine couldn't think of words to explain how he was feeling, so he closed the small gap remaining between them to kiss the other boy. Kurt kissed him back, reaching up with his free hand to cup the side of Blaine's face as they kissed. It was such a familiar, warm feeling, and Blaine didn't even realize he had sighed in content until Kurt giggled against his lips and pulled away.

"I think you shrunk a little since last year," Kurt teased as he pulled a boutonnière out of the small box in his hand. It was nearly the same as the ones they had worn the year before, but the flower was white instead of pink.

"I think the top hat is giving you delusions of grandeur," Blaine retorted happily.

"Dad and Carole are going to want to watch us pinning these on," Kurt realized as he looked at the little flower in his hand.

"Wait," Blaine said, reaching out to take the flower and the box out of Kurt's hand in order to replace them with the box Blaine had brought along. "Open this first."

"Is this a boutonnière?" Kurt wondered as he looked at the box. It was too small to hold the kind of flower Kurt had gotten for Blaine.

"Open it, Kurt," Blaine smiled.

Kurt opened the box and reached in to pull out his boutonnière.

"You _made_ this," Kurt breathed. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Blaine admitted.

It was made of thick paper. Folded into the shape of a flower.

"I thought, since you kept the one from last year," Blaine explained, "that this would be easier to preserve. And your theme was 'creative black tie', so..."

"I _love_ it," Kurt said, finally taking his eyes off of the flower to look at Blaine. "Thank you."

They wandered into the next room and appeased Burt and Carole with what felt like hundreds of photographs. Pinning the boutonnières on. Together. Individually. With Burt and Carole.

"Okay," Kurt finally put a stop to the photo shoot when they returned from taking "just a few" outside. "We've got to go."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"I've got the beer," Puck announced as he approached Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel in the hotel parking lot with a box of alcohol in his arms and Becky by his side. He had volunteered to pick up their friend and bring her along.

Rachel looked around briefly, as if she expected the police to swoop in and arrest them all right there for being in the vicinity of alcoholic beverages, and Kurt turned to Blaine.

"Ready?" he smiled.

"Ready," Blaine nodded.

They made their way into the hotel and to the door of their room, and Kurt was excited. This could be fun. And there was no pressure. No fear. Just friends and a safe place where they could enjoy each other's company.

"It's a really good room, so..." Rachel said as she opened the door and switched on the light.

They all admired the room as they walked in. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was decent. It looked clean, anyway.

"Alright, let the very first annual McKinley anti-prom begin!" Rachel exclaimed.

They all just stood by the door for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, look!" Kurt broke the awkward silence. "There's chocolates on the pillows!"

He rushed over to the bed.

"We've got room service," Blaine added, picking up the small menu off the table near the door.

"Mini bar!" Becky shouted, heading straight for the little bottles and snacks. "Whoo, nice!"

Kurt sat down on the edge of the bed and bounced up and down a little. The bed wasn't particularly comfortable, but they wouldn't really be using it, anyway.

"So, uh, what should we do now?" Puck asked.

"Duh," Becky replied. "Play strip poker."

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I brought condoms."

"Becky, Blaine and I are gay, remember?" Kurt reminded her.

"Never stopped me before!" Becky retorted.

"Well, I mean, no matter what, it'll be better than prom," Rachel said.

"Yeah, who wants to be in that smelly old gym, anyway?" Kurt agreed, bouncing on the bed again.

"Prom's a sucker's paradise," Puck added.

"Prom sucks! Let's get wasted!" Becky said loudly before starting up a cheer of excitement.

"Becky!" Rachel addressed the other girl, "Becky, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but will you just keep it down with the shouting?"

"Keep your big honkin' nose out of it, Berry," Becky replied. "Oh, snap!" she taunted, snapping her fingers at Rachel.

Rachel just walked away.

"So," Blaine said, walking over to the bedside table to look at the card with the television channels on it, "I wouldn't mind watching a little TV... um, maybe some Bravo?"

"Dude," Puck disagreed, hurrying over to look over Blaine's shoulder at the list, "it's a hotel. It's gotta be Skinemax."

"We could... put on a fashion show!" Rachel suggested.

"Yeah, let's go all _Sound of Music_ and make some old-timely couture out of the drapes and sheets!" Kurt agreed, jumping off the bed to rush over and grab the curtains to feel what they were made of.

"Too gay," Becky argued.

"I second that," Puck agreed.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a frustrated glance, and Kurt hated himself as he wondered what the _actual_ prom was like this year.

"Well I– I'd love to show you guys my prom dress," Rachel said hopefully, and Kurt wondered if she had read his mind. "You know, I wouldn't want it to go to a complete waste. It's in my car, I can go get it."

Becky didn't like that idea. "Worst anti-prom ever!" she whined.

"I think that's a great idea, Rachel," Blaine said encouragingly.

Rachel smiled and nodded rapidly. "Okay... okay, I'll go get it..."

She hurried out of the room.

"I need a beer," Puck said, pulling a bottle out of the box he brought along.

"Anyone else?" he offered.

"No, thank you," Blaine declined.

Kurt shook his head no.

"I've got all the alcohol I need right here," Becky said, starting to sift through the mini bar.

"You two really should have dressed up," Kurt scolded Puck and Becky as he returned to his seat on the end of the bed. "When else can you wear a black tie outfit with pizzazz?"

"Hopefully never," Puck said.

Becky just ignored him.

"Alright!" Rachel exclaimed, returning to the room with a large garment bag. "Let me just get ready... and our fashion show can begin!"

She disappeared into the bathroom, and Blaine moved to sit down beside Kurt.

Nobody said anything for a few minutes. Just as the awkwardness was getting unbearable, Rachel's voice floated through the closed bathroom door.

"Kurt?" she called. "Can you come help zip me up?"

Kurt jumped up, happy for something to do.

"Be right back," he said brightly as he hurried past Blaine and slipped into the small bathroom where Rachel was getting dressed.

He helped her fit into her dress, and was opening his mouth to offer to help her fix her hair when she turned and shooed him from the room.

"I want the final result to be a surprise," she teased. She shoved him gently out the door and closed it behind her.

Kurt climbed onto the bed to lean against the headboard. Blaine had turned on the television.

"No funny business, boys," Becky scolded as Blaine started to climb across the bed to sit beside Kurt. "Unless we get to watch."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a brief glance, and Blaine made the decision to sit on the end of the bed instead of beside Kurt.

Puck stood up and walked over to the mini bar where Becky was organizing everything.

"Touch those Peanut M&Ms and I will end you," Becky threatened, snatching the candy out of Puck's hand as he plucked it out of the basket.

"This is a repeat," Blaine remembered as the show they were watching transitioned into a new episode. "It's the one with the passive-aggressive lesbian and the doggy care."

"I wish Tabitha would take over this anti-prom," Kurt admitted. "Gosh, this sucks."

"Yeah, well..." Blaine said softly.

Kurt looked at Blaine's back and his perfectly gelled hair and felt a rush of regret. He wanted to go to prom with his boyfriend. To show the school that he was _proud_ of who he was. Of who they were together. This was running away.

"If you wanted to go to the prom, I would've gone with you," Kurt admitted.

"I am _not _going to give in to Brittany's insane ban on hair gel!" Blaine whined, turning off the television as he fell over backward onto the bed. He propped himself up on one arm as he twisted around to look at Kurt. "Freedom to use hair care products? It's is in the Bill of Rights."

"Didn't the Founding Fathers all wear wigs?" Kurt teased gently.

"You haven't seen me without an enormous amount of hair gel in my hair," Blaine said. "It's... it's really bad."

Kurt smiled at him, ready to tell him that he didn't care _what_ Blaine's hair looked like, but they were distracted by a knock at the door.

Becky hurried over to answer the door, assuming that it was the room service she had ordered.

It wasn't room service. It was Finn.

"Hey, Becky," he greeted as he stepped into the room. He had a golden box in his hands. "Where's Rachel?"

"She's been in the bathroom for forty-five minutes," Becky said. "I'm guessing the runs."

It was an exaggeration, but Kurt decided not to correct her. It _felt_ like it had been forty-five minutes.

Blaine sat up, waving unenthusiastically at Finn. Kurt secretly hoped that Finn was here to whisk Rachel off to prom so they would all have an excuse to go. The boredom was getting intolerable.

"Alright!" Rachel suddenly spoke up through the closed bathroom door. "Let's let the anti-prom fashion extravaganza begin!"

She opened the bathroom door, and they got their first look at her all dressed up for prom. Kurt and Blaine exchanged a pleased glance. She looked gorgeous.

"Hi," Finn greeted her.

"W– what are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

"Well," Finn said, "I'll keep it simple. I love you. You're beautiful. Prom sucks without you."

He handed her the gold box – a corsage, Kurt guessed – and they kissed.

"Prom sucks without all you guys," Finn said to the rest of them. "This is the last time we're gonna get to be together like this. I wanna dance with my fiancée. I wanna dance with my friends."

Kurt and Blaine climbed off the bed. It was time to go to prom.

"Well, I'll just pretend to be an ice sculpture if Brittany sees me," Blaine decided as he and Kurt walked out the door and into the hallway, "and then she'll just pass me by."

Kurt didn't realize that Rachel and Finn weren't behind them until he had already pressed the button to call the elevator. He looked to Blaine to see if the other boy knew why Finn and Rachel hadn't followed them out, but Blaine shrugged.

"We'll wait for them by the car," Kurt decided as the bell rang and they stepped into the empty elevator.

Blaine reached out and grabbed the chain around Kurt's neck as soon as the doors slid closed, pulling him in for an enthusiastic kiss. Kurt smiled and kissed him back, happy to be out of the hotel room and on their way to prom.

Blaine released Kurt just in time for the elevator doors to open on the ground floor, and they walked across the lobby and out into the parking lot.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Blaine asked, reaching out to grab one of Kurt's hands as they reached his car. "I understand if you don't want to."

"I want to," Kurt reassured him, squeezing his hand.

"Me too," Blaine agreed.

Kurt and Blaine didn't talk much during the short drive to McKinley. When they arrived at the prom, the parking lot was packed full of cars. They had to park at the very back of the lot and walk to the gymnasium.

Kurt made sure to hold Blaine's hand as they walked between the rows of cars. He wanted to remind Blaine that he was there. This wasn't the Sadie Hawkins dance.

He could tell that Blaine was thinking about it, because Blaine flinched when someone slammed a car door nearby.

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said quietly.

"I'm okay," Blaine replied, answering the underlying question.

"Alright, guys!" Rachel said excitedly as they approached the door. "Here we go... prom time!"

They walked in together, and Kurt was happy to see that their friends seemed glad to see them.

As Brittany approached, Blaine stopped moving, and Kurt realized he was hoping that Brittany wouldn't notice him.

"No, sorry Blaine!" Brittany said. "I said no hair gel, remember? I can totally smell it."

Before Blaine could argue, Santana rushed over and grabbed Brittany to drag her away to the dance floor. Blaine looked devastated.

"You can do this!" Kurt said, reaching over to place a reassuring hand on Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine turned to look at him, and Kurt offered an encouraging smile. Without another word, Blaine turned and left the gymnasium.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine shoved the door to the locker room open with a huff of air. He was grateful that Kurt hadn't followed him; he wanted to be able to at least _attempt_ to get his hair under control before Kurt saw him. _Sometimes_, if he washed and dried it just right, it looked okay in its natural state. But he had a feeling this wouldn't be one of those times. He didn't even have decent shampoo. Just whatever cheap stuff he had in his locker.

He wished he had thought to wear a hat like Kurt. That would've made everything easier.

Blaine undressed, knowing that a quick shower would be better than attempting to wash his hair in the sink. He'd get water all over his suit.

He hummed along to the music blaring from the gymnasium as he washed all of the gel out of his hair, trying not to think about anything but the task at hand.

When he finished his shower, he tried to dry off his hair without rubbing it very much with the towel. He wasn't particularly successful, so he wrapped the towel around his waist so he could let his hair dry completely before getting back into his suit. He stayed away from the mirrors on the other side of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, lookin' good!" Mercedes had to shout at Kurt as he appeared beside her at the front of the crowd near the stage. He tipped his hat at her, and he saw her glance around.

"Where's Blaine?" she asked over the music.

Kurt made a "washing his hair" motion over his head, and Mercedes' eyes widened in understanding.

"You look gorgeous," Kurt complimented.

"Yeah, well," she leaned closer and grabbed his arm, "you're not the only one with someone to impress!" She cast her eyes toward the stage where Sam was singing with the other boys.

Kurt shook his head in amusement. "It's about time!" he shouted in her ear.

She released his arm, and they fell into a comfortable silence, which wasn't really silent at all as they danced along to the music together. When the song ended, Kurt's mind turned to Blaine. He pulled out his phone.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine heard the music in the gymnasium end, and he flopped down onto a bench. He ran his hands nervously through his hair. It was mostly dry.

"I hate Brittany," he mumbled to the empty room.

He stood back up and wandered over to his gym locker to grab some deodorant, rolling his eyes when he had to reach over his bottle of hair gel. Part of him wanted to just leave, but he knew that he needed to be in there when they announced prom queen. For Kurt.

Blaine's phone vibrated in the pocket of his folded pants, and he leaned over to retrieve it and read a text message from Kurt.

_Want some help? Or just some company?_

Blaine never wanted to see Kurt again in this state. Or, he mentally corrected himself, for Kurt to see him.

_NO._

Blaine sent the message and tossed his phone on top of his jacket as he grabbed his pants. Before he had even finished buttoning them, his phone vibrated again.

_I can hear you pouting through that one word. Hurry up and get back in here. I want to dance with you._

Blaine smiled a little. He was being ridiculous. He would get dressed and go back in there and dance with Kurt. Nobody but his friends would probably even notice him, anyway. He hadn't been able to think of a song that he wanted to sing – he hadn't thought about it much before they had decided to hold the anti-prom – so he wasn't performing this year.

He quickly finished re-dressing and snatched his phone off the bench to stuff it back into his pocket.

But he made the mistake of glancing at his reflection in one of the mirrors over the sinks just before he made it out of the room.

Blaine stopped abruptly, letting out a groan of frustration. He looked so different. He hated it.

He had been teased about it all through middle school and at his first high school. His hair had been like this the night he had been beaten up at his first dance with another boy.

Fear wormed its way in beside the self-consciousness in Blaine's chest, and he leaned on the sink and stared at himself in the mirror.

"Get a grip," he said to himself.

He released the sink to ruffle his hair, trying to make it look satisfactory. He only succeeded in frustrating himself further when nothing he did made it look any better in his eyes.

Suddenly, the door a few feet away flew open, slamming against the wall, and Blaine was so startled that he tripped and fell backward in his haste to get away from the door. He didn't even feel himself fall into a sitting position on the ground; every ounce of his attention was focused on what was going to come through the door.

Two students nearly fell through the doorway, entangled in each other's arms, lips locked together. Blaine's arms failed him in relief, and he fell all the way over onto his back on the floor.

Somehow, one of the students noticed him lying there. "Hey," she pushed her partner away briefly to speak to Blaine, "are you okay?"

Blaine waved a hand at her as he climbed to his feet, and she dragged the other student away to the back of the locker room. Blaine hopped up onto one of the benches so he could see the entire back of his outfit in the mirror. When he was satisfied that he hadn't ruined his suit, he jumped back to the ground and took a deep breath. It was either stay in the locker room and listen to the two students doing whatever it was that they planned on doing or go back to the prom.

With one more distraught look in the mirror to make sure that his bow tie, at least, looked perfect, Blaine stormed out the door into the hallway. He didn't pause at the door to the gymnasium; he knew that if he lost his momentum he would never walk through the door.

He could see Kurt as soon as the door closed behind him. The top hat stuck out from the crowd, and Blaine thought that maybe the nervousness that he was feeling was also enhancing his senses a little bit. As he made his way through the crowd, he could feel everyone nearby looking at him. He tried to pretend it wasn't happening, but with every step he felt more and more anxious as he realized he had no idea how Kurt was going to react.

Kurt was so into fashion, and was generally brutally honest when it came to issues of style. The rational part of Blaine's mind knew that Kurt wasn't going to suddenly hate him because his hair was all over the place, but the emotional part of his brain was feeding him an almost paralyzing amount of fear that Kurt was going to react negatively.

Blaine's brain was paying just enough attention to allow him to glare at Mike – who looked shocked at the state of Blaine's hair – as he walked by, and suddenly he was standing in front of Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt looked at his phone. Blaine had been gone for nearly fifteen minutes. Kurt turned to look toward the door that Blaine had used to exit the gym.

"Give him a minute, man," Mike said as he passed by, "Blaine takes his hair care very seriously."

"He's going to look adorable," Tina said. "I mean, we've seen his curly hair before. What's the big deal?"

Kurt shrugged. "He says it'll be different without _any_ product."

Mike rolled his eyes and the two of them departed as Mercedes hurried over.

"Here he comes!" Mercedes squealed excitedly. Kurt shushed her with his hands and shoved her away, knowing that Blaine wasn't going to want an audience of friends right away. As Mercedes rushed off, Kurt hoped she wasn't going to find a group of their friends to bring back to gawk at Blaine.

He glanced around, trying to find Blaine in the crowd, but he didn't notice the other boy until he was standing right in front of him.

"Oh my dear god," Kurt blurted out before he could stop himself.

Blaine's hair in its natural state was big and curly. He looked different. Younger.

Blaine tried to look optimistic, but his face quickly succumbed to his nervousness. Kurt was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.

"Don't make fun of the new kid with the bad 'fro," Brittany was suddenly at his side. "That's hair bullying."

"That's not a new kid, that's Blaine without hair gel," Kurt managed.

"Is it really that bad?" Blaine said miserably.

"Yeah, you're mister broccoli head," Brittany said gravely.

"It's not that bad," Kurt corrected. He knew that part of their surprise was the result of the contrast to Blaine's usual look. He just looked _different_. Not worse.

"Yeah, it is. It's really bad," Brittany said. Blaine reached up, extremely uncomfortable, to touch his hair.

"And you made your point," Brittany said. "I abused my power as president. But, to help save the prom, and to keep people from turning to stone when they look at you, I'll give you special permission to wear hair gel immediately."

The relief was clear on Blaine's face, and Kurt felt his first moment of real guilt about how much he had dismissed Blaine's worries about his hair. It seemed so trivial to Kurt and the rest of their friends, but for Blaine this was a big deal.

Suddenly, Principal Figgins' voice filled the room. "Quiet please, children."

Kurt turned to glance at the stage, and when he turned back to ask Blaine to stay close to him, Blaine was panicking.

"I'll be right back," Blaine managed, already moving toward the door.

"Don't you dare," Kurt rushed forward to stop Blaine before he could get away.

He put his arms on Blaine's biceps to make sure he was paying attention. "I love finally getting to see the real you," he explained. "The man without the product."

Kurt shook Blaine a little bit. "And I want everyone here to know just how proud I am of my brave, handsome, bushy-haired boyfriend."

He knew as soon as he finished that the words had really reached Blaine. The gratitude and affection on Blaine's face told him more than any words could have.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine felt overwhelmed with relief. _Brave, handsome, bushy-haired boyfriend_. Kurt wasn't disappointed or unhappy with his crazy hair. He suddenly felt much more confident. Kurt grinned at him.

"Come on, Borat," Kurt let one of his hands drop from Blaine's arm to grab his hand, and Blaine couldn't hold back a grin as Kurt dragged him toward the front of the room where things were being prepared for the coronation of prom king and queen.

As Figgins made an announcement and the prom court candidates were called to the stage, Blaine nudged Kurt's shoulder.

"You okay?" Blaine asked.

"To be determined," Kurt admitted.

"I would like to invite last year's queen – sassy male student Kurt Hummel – to crown this year's winners." Principal Figgins motioned in Kurt's direction.

Kurt gently pulled his hand out of Blaine's, and Blaine could see that he was steeling himself for possible humiliation.

"Go for it," Blaine said, clasping his hands around Kurt's shoulders momentarily as Kurt started the walk to the stage.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Kurt tried not to let his mind get carried away as he walked up to the stage. This wasn't last year. A spotlight fell on him as he moved to stand behind the Principal Figgins, and he blinked at the sudden bright light.

Principal Figgins didn't waste any time. "And this year's prom king is..."

Kurt wasn't particularly nervous about this part. He wouldn't be voted prom king.

As Finn's name was called, Kurt was pleasantly surprised. At least now, _if_ he was voted prom queen again, he would just dance with Finn. He could handle that.

After he stepped forward to place the crown on Finn's head, Kurt patted his step-brother's back encouragingly before backing away to wait for the prom queen announcement. He was happy for Finn. His step-brother had struggled with his place in the school hierarchy every since Kurt had known him. And, even though he might not always admit it, Kurt knew that Finn wanted to be liked. It gave him confidence.

Kurt looked for Blaine in the crowd, and when he found the other boy among all the other students he was not surprised to find that Blaine was looking straight back at him. Kurt made a mental note to tell Blaine later how much it helped to have him there for support. Finn would dance with him without a fuss, but Blaine would _want_ to dance with him afterward. As he looked at Blaine's unruly hair, Kurt thought back to the tidy young man asking him to dance at prom the year before. Something about being _wanted_, no matter what everyone else in the room thought, made everything seem so much more manageable.

"And the winner for prom queen is..."

Kurt looked at Blaine's face, full of encouragement, and he felt ready for anything.

"Students," Principal Figgins announced, "for the second year in a row we have prom anarchy."

All of Kurt's rationality and confidence disappeared so fast he couldn't even remember what it had felt like. He had to look away from Blaine to look at Figgins, unable to believe what was happening.

Things had been better this year. Maybe it was the exit of his main tormentor, maybe it was the extra confidence Kurt had gained as he matured, or maybe it was just that the students had gotten bored of shoving him around. But things had been less intense for him so far this year. He and Blaine, still nervous about possible incidents, were careful not to be _too_ affectionate at school. But, other than some lewd or otherwise hateful comments or looks, there hadn't been many incidents this year.

Kurt wanted to tear all his hair out as he remembered that the same thing had happened the year before. The lead up to junior prom had been some of the calmest weeks of his high school life. Because the student body had been planning their cruel joke.

"Receiving the majority of write-in votes," Principal Figgins continued, and Kurt felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, "I would like to welcome on the stage... Miss Rachel Berry."

An avalanche of surprise and relief washed over Kurt.

It wasn't him. He was safe.

It was Rachel.

He was grateful that Figgins had called his friend's name. It gave him something to focus on instead of how intensely his knees were shaking. Rachel looked shocked, but also pleased, as she moved through the crowd to the front of the room. As she climbed the stairs to the stage and Kurt approached with her tiara, they locked eyes for a moment. Kurt saw the uncertainty in her eyes. "Just smile and breathe," he instructed as he put the tiara on her head. She reached up to adjust it, and Kurt thought there was probably only a fifty percent chance that she had heard him at all.

Kurt stepped back to his place behind Finn, and smiled as he thought about how this prom could now be an entirely happy memory. Finn and Rachel were prom king and queen – something that was sure to give both of them a confidence boost after all the drama they had been through in the past few months – and Blaine was here. And there was no practical joke. No hateful message. For once, the student body had actually done something nice. Kurt wasn't sure what to make of their write-in campaign for Rachel, but he didn't really care why they had done it.

As Figgins announced the first dance of the prom king and queen, Kurt stepped quickly forward to take Finn and Rachel's scepters. He smiled briefly at his step-brother before hurrying over to hop off the side of the stage to return to the crowd and find Blaine. He slipped the scepters under one of the tables; he would return for them later. Or tell Finn and Rachel where he had hidden them.

He snuck up behind Blaine, who was watching Finn and Rachel dance, and couldn't resist ruffling Blaine's hair from behind as a greeting. Blaine jumped, but smiled as Kurt shoved his way in beside him to watch Finn and Rachel.

"Hey," Kurt said, nudging Blaine's arm with his elbow.

"Hey," Blaine echoed happily.

"That was scary," Kurt admitted.

Blaine turned his head to look at him. "Well, if you can't have another crown, I guess that top hat will do."

Kurt giggled, happy that now they could just enjoy the prom together. They both turned their attention back to Finn and Rachel for a moment.

"Do you think people voted for her as a joke?" Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt frowned. "I doubt it. Or they would've voted her prom king or something. But I can't say I understand why this bunch of popularity-obsessed students voted for her enough for her to actually win."

"Well," Blaine said, and Kurt turned to see Blaine happily watching Finn and Rachel, "I'm glad she didn't have to watch Finn dance with Quinn."

"Hmmm," Kurt agreed.

Quinn, on the stage singing with Santana, caught Kurt's eye, and to his – and everyone else's – surprise, he watched as she pulled herself to her feet. Santana quickly stepped over to make sure she was steady, and the room burst into applause.

He turned to look at Blaine, and Blaine leaned in to give him an eskimo kiss.

After everyone paused to watch Quinn for a moment, a few couples started to move into the open space to dance together.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Kurt cleared his throat loudly and made a show of standing up as straight as he could as he extended his hand so Blaine could see it.

"May I have this dance?"

Blaine felt so many emotions at once that he couldn't even laugh. He was pretty sure that he was smiling like an idiot, though, which he hoped would make the same point. He reached out and grasped Kurt's hand, and Kurt yanked him into his arms.

They danced for so many songs that Blaine lost count. Then they separated so they could each dance with their friends for a little while – Blaine danced with Quinn. Kurt danced with Mercedes. They both danced with Tina and Rachel. Finally, they went over to have their photograph taken on the mechanical dinosaur ride that Brittany had rented for the evening.

It was the fun, carefree evening that both Blaine and Kurt had dreamed of but had never imagined would actually happen.

As they walked across the parking lot to Blaine's car at the end of the event, Blaine turned to look at Kurt just as Kurt turned to look at him. They both laughed.

"Want to go back to the hotel?" Blaine suggested casually.

"No," Kurt disagreed as they reached the car. "Rachel and Finn both have keys to that room."

He reached into a pocked on the inside of his vest and pulled out a hotel key card.

"Let's go to this room instead," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as Blaine's mouth fell open in surprise.

"Okay," Blaine agreed.

The room was at the same hotel as where they had held the anti-prom ("just in case, for some unforeseeable reason, my dad decides to come looking for us," Kurt explained), but the room was a floor below the suite Rachel had booked.

As soon as they were alone in their hotel room, Blaine tugged on the key around Kurt's neck to pull him over to the bed.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's a key," Kurt teased.

They both burst into laughter. Which quickly transitioned into attempting to simultaneously kiss and tug each other's clothes off without ripping anything.

"Can I put my hands in your hair?" Kurt asked breathlessly.

Blaine pulled back just enough to raise an eyebrow at the other boy.

"Please," Kurt whined.

Blaine nodded his consent, and Kurt tangled both of his hands into Blaine's hair and crushed their lips together again. It was a strange sensation to have Kurt tugging on his hair, but Kurt's grip was loose enough that it didn't hurt. Blaine hummed his approval, which just seemed to excite Kurt even more because suddenly he _was_ pulling too hard.

"Ouch," Blaine mumbled against Kurt's lips.

"Oh!" Kurt gasped, embarrassed, as he quickly let go.

Blaine pushed Kurt back a little so he could look at him.

"Just... gently," he suggested.

Kurt blushed. "Sorry," he mouthed silently.

Blaine just laughed and reached out to tug playfully on Kurt's hair until Kurt gave in and returned to kissing him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Prom again! Thank goodness it was a happier affair for Kurt this time around! And how adorable was Blaine with his crazy hair, right? :)<strong>_

_**Up next... 'Props'!**_


	37. 3x20: Props

_**Gosh, the fact that Tina's hallucination wasn't real is such a bummer! Couldn't write about that part (their little spat about Chandler!). But it's okay! This one is a little shorter than normal, but there will be more happening in the next episode when they're in Chicago for Nationals! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"Hey, Kurt?" Mercedes came up to Kurt as he walked down the hallway after school on Monday afternoon.

"Yes?" Kurt acknowledged.

"I just got this..." Mercedes handed him a note. "It was in my locker."

It was from Sue.

"'Find your gay friend and come to my office immediately'," Kurt read the note out loud.

He and Mercedes exchanged a confused glance.

"Should we go?" Mercedes asked.

"I guess," Kurt allowed. "I mean, if we don't go, she's likely to come storming into one of our classes to drag us out. And I'm not interested in that kind of public humiliation if I can avoid it."

Mercedes nodded. They walked in silence to the cheerleading coach's office door and were not surprised to find Sue waiting for them in the doorway.

"Get in here," Sue instructed. "And don't sit down. I don't want any of your bad ideas rubbing off on my furniture."

As Sue walked across the room to her desk, Kurt and Mercedes obeyed and moved to stand in front of the desk.

"Porcelain, Wheezy," Sue said, "you've created a monster."

She tossed a magazine on her desk so they could see it.

Unique was on the cover. Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other, not sure what to say.

"They're calling Jesse St. James a visionary," Sue added, "and lauding Vocal Adrenaline for their ongoing commitment to diversity."

"But Jesse St. James was against Unique performing as his true, magical self," Mercedes clarified.

"No, we were the ones who convinced him to do that," Kurt added.

"Well, then you only have yourselves to blame," Sue said. "And the liberal media."

"Not really," Mercedes replied. "It was your idea."

"I have no memory of that," Sue responded immediately.

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged a knowing look.

"In any case, Unique is now a show choir celebrity," Sue continued. "He/she will trounce us at Nationals and I will lose my Cheerios to coach Roz Washington. I will not let that happen. We have but one choice left to us."

Kurt tried to sneak in a subtle glance at Mercedes, but she wasn't looking at him.

"It's time to fight fire with the flaming flames of additional flaming, gay fire," Sue said gravely.

Kurt rolled his eyes so Sue would definitely see him. What was she even talking about?

Sue reached into one of her desk drawers and pulled out a dress. She stood up so Kurt and Mercedes could see it.

"Porcelain," she said, "you will wear this flapper dress and perform at Nationals as 'Porcelina'."

Kurt was so surprised by her demand that he couldn't speak right away. He turned desperately to Mercedes, but she looked as clueless as he felt.

"You already have the lady gait and the lady voice," Sue explained. "You'll have to start smoking, though, because this dress is a size two."

"Okay," Kurt found his voice, "just because I'm gay does not mean that I like to dress up like a woman."

"Oh, come on!" Sue scoffed.

"What about Halloween, Kurt?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt wanted to throw her into the nearest dumpster for bringing up Halloween at this particular moment.

He and Blaine had spent more time than either of them would ever admit trying to figure out their costumes for Halloween. They had considered so many different possibilities that they had actually gone out for cheesecake at Breadstix to celebrate when they finally settled on a reality television theme.

Blaine had been Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Kurt had been Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi from the MTV reality show _Jersey Shore_.

Kurt had never seen his father laugh so hard in his entire life as when Kurt had emerged from his room dressed as Snooki. And Santana had spent the entire week following Halloween teasing Blaine that his attraction to women had returned.

But it had been worth it. It had been hilarious and fun and everything that Kurt loved about the power of clothing. He loved Halloween.

"Okay, that was a _Halloween costume_," Kurt replied sharply, "and it is a far cry from starting out on the stage at Nationals in a dress... which is absolutely out of the question!"

"Well, then the New Directions will lose," Sue said matter-of-factly.

Kurt could not believe this was happening.

"Hate to say it, kiddo," Sue said to him as she tossed the dress into his arms, "but if we want to beat Vocal Adrenaline at Nationals... it's tuckin' time."

Kurt glanced at Mercedes, but she didn't look as annoyed as he wanted her to look. He turned an annoyed glare on the cheerleading coach.

"No," he said firmly, and he turned and stormed out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine mindlessly tapped the end of his pencil on the table as he sat hunched over his history book in an empty classroom after school. He was so _bored_.

His classes at McKinley weren't as challenging as he had grown accustomed to at Dalton. He knew that he should probably feel grateful that he could get better grades with less effort, but he didn't like feeling so uninspired.

He let his mind wander instead of actually reading. He was in the middle of a particularly crazy daydream about finding a way to bribe some of his old teachers from Dalton to come teach at McKinley when Kurt came storming into the room.

"Hey, what's up?" Blaine asked, glad for a distraction from his homework and the crushing boredom.

Kurt tossed a dress on the table, causing some of Blaine's papers to flutter to the floor.

"It's lovely?" Blaine tried to guess the problem.

"Sue wants _me_ to wear it," Kurt huffed.

"What?" Blaine asked. "Why?"

"Because she's _insane_," Kurt responded. He was pacing the room, agitated. "She's all worked up about how amazing Unique is and how, if we don't have _that_, we're going to lose to Vocal Adrenaline at Nationals."

"Just ignore her," Blaine suggested. "She can't make you do it."

"_I am not a girl!_" Kurt snapped. "_So what_ if my voice is higher than average and I prefer to spend my evenings chatting over nice food and some silly thing on the television rather than virtually massacring my friends in Call of Duty?" He fell into the chair beside Blaine and refused to make eye contact.

Blaine's chest constricted painfully. Ever since their fight over Kurt's flirting with Chandler and Kurt's admission that he sometimes felt overshadowed by Blaine's propensity to fit in with traditionally "masculine" activities, Blaine had been hyper-aware of this particular insecurity in Kurt. "You –"

"I _know_!" Kurt snapped. "I should just let Sue be Sue and tell her where she can shove this dress and just move on!"

Kurt yanked the dress off the table and started trying to fold it, but his frustration made the task too tedious and he quickly gave up and tossed the garment on the ground at his feet.

"What I was _going_ to say," Blaine corrected softly, "is that you are the kindest, funniest, sexiest, most talented _man_ I know."

Kurt's breath hitched at the compliment, and he finally met Blaine's eyes. Blaine reached out and grabbed one of Kurt's hands.

"I can't say 'I understand'," Blaine admitted. "I can imagine what it might be like, but I've always been into things that society thinks 'men' should be into..."

Kurt surprised him by looking at him with so much love in his eyes that Blaine felt his stomach swoop.

"I _love_ those things about you," Kurt said earnestly.

Blaine's mind felt strangely jumbled, and he struggled to remember what they were talking about. "The point is... the idea is completely subjective. But, for me, 'being a man' means being yourself. And I don't know anyone who is more true to himself than you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled at that. "Thanks."

Blaine leaned down to grab the dress off the floor with his free hand. He examined it briefly before setting it down on the table beside his history book.

"I think you'd look sexy in the dress, though," he said, unable to stop himself.

Kurt smacked Blaine's shoulder, but gently enough that Blaine knew he wasn't actually upset, and as they laughed Blaine hoped that Kurt wouldn't let Sue's suggestion bother him. Kurt had enough on his plate without having to deal with a teacher's misguided ideas about what needed to happen for them to win.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day in glee club, Mr. Schu walked up to the white board and wrote the word they all had on their minds.

"Nationals," Mr. Schu announced.

The group cheered, excited that they were going to have a second chance at a national championship.

"Okay, song selection," Mr. Schu said as he stepped to the center of the room. "We'll be kicking off our 'vintage' theme with the legendary Jim Steinman's _Paradise by the Dashboard Light_. Rachel will do the solo, _It's All_ –."

"– _Coming Back To Me Now_?" Rachel interrupted. "One of Celine Dion's most powerful ballads. Inspired by Wuthering Heights."

"And we'll be working in a new Troubletones number," Sue explained, ignoring Rachel, "utilizing the talents of our featured performer... Porcelina Hummel."

She pointed at Kurt.

"Not gonna happen, dragon lady," Kurt replied.

"Oh, you'll do as you're told, he/she" Sue countered.

Blaine was incredibly unhappy as Mr. Schu let the comment slide. Sue was known for being ridiculous, but this was _mean_. She was insulting Kurt's identity, and Blaine didn't approve. He was disappointed that nobody spoke up on Kurt's behalf, and a annoyed with himself when _he_ didn't say anything either. He didn't know _what_ to say.

"We will be performing _What A Feeling_ from _Flashdance_," Sue continued, "and I'm familiar with the choreography, of course, because I was Jennifer Beals' dance double. And on that note, please look under your seats."

"Welding helmets and leg warmers?" Finn asked as they discovered the props under their chairs.

"Best way to get props is to use props," Sue explained. "A healthy dose of props, and our plucky transsexual Porcelina, and you are over the top."

"Aren't props a little cheesy?" Blaine suggested, trying to steer the conversation away from Kurt without snapping at the teacher.

"Guys, I've asked for Sue's help because she's a winner," Mr. Schu explained. "And I'm not ashamed to admit this... I wanna win. But there's not one person in that audience who will think we're anything but underdogs who will be lucky to place at Nationals. We didn't even make the top ten last year. We've got one last week to come together and shake things up. If there's anyone here who is not up for trying and working their butts off, you should just get up right now and leave."

Tina stood up and headed for the door.

"Woah, woah, Tina! Wha– Wait, where're you going?" Finn called after her.

"You guys don't need me," Tina snapped, turning around to face the room, "carry on."

Blaine glanced at Kurt, trying to figure out what was going on, but Kurt's eyes were trained on their friend.

"Tina, you don't understand," Rachel said. "I need this."

"Because you blew an audition?" Tina retorted. "That's not a reason for you to get a solo at Nationals! Maybe the rest of us would like one too."

Blaine suddenly felt uncomfortable. He knew what it was like to be the one who got all the solos by default, and he remembered how it felt when suddenly someone told you that you were overshadowing everyone else when that was never your intention.

"I wouldn't mind another one before I get deported," Rory said.

"I want one!" Sugar added. "Even though I can't sing."

"Tina, Rachel's a senior," Mike chided.

"So are you!" Tina replied. "But you can bet the only thing you'll be doing is a dance break with Brittany. Other people matter!"

Blaine saw Kurt turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye, and he met the other boy's gaze briefly. Kurt winked at him, and Blaine felt a little better.

"Tina," Mr. Schu spoke up, "you may not always get all the solos, but you are a key player. I put you in charge of costumes!"

"Wow," Tina retorted sarcastically, "like that's some prize!"

Blaine hated that Tina was so upset. She and Mike had quickly become two of his closest friends at McKinley, and Tina was one of the sweetest people he knew. This had clearly been weighing on her mind for a long time.

"You want props to move around?" Tina added. "Well, I'm a human prop and I'm _sick_ of it!"

"Take a lap and cool down, Asian Number One," Sue suggested.

"My name is Tina!" Tina shouted. "Tina Cohen-Chang!"

She spun around and stormed out of the room.

"Isn't she the one who used to stutter?" Sue asked casually as Mike jumped to his feet to chase after Tina.

Blaine looked to Kurt for an explanation. "Long story," Kurt mouthed silently. Blaine decided that maybe he didn't even want to know.

"Okay, uh..." Mr. Schu shifted uncomfortably. "Well, let's –"

Rachel jumped to her feet and hurried out of the room without an explanation, and Mr. Schu looked incredibly confused.

"Wow, who knew that tiny Asian was such a drama queen?" Santana said casually. "Next thing we know, this one will be shouting at us, too." She nudged the back of Blaine's chair with her foot. Blaine and Kurt turned simultaneously to glare at her.

"Let's just, uh, give them time to cool off," Mr. Schu suggested. "And, in the meantime, we can work on learning the vocals for _Paradise By The Dashboard Light_..."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, Kurt and Blaine went to the mall after school for some junk food and to find some new clothes for Chicago. "We have to look amazing when we're out and about in the city," Kurt had insisted.

Before they did their shopping, Kurt got an ice cream cone and Blaine got a soda, and they settled into the $1 massaging chairs near a fountain in one of the mall's open areas.

"Do you ever just wonder why Sue woke up one day and decided to become a teacher, of all things?" Kurt whined as Blaine closed his eyes and tried to relax into the massaging chair.

"I mean, I'm behind you 100%," Blaine said. "Being gay doesn't mean you're a cross-dresser. I mean, that's just silly."

It was more than silly. It was absolutely ridiculous. But Blaine was too comfortable to really get fired up about it at the moment.

"Is that Tina?" Kurt asked suddenly. Blaine opened his eyes to see Tina coming down the escalator toward them. She had a bunch of fabric in her arms, and she was furiously texting on her phone.

"Hey Tina! What're you doing here?" Blaine asked happily as she walked up to them.

"Fulfilling my duties as costume coordinator and text fighting with Mike, who says my outburst in glee club was unreasonable," Tina told them.

"Well, we're getting a hot pretzel later if you want to join us," Kurt said as cheerfully as possible.

"Can't," Tina declined. "Have to go find gown fabric that doesn't clash with the high yellow undertones of Rachel Berry's complexion."

She turned and continued in the direction she had been walking before she saw Kurt and Blaine.

And promptly tripped and fell into the fountain.

"Oh! OH!" Kurt gasped as Tina fell face-first into the water.

"Oh my god," Blaine said as he jumped out of the chair and raced over to the fountain. "Tina! Tina!"

"Oh, oh! Get her!" Kurt fretted. "Get her, get her!"

Blaine reached into the fountain and grabbed their friend so he could pull her up out of the water.

He was happy to see that she was still conscious. Once he felt that she was securely seated on the side of the fountain, he let go of her.

"Oh my god, Tina, are you okay?" Blaine asked as Tina shook her head and looked incredibly confused and disoriented for a moment.

She didn't answer, but as she took her bag off, she seemed to come back to herself.

"Did she have to take in the bolt of fabric with her?" Kurt whined. "That silk charmeuse is worth like twenty-five bucks a yard."

Blaine scolded him with a disapproving glance, and Kurt sighed.

"Here," he offered a napkin.

Blaine took it from him and stuffed it into his pocket. A tiny napkin wasn't going to help.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

Tina nodded. "I'm okay," she confirmed.

Blaine offered her a hand to help her stand up.

"I dreamed that I was Rachel," Tina said as she stood up and examined her wet clothing.

Blaine and Kurt exchanged a confused glance.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital," Blaine suggested.

"How hard did you hit your head, exactly?" Kurt asked.

Tina turned around and reached into the fountain to pull out the fabric she had been carrying when she fell.

"I'm fine, guys," she reassured them. "Embarrassed... but okay."

They helped her gather her things, and she laughed when everything was back in her arms again. It was all soaking wet.

"See you guys tomorrow," she said happily.

"Do you think she's really okay?" Kurt asked quietly as Tina turned and walked away. "I mean, what if she has a concussion or something?"

Blaine was worried too.

"Maybe I should text Mike and tell him that she hit her head," Blaine wondered out loud.

They were both silent for a moment, and Blaine decided _not_ to tell Mike. Tina didn't seem happy with him, and Blaine didn't want to accidentally make things worse by telling Mike something Tina might not want him to know.

"Remind me never to text while doing anything but sitting in a stationary chair," Kurt said as they headed off to the next store on Kurt's list.

Blaine laughed quietly, not sure if it was appropriate. Quinn was okay, but barely. And for all he knew, Tina had a concussion that she wasn't going to tell anyone about.

"Lighten up," Kurt nudged him with his elbow. "She's okay."

"Yeah," Blaine replied noncommittally.

As they walked into the store and Kurt immediately hurried to look at something that had caught his eye, Blaine knew that he had to let go of his anxiety about Tina and just enjoy the afternoon. There were only a few weeks of school left, and then the summer would fly by. And Kurt would be gone. Blaine wanted to experience every moment that he could with Kurt before Kurt went off to college and things changed for both of them.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Two days later, Kurt approached Blaine at his locker after school with what he hoped was a valuable piece of intelligence.

"So..." he said casually, leaning against the row of lockers as Blaine gathered his books for the day, "... guess what I did last night?"

Blaine raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"I went to spy on Vocal Adrenaline," Kurt informed him.

"You –?" Blaine shook his head. "What is it with you and spying on the competition?" he teased.

"Good things tend to happen when I spy," Kurt flirted back at him.

Blaine smiled hugely and slammed his locker closed so they could walk to glee practice together.

"And?" Blaine asked, clearly wondering about Vocal Adrenaline.

"Wait and see," Kurt teased.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

They walked into the locker room – Blaine gave Kurt a questioning glance as Kurt directed him away from the choir room, but Kurt wouldn't explain – to find that most of the other members of New Directions were already there.

Blaine sat down on the end of one of the benches, and quickly realized that there wasn't room for Kurt beside him.

"Scoot over," Kurt waved a hand, asking Brittany and Santana to move over so he could sit beside Blaine on the end of the bench.

"No, no," Santana said. "I'm all for getting my voyeurism on, but not in here."

"You wish," Kurt mumbled as he sat down on the next bench over.

Santana made a noise that suggested that maybe she _did_ wish, and Blaine turned to look at her. She winked at him, and he shook his head and turned away.

"Please excuse the stench of mildew and jock strap," Sue addressed the group. "And focus your attention on the screen."

There was a projector screen set up at the front of the room.

"Porcelina," Sue gave the floor to Kurt. Kurt stood up.

"Yesterday, I snuck into a Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal," he told New Directions. "And what I saw is not for the faint of heart."

"Lights," Kurt demanded, and someone turned off the lights so they could watch the footage he had gathered at the rehearsal the day before.

"Why is this in black and white?" Sam asked as the film started and a black and white image of Unique and the rest of Vocal Adrenaline appeared on the screen.

"Because I worship _The Artist_," Kurt explained.

Blaine had to struggle to keep from laughing. It was a black and white silent film. About a glee club. He reminded himself to tell Kurt how much he loved him when this rehearsal was over.

"Look at that, unlucky misfit ragtag stumblebums," Sue said. "Each member of Vocal Adrenaline is in perfect sync."

"Not a step out of place," Mr. Schu reiterated. "Okay, watch this closely, guys. It's called the 'human centipede'. It's the newest, hardest, show choir dance move ever invented. _Incredible_."

"That actually really doesn't look that hard," Blaine said skeptically.

He didn't understand why New Directions was still stuck in the mindset that they had to struggle to do what other groups could do. They had made it to Nationals the year before. Twelfth place didn't sound great until you added "in the nation" to the result. They had been the twelfth best show choir in the entire country. That was an accomplishment. And, Blaine thought, they had improved quite a bit in the past year. Why couldn't they beat Vocal Adrenaline? They _could_.

And, if leading the Warblers had taught Blaine anything, it was that you _didn't_ need stunts or props to be amazing. New Directions had great voices and great energy. _That_ is what would make them stand out.

But he hesitated to mention his feelings on the matter to anyone in New Directions. His friends were already incredibly stressed about the upcoming competition, and pulling the "when I was in the Warblers" card would probably just upset them. They weren't the Warblers.

"And the cherry on top of the Vocal Adrenaline sundae is their secret weapon," Sue continued, ignoring Blaine completely. "Unique. Look at him/her. Poised. Confident. Pretty as a picture with a booty that won't quit. It's the Unique factor that gives Vocal Adrenaline its edge."

"Isn't Rachel our 'unique factor'?" Finn asked as Sue switched back on the lights.

Blaine nodded. Rachel wasn't their _only_ unique factor, but Finn was on the right track.

"Not even close," Sue dismissed him. "I'm not saying that Mrs. Focker doesn't deserve a solo, but every show choir in the country has a little girl with a big nose."

"Okay, Sue," Mr. Schu scolded.

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"High school judges are proven idiots," Sue ignored him. "They love props, and Unique is the ultimate prop!"

"Do you seriously think that we need a guy to dress in drag to win?" Puck asked.

"Yes," Sue replied.

"No," Mr. Schu said simultaneously.

"It's the only way," Sue added.

"I disagree," Blaine said.

"That's just because Porcelain has you brainwashed," Sue dismissed him.

"Or maybe it's because I believe in us more than you do," Blaine retorted, frustrated.

Most of the students in the room turned to look at him, and he shrugged.

"I think we can win," he said simply.

"Of course we can win," Sue agreed.

She turned and pointed at Kurt.

"If Porcelain will get it together and put on that dress."

"I. am. not. wearing. a. dress," Kurt said.

"Guys, guys," Mr. Schu stood up. "Look... let's just not argue about it right now, okay?"

"When are we going to argue about it?" Kurt snapped. "The day of the competition?"

Mr. Schu gave him a sharp look, and Blaine watched as Kurt battled with his emotions and managed to remain silent.

"Rachel," Mr. Schu said, "why don't you and –"

"Kurt," Rachel offered.

"– Kurt," Mr. Schu agreed, "go back to the choir room and work on your number? The rest of us will go to the auditorium and work on choreography."

"Yay!" Sugar exclaimed, and Blaine realized that he was going to have to remain silent on the issue of Sue's ridiculous behavior regarding Kurt. For now. This was the moment when they needed to band together and focus. Focus on winning at Nationals in just a few days.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next day in glee club, Puck came in a dress.

Blaine couldn't help it. He laughed. Puck's eagerness to do whatever it took to win was so endearing, and the outfit was so hilarious, that Blaine couldn't stop giggling.

And, to Blaine's relief, Puck's drastic entrance resulted in Mr. Schu finally stepping in and calling Sue out on the ridiculousness of her props idea. Kurt would not have to wear the dress and perform as a girl at Nationals.

Now they could _really_ focus.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

On Friday afternoon, Blaine and Kurt met in the parking lot before getting on the bus with the rest of their classmates.

"Did you sleep last night?" Blaine asked as he reached out to hold Kurt's hand as they walked toward the waiting bus.

"No," Kurt admitted. "You?"

"Not really," Blaine said cheerfully.

"I can't believe we're going to Nationals again," Kurt said as he noticed the banner someone had made for the side of their bus.

"Or, for some of us, for the first time," Blaine reminded him.

Kurt laughed. "True," he agreed.

"I'm glad we're going together this time," Kurt added after a short pause.

"Me too," Blaine smiled at him. He was _so_ glad. He got to spend time with Kurt _and_ experience competing at the national level. It was going to be a great weekend.

Blaine let go of Kurt's hand as they climbed onto the bus, and the moved toward the back of the vehicle to find seats. They each took a seat – across the aisle from each other – because it would give them more room for the almost-five hour drive.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of Rachel and Tina singing, and Blaine jumped up to stick his upper half out the window to greet them as they arrived. Mike ran by on his way to help Tina onto the bus, and Blaine reached out and high-fived him as he passed.

When everyone was on the bus and the girls finished their song, it was time to go.

"Let's go to Nationals!" Mr. Schu shouted.

The bus erupted into cheers, and Sue started the bus.

Rachel, who was sitting directly behind Blaine, reached out and tugged on the back of his shirt. He twisted around toward the window to look at her as she hung over the back of his seat.

"Feeling good?" she asked excitedly.

Blaine nodded.

He was feeling _better_ than good. He was on his way to Nationals. With a group that had struggled to accept him at first, but that had eventually embraced him. They were his friends. It felt amazing.

When he twisted back around, Kurt was sitting beside him.

"Too far away," Kurt explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

They spent the first few hours chatting – with each other and with their friends – but as time wore on the rocking of the bus and their lack of sleep the night before started to catch up with them.

By the time they reached Chicago, late at night, Blaine was leaning on the window and Kurt was cuddled into his shoulder. And they were both fast asleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Up next... 'Nationals'! :)<strong>_


	38. 3x21: Nationals

_**Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for being so patient with my gaps between posts lately. I've been operating under the assumption that something quality will be more enjoyable than a quick turnaround, so I hope you feel that this is worth the wait!**_

_**I love how New Directions is always so horribly prepared for competitions. I mean, this was better than last year when they got to New York with **_**nothing**_** planned, but still. They're working on the choreography the night before. Tina and Quinn have an excuse, at least, because they were recruited that day to join the Troubletones (why didn't that just happen as soon as Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany came back to New Directions? Maybe I shouldn't think too hard here.), but the whole argument between the boys is just silly.**_

_**Also silly? Mr. Schu being teacher of the year. TEACHER OF THE YEAR. The man literally had to quit his job as a Spanish teacher because he was **_**SO**_** terrible at it (and move to teaching history). Oh, GLEE.**_

_**But anyway, this is about Klaine! So here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The first morning they were in Chicago, Blaine was awakened by someone shaking him gently by the shoulder. He attempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but whoever was shaking him didn't stop.

Blaine tried to ask what time it was, but his brain wouldn't connect properly with his mouth in his half-asleep state. And the gentle shaking continued.

Blaine groaned in protest and was pleased when the shaking finally stopped. He took a deep breath and prepared to fall back asleep.

"Are you sure you don't want to wake up?"

Kurt.

The sound of the other boy's voice woke Blaine up enough that he knew he wasn't going to be able to drift back to sleep. He rubbed his face with his hands for a moment before rolling over to see what was going on.

Kurt was completely dressed and was crouched beside the bed so that his face was right in front of Blaine's.

"Hi," Kurt smiled at him.

"Hi," Blaine said quietly. His heart fluttered in his chest as he looked at Kurt. One day they would get to wake up next to each other every day.

"Get dressed," Kurt's smile grew even wider. "We're going out."

"Mmmm," Blaine replied noncommittally. He was so comfortable. But they _were_ in Chicago. And Mr. Schu had made it clear that this morning was the only time they had for sightseeing. The competition started the following morning, so they needed to rehearse all afternoon.

Kurt leaned forward and kissed Blaine gently on the lips.

"Hurry up," he teased.

Kurt left the room – he was staying with the girls – and Blaine climbed out of bed. It was a struggle finding his suitcase and digging out an outfit without waking up everyone else in the room or turning on a light, but he managed to make it to the bathroom without causing a major scene. He felt much more awake once he washed his face and started to style his hair, and he was ready to go faster than he had anticipated.

He met Kurt, Rachel, and Finn in the hotel's lobby. They ate in the hotel's small breakfast area, and by the time Blaine finished his coffee he felt ready to conquer the city.

"Why so early?" he teased Kurt as they set out from the hotel.

"It's a tradition," Kurt replied vaguely.

"Oh, I see," Blaine replied, reaching out to grab Kurt's hand as they walked. "Are we planning on breaking and entering this year? The aquarium gets my vote."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but they all laughed.

They spent the morning seeing as many of Chicago's sights as they could. Millennium Park, where they took tons of photos of their distorted reflections in the Cloud Gate. The observation deck at the top of Willis Tower. A ride on the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As they strolled back toward their hotel, various forms of junk food in their hands, Kurt's phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket to find a text message from Quinn.

_Mercedes has food poisoning. Emergency meeting in the hotel's ballroom in thirty minutes._

Kurt sighed and handed the phone to Blaine.

"Mercedes has food poisoning?" Blaine read the message.

"Food poisoning?!" Rachel cried, snatching the phone from Blaine. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no..."

Rachel was still fretting about what losing Mercedes might mean for their chances at the competition when they arrived back at the hotel, but Kurt tried to ignore her. They still had a strong group. And Rachel was singing the only true solo of the competition, so she was _really_ the only irreplaceable one this time.

When they reached the hotel, things were tense. But the rehearsal – with its main goal of working Quinn and Tina into the Troubletones number while the boys made sure they knew the choreography for the group number at the end – went okay for a few hours. Until Puck got bored and moved off to a table to do something on his phone.

"Hey, man, what're you doing?" Sam asked as Puck dropped into a chair.

"Studying," Puck replied, waving his phone in the air. "I saved a list of facts into my phone before we left."

"You can't study _right now_," Sam accused.

Puck ignored him and continued reading.

"Hey," Sam shoved Puck's table. "Come on, let's go."

"I know the dance," Puck explained.

Kurt climbed onto a table on the other side of the room and pulled out his phone. He wasn't interested in being caught in any verbal or physical crossfire.

"I cannot believe we're still learning the choreography the day before the national championship," Blaine whined as he moved to stand by Kurt.

"Shut _up_!" Sam snapped, turning and pointing an angry finger at Blaine. Blaine rolled his eyes, and Kurt focused intently on his phone to keep from laughing.

"You're just jealous because it takes you so long to learn the steps," Puck said casually.

Sam lunged at him, and suddenly everyone was shouting and shoving each other and it was rapidly getting out of hand. Blaine seemed torn between staying near Kurt and helping to break things up. Kurt stayed on the table, not interested in injuring his body or his dignity the day before Nationals.

Mr. Schu rushed into the room just in time to stop things from turning into an all-out brawl.

"He's studying for geography while we're trying to rehearse!" Sam shouted as he was pulled away from Puck. "It's bogus!"

"'Cause I already know the dance!" Puck retorted. "You dance like you've got your feet caught in bear traps and you're trying to –"

Sam tried to lunge at him again, but he was restrained by the others.

"Mr. Schu," Kurt interrupted, looking up from his phone, "are you aware that, while we're arguing about jazz squares, Unique is being handed a key to the city by Rahm Emanuel?"

"Really?" Mr. Schu asked, surprised.

Kurt didn't want to elaborate. He was happy for Unique, but he was annoyed that it was yet another thing for them to worry about.

"And plus," Brittany said from across the room near a window, "my pillow and my blanket fell in the pool. Disaster!"

Everyone ignored her.

"Look," Artie said, rolling over with an open tin of popcorn in his lap, "I think everybody is just a little tired. We've been rehearsing for three straight hours."

"Yeah," Finn said forcefully, "and we'll rehearse all night if we have to. We can rest after we've won!"

"Just because we lost Mercedes doesn't mean we can be anything less than perfect," Rachel added.

The room erupted in arguments again, and for a moment it was difficult to hear any single voice.

"Hey! You know what?" Santana clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "You know what? _Hey_! I don't want to hear any of this 'we can't do it without her' because guess what? We don't have a choice. So, be warned. If you are not giving this everything you've got, I will go all Lima Heights on your sorry asses."

"Listen to yourselves," Mr. Schu scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry!" Santana said. "I always go to the yelling place. I have rage."

"No," Mr. Schu clarified. "It's a good thing. A _great_ thing. There is so much passion in this room. Even all your arguing. It's about the work. You guys really want this."

Kurt wasn't sure that everyone shouting at each other because they were all exhausted and stressed was a great thing, but there was nothing he wanted to do _less_ than argue. So he just hoped that New Directions could get it together and make it to the competition without killing each other.

"Okay, so let's take a half-hour break," Mr. Schu suggested, "and we'll run it from the top."

Kurt glared at their teacher as some of the others protested. They didn't have time for breaks. Quinn and Tina had _never_ done this routine before. And it wouldn't hurt for the guys to get as much practice in as possible.

"Mr. Schu, can we just keep going?" Tina asked. "We got through the first slot, which is like the death slot. We have to be amazing."

"Yeah," Quinn agreed. "_Edge of Glory_'s a bitch. I said I'll be dancing by Nationals and I'll be damned if I don't."

"Okay," Mr. Schu agreed, "then let's keep going! Mike, help the guys out with the choreography. Artie, help Puck with his geography. Ladies, _Edge of Glory_. Come on!"

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The rest of the rehearsal was more upbeat. Eventually, they were all so tired that everything became hilarious, and that helped the overall mood. By the time they were finished, they were all in spectacularly good moods.

They all sat around in the boys' room and ate pizza for dinner, and Blaine settled his head down on Kurt's shoulder – they had managed to secure seats on one of the beds against the headboard – and mostly watched and listened as his friends chatted and laughed and ate. He was sleepy and content and feeling remarkably calm despite the fact that they were competing at Nationals the next day.

Mr. Schu, Ms. Pillsbury, and Coach Bieste retired to their respective rooms before the students were ready to go to bed, so they all just stayed in the boys' room and continued to talk.

"You know," Finn said, "I just really want to win tomorrow for Mr. Schu. I mean, this is his life's work. Teaching. Pushing us to be our best. We need to rise to the occasion and win this thing."

There was a chorus of "yeah"s.

"I definitely want to win for Mr. Schu," Santana said, "but I want to win for _me_ too. I mean, sure, I've been a part of a national championship team before with the Cheerios, but this is... you know... better."

"I want to win for my dad," Kurt added. "He's tried _so_ hard to understand what this whole 'glee' thing means to me, and it would be nice to bring home a national championship." Kurt pitched his voice down to imitate his father's voice. "It's like the Super Bowl of show choir."

Everyone roared with laughter at Kurt's low voice, and Blaine could feel Kurt's shoulder shaking with laughter too. He sat up, reaching out to grab one of Kurt's hands. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever stop feeling like the luckiest person on the planet every time he got to hold Kurt's hand. He hoped not.

"I want to win for my dad, too," Mike said. "And for my mom. It's hard for them to see their son pursuing a career in performing arts, but to be recognized at the national level would give them something to be proud of."

"I like to think that, by winning, I would be honoring this gift that God gave me," Joe said thoughtfully.

"I want to win for my future," Rachel said seriously. Blaine smiled at her, hoping with all his might that Carmen Tibideaux would come to the competition.

"Is it shallow to want to win for bragging rights?" Rory asked. Everyone laughed again.

Blaine suddenly noticed Rachel. She was looking at him – no, at Kurt – with something in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. Blaine turned to look at Kurt, who was looking back at Rachel with the same nostalgic expression, and Blaine knew that they were probably thinking of things from before he had known either of them. Before Kurt had come to Dalton and changed Blaine's life forever.

"Can I –?" Blaine interrupted, and all eyes turned in his direction.

"I just want to say thank you," Blaine said to the group. "For embracing me."

He locked eyes with Finn.

"I know it was... difficult, at first," Blaine allowed, happy to see amusement in Finn's eyes. "But, over the past eight months, I've really found a family here."

There was a chorus of "awwwww"s from the group, and Kurt squeezed his hand. Blaine turned to smile at him before turning his attention back to the group.

"Being in the Warblers is all about being a team player," Blaine continued. "But... in some ways, being in New Directions has taught me more about being on a team than anything else ever could. Because everyone here is so unique. But we put aside our differences – embrace them, even – because we all want the same thing."

"National champions!" Artie cheered, and the room buzzed with excitement for a moment.

Blaine nodded. "So..." he paused, losing track of what he wanted to say.

"We're glad you're here," Kurt said quietly.

"Shut it, Hummel," Santana replied. "Of course _you_ feel that way."

She turned her attention to Blaine.

"We're glad you're here," she repeated, winking at him.

Blaine felt so warm and content that he couldn't reply. He just nodded, hoping that his gratitude was showing on his face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt leaning in to kiss his cheek, and he quickly turned his head so that Kurt's lips landed on his. Kurt, surprised, blushed and quickly pulled away, but the happiness in the other boy's eyes was enough for Blaine.

"Okay," Rachel said, taking advantage of the momentary lag in conversation, "I would love to stay up all night talking, but we all need to sleep."

Nobody argued. No amount of conversation tonight was worth being exhausted tomorrow.

Kurt kissed Blaine again – this time on purpose – and hopped off the bed.

"Goodnight," he waved happily. Blaine waved back at him, and Kurt linked arms with Rachel as they hurried out of the room together.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next morning, everything was chaos.

They scrambled to get up and get ready to go to the performance hall where Nationals was being held. Brittany couldn't find one of her shoes. Quinn wasn't sure if her back would hold up. Finn narrowly avoided spilling an entire pot of coffee all over Rachel and Kurt at breakfast.

But they made it.

Kurt and Blaine sat at the end of one of the rows of vanities and chatted as they made sure their hair was perfect and that their stage makeup looked okay.

"I've never done anything like this before," Blaine said excitedly.

Sometimes Kurt forgot that Blaine hadn't always been in New Directions. It was difficult to remember that Blaine had only been with them for one school year. Before that he had been a Warbler. And before that, Kurt hadn't even known that Blaine existed.

"This is our last competition together," Kurt said, pausing to look at Blaine.

Blaine reached out and grasped Kurt's hand for a moment before releasing it so he could continue finishing his stage makeup.

"We're gonna win," Blaine said confidently.

"I know," Kurt agreed, knowing that they were both half confident and half trying to convince themselves. Could they really be the best show choir in the entire country?

Blaine finished his makeup and twisted in his chair so he was facing Kurt as Kurt continued to fix his hair.

"You look great," Blaine reassured him.

"Tina did an amazing job on our costumes," Kurt agreed. "Using the colors from our first competition as New Directions was a nice touch."

Kurt sprayed one more round of hairspray over his hair before forcing himself to stop. He turned in his chair so that both he and Blaine were sitting sideways in their respective chairs, facing each other.

"What would've happened if we had never met?" Kurt wondered. He wasn't sure where his mind was going with this train of thought, but he couldn't keep himself from saying the words.

Blaine dramatically grasped at his chest and they both laughed.

"It's hard to remember what life was like before you, Kurt," Blaine admitted.

"Me too," Kurt agreed.

Kurt reached out and grabbed Blaine's tie to pull him in for a gentle kiss. Blaine sighed happily and scooted his chair closer to kiss Kurt back.

Blaine surprised Kurt by reaching out and wrapping one arm around Kurt's lower back to force him to scoot forward even more. Blaine kissed him fiercely, so their faces were pressed together and Kurt could hardly breathe or think. Was there anything in the world other than Blaine? Kurt couldn't remember.

Kurt was the one who had to pull away first. Or risk fainting from happiness and lack of oxygen. Blaine didn't protest as he sat back, but he looked particularly smug. Kurt kicked his shin.

"Well, damn," Artie commented.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Kurt returned to fixing his hair, even though he had decided that it was appropriately styled. He needed something to help him re-focus. Blaine was engrossed in his phone, and Kurt guessed that he was probably texting with his brother. Cooper was beside himself about his little brother making it all the way to Nationals, and he had been texting Blaine all day long. The texts were a mixture of good luck messages and things to remember to make the most of the performance, and Kurt wished that Cooper had been able to come to Chicago to watch them perform.

The various conversations happening around the room were interrupted by the door opening.

"Alright, gather 'round, everyone!" Mr. Schu called as he entered the room. "I just want to say a few words before we go out there."

"Hold on, Mr. Schu," Finn interrupted as everyone hurried to gather around. "Hold on. You've given us a lot of pep talks over the years, but I remember you told us once that you know a teacher's job is done when his students don't need him anymore."

"Okay," Mr. Schu allowed. "Finn, the floor is yours."

"Last night, we all sat around in a circle after you went to bed and we – we told stories, but – then we went around the room and everybody said what they wanted to win this thing for," Finn told their teacher. "And we all said the same thing. We want to win this for you."

"Yeah," Sugar reiterated.

"And I know every year at school, Figgins gives away the 'teacher of the year' award," Finn continued. "But I don't think any of us have to wait to see how we feel about that. You're like... our teacher of a lifetime."

Kurt felt a wave of nostalgia. Mr. Schu's teaching methods were sometimes not what Kurt hoped they would be, but he was their leader. The person who had brought them all together into New Directions. And he had worked hard to help them get to this point.

"Thank you, Finn," Mr. Schu said. "All of you. I love you guys so much."

As he started to bring them in for a show circle, Mercedes suddenly appeared in the doorway. Kurt was happy to see her. It hadn't felt right imagining their final performance without her.

With Mercedes back in the mix, it was time to go.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The first number was the Troubletones singing _Edge of Glory_, so Blaine and Kurt stood offstage with the other boys (and Rachel) to watch their friends.

As the girls got ready to start the competition, Blaine glanced at Kurt.

"This moment," he gestured around them at everyone hurrying around, preparing for the start of the competition, "always reminds me of our first Regionals together."

Kurt smiled and nodded, and Blaine's stomach swooped at the memory. They had been a couple for less than a week at that point. And everything had been so new and exciting and nerve-racking.

"I'm excited for our little duet," Kurt bounced a little on the balls of his feet.

Blaine stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist. They had both been surprised when Kurt had quipped to Mr. Schu that he deserved to be able to dance with his boyfriend when everyone else got to dance with their significant other and Mr. Schu had agreed. So, they were dance partners for much of the final song of the competition. Blaine couldn't wait.

Rachel and Finn walked by near them, and Blaine waved with his free hand.

There were tears in Rachel's eyes.

"Oh, no," Kurt scolded, pulling gently out of Blaine's grasp to step closer to his friend. "None of that."

"She's not here," Rachel said, her voice wobbling with emotion.

"She's not here _yet_," Kurt corrected.

Rachel didn't answer.

Blaine glanced at Finn, and the other boy shrugged. There was nothing they could do. If Carmen Tibideaux didn't want to come and give Rachel a second chance to demonstrate her talent, she didn't have to come. Blaine prayed that she was just running late, because he wasn't sure how Rachel would handle a rejection letter from NYADA if she knew that she _could_ have given it her all and made it.

The music started on the stage, and Kurt gave Rachel a stern look.

"Okay," she agreed.

Kurt and Rachel shared a long hug, and then it was time to watch their friends start the competition.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The girls were amazing.

As they finished _Edge of Glory_, Kurt started feeling strangely calm. They could do this. They were good enough.

Rachel was trying not to panic.

"She didn't come," Rachel said.

"Stop it," Finn scolded. "Look at me."

Rachel turned to look at Finn, and Kurt hoped that Finn was going to say the right thing. Rachel needed to go out onto that stage and _kill_ her song. For all of them. And for herself.

"This is your moment," Finn said, leaning down a little to get closer to Rachel's face. "Okay? Three years in the making. Forget about everything else. _Take it_."

Rachel nodded and turned back around to face the stage, and Kurt wanted to jump up and down with pride in his step-brother.

It was time for Rachel's solo, but Blaine would be out on the stage with her. He was one of the three guys Mr. Schu had picked to sing backup during the song.

"Break a leg," Kurt said, patting Blaine's back encouragingly as Blaine turned to follow Rory onto the stage.

Once Blaine was gone, Kurt turned back to Finn, only to find that the other boy had disappeared. Kurt rolled his eyes and decided to stay where he was. He could see Blaine and Rachel, and that was the important part. Maybe Finn wanted to be alone so he could focus all of his attention on Rachel.

The music started, and Kurt felt a surge of adrenaline. He stood very still, not wanting to distract his friend, but on the inside he was screaming.

"_There were nights when the wind was so cold that my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window._"

Rachel's voice was strong and confident. Kurt could barely breathe. She was going to do it. And they were going to win.

As Rachel sang, Kurt noticed some movement in the audience.

It was Carmen Tibideaux.

Kurt had to clasp his hands over his mouth to keep from squealing with joy. He could tell that Rachel had seen the NYADA dean, too, because suddenly Rachel was more confident than ever. She sang the rest of the song like the Rachel Berry who Kurt loved so much. Kurt was surprised to feel tears in his eyes as she sang out the final note and the audience roared its approval. How could NYADA say no to her after _that_?

Rachel hurried off the stage into Finn's arms, and it was time for their group number. Congratulations could wait until they were done with the competition.

Kurt rushed to his starting position for the song, and he took a moment to remind himself that he was about to compete at Nationals. _Nationals_.

The song began, and everyone was energized and focused. Kurt thought they had never sounded better.

As Blaine hurried over in the moment before they had to return to the stage for their duet, Kurt held up his hand for a high five before he led the way onto the stage.

"_And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife. Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife_."

They danced and sang and by the end Kurt felt like he was living in an alternate reality where he got everything he ever wanted.

As soon as the curtain hit the stage and they were out of sight, Kurt turned and threw himself into Blaine's arms. But he didn't stay there for long, because suddenly Rachel was dragging him out of Blaine's arms and into hers.

"She came!" Rachel cried into his shoulder. "She _came_, Kurt!"

Kurt squeezed her as tightly as he could and let a few of his own tears fall. They had both done it. They had both impressed Carmen Tibideaux. Everything was perfect.

Rachel pulled out of the hug, smiling brilliantly, and Kurt leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Kurt," Rachel said warmly. "Thank you so much for believing in me."

"As much as it sometimes pains me to say it," Kurt teased, "you're the best, Rachel Berry. NYADA's gonna come a-callin' soon enough."

"And you, too!" Rachel said happily, jabbing a finger into his chest. She squealed with excitement and twirled around to rush off and find Finn.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Blaine watched Rachel hurry away from Kurt, and he smiled at her enthusiasm. He was so happy that she had finally gotten the chance to show Carmen Tibideaux that she was so exceptional. And if Blaine had to say goodbye to Kurt for him to go to New York, he was glad that Kurt wouldn't be going alone. Having Rachel there too would make the transition much easier for Kurt.

He hugged Tina and fist-bumped Mike as they exited the stage, and then he walked over to where Kurt was standing.

Kurt reached out for him when he was still a few steps away, and Blaine hurried to step into Kurt's embrace. It felt so _good_ there, wrapped in Kurt's arms, that Blaine closed his eyes and tried to memorize the sensation.

"This wouldn't be as amazing without you," Kurt said quietly, also in no hurry to let go of Blaine.

"My _life_ wouldn't be as amazing without you," Blaine replied. He sometimes tried to imagine what his life would be like if he had never met Kurt. The only thing he could guess with a reasonable amount of certainty was that he would've stayed at Dalton. The rest was, happily, a mystery. The life he was living now was very different than the life he had lived prior to meeting Kurt, but it was better. So much better.

"Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt," Mercedes' suddenly appeared beside them, "but Kurt...?"

Kurt squeezed Blaine one final time before releasing him.

"Yeah," he remembered. He looked at Blaine. "We're gonna go wish Unique luck. Wanna come?"

Blaine shook his head no. "You go," he said. "I need to congratulate Rachel, anyway."

Kurt nodded, and Blaine smiled as Kurt offered Mercedes his arm so they could go and find Vocal Adrenaline. Once they were out of sight, Blaine went to find Rachel and Finn.

Rachel cried as he hugged her ("she's overwhelmed," Finn mouthed at him, and Blaine had to try not to laugh), and then she gushed about how amazing Blaine and Kurt had been during _Paradise By The Dashboard Light_.

"Thanks, Rachel," Blaine smiled.

"Yeah, dude," Finn held out a hand for a fist bump, "awesome job. We've got this in the bag."

"_Finn!_" Rachel scolded.

"Oh," Finn realized. "I mean... I _hope_ we've got this in the bag."

Blaine nodded. "I like our chances," he agreed.

They heard the five-minute warning for Vocal Adrenaline's performance, which meant it was time for them to go take their seats in the audience. Kurt and Mercedes joined them soon after, and they settled in to watch Vocal Adrenaline.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

At the awards ceremony, Kurt wasn't sure how to feel. He knew that they had performed their very best. But Vocal Adrenaline had been brilliant as well.

"The 2012 national show choir champions..."

Kurt held his breath and was hyper aware of everything around him. He glanced at his friends and tried to focus on the way Blaine's hand was clutching his. He was worried he might not hear the announcement properly because his brain was in such a high state of stress.

"... from McKinley High in Lima, Ohio – The New Directions!"

The room erupted in applause, and Kurt felt like he has having an out-of-body experience.

They had done it. They had showed the entire country that they were the best.

Kurt turned to Blaine, and he saw his excitement mirrored in the other boy's face. They didn't say anything at first – it was so loud, and Kurt didn't know _what_ to say – instead, they jumped up and down together and grabbed their friends and laughed and cried and cheered.

After the first few moments of craziness, Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck. As Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and continued to bounce up and down during the hug, Kurt thought that this might be the happiest he had ever been.

He had everything he had ever dreamed of. He had a loving family. He had dear friends. He had a boyfriend who he loved with every fiber of his being and who loved him just as much in return. He was about to graduate from high school. He was headed to New York City in the fall.

And they had finally won at Nationals.

Kurt laughed as he and Blaine stepped back from the hug and Blaine just kept on bouncing up and down.

"We did it!" Blaine said over and over. "We did it! We did it..." he grabbed Kurt's shoulders. "Kurt! We did it!"

Kurt was so giddy that the next few minutes felt simultaneously like they passed in a flash and as if they lasted forever. When they were finally ushered off the stage, Kurt felt like he could take on the entire world. He was part of _the_ best show choir in the entire country. They were champions.

The group went back to their hotel and changed back into their normal clothes, had one final round of deep-dish pizza from a place near their hotel, and then they had to pile back onto the bus for the drive home.

This time, Kurt and Blaine didn't bother sitting in their own seats. They went straight to the seat they had occupied on the trip to Chicago and curled up together to cuddle and chat and sleep a little bit.

"I miss Pavarotti," Kurt said quietly as he rested his head on Blaine's shoulder and felt himself losing his battle to stay awake. The little bird had died right before Regionals the year before, and Kurt generally thought about him any time they had a competition.

Blaine's shoulder bobbed slightly as Blaine laughed, and Kurt smiled. He wanted to say something else, but his brain was too busy shutting down to allow him to speak again. Instead, he stared down at his hand – tangled up in one of Blaine's hands – in his lap until his eyes refused to stay open any longer and he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

They arrived back in Lima late Sunday night, but none of them had any trouble waking up early on Monday morning for school. Everyone was so excited to get to school and put their trophy in its case and see what their fellow students would, or wouldn't, do when they heard the news.

The students of New Directions gathered near Mr. Schu's parking spot to wait for their teacher to arrive. He had taken the trophy home with him the night before because the school had been locked up for the night when they returned. And they all wanted to carry it into the choir room together.

The parking lot was nearly full by the time Mr. Schu arrived, and as the group approached the school's main entrance Kurt felt simultaneously nervous and excited.

If they were ever going to receive positive reactions from their peers, this was it. They had just won a national championship and a bunch of money and attention for their school.

They gave Artie the trophy to carry it into the school, and Kurt pushed open one of the doors. Blaine was right behind him.

There were a bunch of students standing in the hallway. But not in a normal pre-school day manner. They were all lined up against the walls.

And there were "congratulations" banners. For them. _Congratulations New Directions!_

For a moment everyone was silent. But then two hockey players approached, each holding a slushie cup.

Kurt realized that some things would never change. Some of the students were happy for them, but there would always be a few trying to push them down. Kurt braced himself for the cold.

But the cups were full of confetti instead of slushie.

It took a moment for Kurt's brain to register that there were red and white bits of paper floating around him rather than red dye and ice. He stuck his hands out and watched in shock as some of the confetti landed on his palms.

This was a school wide celebration.

As they walked toward the choir room, all of the students lining the hallways threw confetti. Kurt smiled and waved at some of them, still in shock but enjoying all of the attention. He also kept turning around to look at Blaine, who looked just as confused and pleasantly surprised as Kurt felt.

Suddenly, a hockey player stepped out of the line of students along the wall, grabbed Kurt by his shoulders, and shook him happily before hugging him. Kurt didn't know what to do. No jock had ever laid a hand on him with nice intentions before. As the boy released Kurt and walked away, Kurt turned around to look at Blaine.

Someone accidentally knocked Blaine's hat off as Kurt turned toward him, and Blaine quickly grabbed it up off the floor and moved to stand against the wall. Kurt followed him.

"Wow," Blaine said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, twisting around to look at the group in the middle of the hallway.

He felt Blaine's hand on his arm, and he turned to face the other boy.

"Remember the night your dad was on TV?" Blaine reminded him of the night when Burt had gone on the local news to lay out his platform for his campaign for Congress.

Kurt felt a sudden rush of heat in his face.

"You told me you were going to kiss me in public when we won Nationals," Kurt remembered shyly.

Blaine's eyes asked the question. Could he kiss Kurt here, in the middle of the crowded hallway where everyone was looking at them?

Kurt decided that if Blaine had the courage to do it, he would find the courage, too.

He nodded.

To Kurt's surprise, Blaine put his hat back on and reached out to pull Kurt closer so he could wrap Kurt in his arms and dip him for a warm, sweet kiss.

But that was nothing compared to the surprise Kurt felt as the people nearest to them in the hallway cheered. And someone dumped an entire cup of confetti over their heads as they kissed.

"Congratulations," Blaine breathed against Kurt's lips before kissing him for a second time. Kurt wanted to squirm with happiness, but he didn't want Blaine to drop him so he settled for kissing Blaine back until Blaine finally stood Kurt back up and took a small step back.

Kurt was happy to see that Blaine's face was flushed, too. They had _never_ kissed in such a crowded place before. And the reaction had been positive! Kurt hoped he hadn't dreamed this part of the experience. It certainly _felt_ like a dream with all the confetti falling around them.

"I love you," Kurt said, reaching out to straighten Blaine's hat.

"I love you," Blaine echoed.

Kurt couldn't resist closing the gap between them for another, slightly more chaste kiss before he felt someone grabbing his arm from behind.

"Come on!" Mercedes said. "We're celebrating!"

"Can't we celebrate out here?" Kurt whined.

Blaine laughed and linked his arm through Kurt's for the walk to the choir room.

When they arrived, everyone was spraying each other with bottles of sparkling cider. Kurt came to an abrupt halt in the doorway.

"No," he announced.

For some reason, Blaine found Kurt's hesitation hilarious, and he started to laugh. Kurt, pretending to be hurt, shoved Blaine into the room.

"Fine, you let them ruin your clothes," Kurt pouted. "But stay away from me."

Blaine seemed to consider whether or not he wanted to allow his friends to spray him, but as Blaine watched Mike soaking Tina with the drink he decided against it and returned to stand near Kurt by the door.

"That's what I thought," Kurt couldn't resist teasing him. Blaine wobbled his head and rolled his eyes, but Kurt saw his smile before he could hide it.

"Okay, guys, okay!" Mr. Schu said, trying to calm everyone down a little as he came into the room. "That's enough... okay..."

The group slowly wound down, and a few minutes later Kurt felt like it was safe to enter the room. Someone found some towels for the people who were covered in cider, and they all moved over to the trophy case.

As Finn put the huge trophy into the case, everyone watched silently. Kurt felt an intense amount of nostalgia. He thought about the very first day they had become New Directions in this room. They had come so far since then. And not just in terms of their talent as a group. They had grown into real friends. And it was that friendship that made the win extra sweet.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the group turned to see Becky Jackson standing in the doorway.

"Figgins wants to see you two," she announced, pointing at Finn and Rachel.

"Us?" Finn asked.

"Are you deaf?" Becky replied before turning and walking away.

Finn and Rachel looked at each other and made a silent decision to go see the principal. As they left the room, the silence transitioned into everyone talking at once.

Kurt noticed Blaine's hat sitting on the piano, and he hurried over to grab it before walking over and placing it gently on Blaine's head.

"Thanks," Blaine laughed.

"You're welcome," Kurt said primly.

They were interrupted by the warning bell, which signified that they needed to get to their first classes of the day.

"Ugh," Kurt whined as he and Blaine walked out into the hallway and toward the staircase where they had to split up to go to their respective classes.

"See you at lunch!" Blaine said happily, kissing Kurt on the cheek before turning and bounding up the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Okay," Rachel said to the group at lunchtime, lowering her voice and leaning in toward the center of their table, "we have been recruited for a secret mission."

She started to explain something about singing for an assembly the next day, but Blaine was having a significantly difficult time concentrating. Kurt kept nudging his foot under the table, trying to tangle their legs together, and Blaine was struggling to keep still.

He tried to exude casualness as he turned his head to look at Kurt in the seat beside him, only to discover that Kurt was the perfect image of tranquility. He had a calm, interested look on his face as he listened, or maybe pretended to listen, to Rachel's words. But, as Blaine looked at him, Kurt made another attempt to wrap his leg around Blaine's, and Blaine could see a twinkle in Kurt's eyes.

Blaine pretended to turn his attention to Rachel, but he clandestinely reached out and grasped Kurt's thigh.

It had the desired effect. Kurt's façade cracked, and Blaine saw Kurt lick his lips out of the corner of his eye.

"... at my house at 7pm!" Blaine vaguely heard the end of Rachel's plan. What was happening at 7pm?

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and Blaine wasn't sure how he was going to make it through the end of the day without seeing Kurt again. He felt like they had just started dating. Kurt was all he could think about.

"See you after school," Kurt grinned at him as he grabbed his tray and disappeared.

The next few hours were as long and unpleasant as Blaine expected. When the final bell of the day rang, it took all of Blaine's self control not to literally run to find Kurt. Instead, he walked quickly to his locker, got the books he needed for the homework he was probably _not_ going to do that evening, and then hurried to Kurt's locker.

"Your house?" Blaine suggested as he approached Kurt at his open locker.

"Absolutely," Kurt agreed.

Sam was home already when they arrived, and Kurt and Blaine exchanged a distraught glance in the driveway before entering the house.

"Hey," Sam greeted them as they came through the doorway into the kitchen. "Uh, Rachel wanted me to remind you about rehearsal at her house tonight. Finn's over there helping her get ready."

"Okay," Kurt acknowledged, and Blaine realized that the evening rehearsal must be for whatever Rachel had been talking about at lunch. He made a mental note to ask Kurt later.

"Oh!" Sam remembered, focusing on Kurt. "And I guess I'm the messenger today because Mercedes wanted me to ask you something about photos of you two when you were on the Cheerios...?"

"Ah, yes!" Kurt nodded. "I promised her copies – I think she's starting to feel nostalgic. They're upstairs. Be right back."

Blaine followed Kurt up the stairs. But, as soon as they entered Kurt's room, Kurt threw out a restraining hand.

"Wait," he commanded, and he snatched a pile of photographs off of his vanity and disappeared.

Blaine hung up his hat and jacket and untied his bow tie. He wandered around Kurt's room, looking at all the little things on Kurt's shelves. He paused by the small container that held the promise ring he had made for Kurt for Christmas. Something about Kurt keeping it safe and displaying it so prominently in his room made Blaine feel emotional in the best possible way.

He heard Kurt open the door, and he gently sat the little glass container back on the shelf as the other boy came back into the room.

Some of the physical urgency Blaine had been feeling all afternoon had been replaced by a flood of emotions after his moment spent looking at the promise ring, and he felt much more relaxed.

"Come here," he said, reaching out for Kurt and smiling when Kurt skipped across the room into his arms.

"Sam's gone," Kurt informed him as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck. "He and Mercedes are going out to an early dinner before we have to be at Rachel's later. And we're rehearsing to sing at the teacher of the year awards ceremony tomorrow night, since I know you didn't hear a word of Rachel's explanation at lunch."

Blaine laughed and kissed him a few times, enjoying being so close and so free to act however they wanted.

"But," Kurt continued, tugging at the back of Blaine's vest, "we don't have to – mmmm – leave for a few hours, so..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>And then they just sing 'We Are The Champions' and the end! ;)<strong>_

_**I really wish they had shown New Directions seeing some of the sights in Chicago like they did for New York last season! Chicago is such a gorgeous place! They could've done a montage to Frank Sinatra's 'My Kind of Town' or something! Oh well. I'll just have to imagine it. (Also, can we wish for Nationals to be in Los Angeles in season 4 and maybe Cooper could make a little appearance? Yeah.)**_

_**The next/final (for now!) chapter will definitely come by the end of the week! Thanks again for your patience! I love you all!**_

_**Up next... 'Goodbye', the season 3 finale!**_


	39. 3x22: Goodbye

_**It's the end of season 3! I know there was quite a bit of unhappiness in the fandom in terms of how this episode ended and the lack of a resolution for Kurt. I'm not going to give him a "resolution", as such, because my goal here is always to stick to the storyline of the show and just add in extra things that **_**could**_** possibly have happened... and we don't know what's going to happen next for Kurt (or, if we do, it's a spoiler for season 4, so please don't mention it)! But I will definitely give Kurt a chance to show some emotion after finding out that he won't be attending NYADA in the fall.**_

_**Also, there is a scene from this episode that wasn't in the **_**actual**_** episode but was recently released by Ryan Murphy... it's when Kurt reads what Rachel wrote for him in his yearbook! You can watch it (and a bunch of other deleted scenes, including The Warblers performance of 'I Want You Back' from the Michael Jackson episode! Sadly, it was released **_**after**_** I wrote that episode of this story, so my version of that scene is a little different! And there's also the adorable "Box Scene" between Kurt and Blaine from the Christmas episode! Check it out) on Ryan Murphy's official YouTube account: youtube DOT com SLASH user SLASH MrRPMurphyExclusive SLASH videos.**_

_**Here we go... the final episode of season 3!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm going to die of thirst," Kurt announced, pausing the movie and untangling himself from Blaine's arms so he could hop off the bed. He turned to Blaine, who was still leaning against the headboard. "Want anything?

"No, thanks," Blaine replied.

"Okay," Kurt said cheerfully. He twirled around and disappeared through the doorway.

Blaine was glad that Kurt was starting to feel comfortable enough in the Anderson home to go downstairs and get a drink out of the refrigerator without Blaine. Blaine's parents were still at work, so there wasn't really any reason for Kurt to be nervous, but something about the casual way Kurt was willing to help himself made Blaine feel like they had reached a really solid place in their relationship.

Blaine climbed off the bed and hurried to his closet to dig out a neatly wrapped present he had hidden there the week before. He put it on the end of the bed before climbing back onto the mattress and settling back against the headboard as if he hadn't moved at all.

"I got you a can anyway," Kurt's voice reached the room before he did. "You'll probably be thirsty in a minute, and..."

He trailed off as he returned to the room and saw the present on the bed.

"It's your graduation present," Blaine explained.

"My–?" Kurt seemed genuinely surprised. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed beside the wrapped box.

"Open it," Blaine encouraged, reaching out to take the two soda cans from Kurt.

Kurt tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box, and Blaine could tell that he had picked an appropriate gift as Kurt's face lit up.

"I thought I should get you something you can actually _use_ at college," Blaine explained as Kurt pulled a large towel out of the box.

"They're monogrammed!" Kurt realized.

Blaine smiled as Kurt pulled the monogrammed portion of the towel up to his face to examine it. "Yeah," he replied unnecessarily.

Kurt looked up at him. "I love them," he said seriously. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Blaine nodded.

As Kurt folded the towel in his arms, Blaine watched him carefully. Were they ever going to talk about Kurt leaving? They had spoken about it a few times, but usually the subject matter was superficial. Blaine had a huge mental list of things he wanted to ask or to say concerning Kurt's departure, but he could tell that Kurt didn't want to talk about it. He was still in denial that going to New York meant _leaving_.

But, Blaine reminded himself, Kurt wasn't even _sure_ that he was going to New York at all. NYADA had not yet made a decision.

Kurt placed the box on the floor before returning to the bed. Blaine opened his arms and pulled Kurt back into a gentle embrace so they could continue the movie, and he decided to wait. It felt so _good_ to have Kurt wrapped up in his arms that Blaine couldn't bring himself to say or do anything but just soak in the happiness and remember his questions for another day.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The next afternoon, New Directions gathered in the choir room immediately after school. They were still so excited about their win at Nationals that they couldn't stay away. And, although Kurt would never admit it, he wanted to spend as much time with his friends as he could before they graduated and went their separate ways. For now, they could still be in denial.

He was looking at the huge trophy that now dominated the room's display case and was enjoying the warmth of Blaine's hand in his when the group dissolved into laughter and broke Kurt out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked Tina, who was sitting on his other side.

"Remember our first number?" Tina managed through her giggles.

"Don't remind me!" Kurt wailed, but he remembered it fondly. They had been terrible, but it was their first moment as New Directions.

"I think we need to see it," Finn suggested.

"No!" the original five chorused.

"Yes!" Some of the others shouted back at them.

Kurt, Rachel, Tina, Mercedes, and Artie didn't need more encouraging than that. They jumped out of their respective seats and the rest of the group moved to fill in the empty space so they could watch the performance.

"Okay," Rachel announced as the group of five reached the front of the room, "we ask that you keep in mind that we haven't done this for a number of years, so it may be a –"

"It's going to suck," Mercedes interrupted. "That's what she means."

The music began from behind them, and Kurt was surprised how quickly the song and (some of) the choreography came back to him as they performed _Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat_ for their friends.

The group watching the performance laughed and cheered when they finished, and Kurt bowed dramatically with the other four original members of New Directions.

"That was the most ghetto number I've ever seen," Santana complimented as the five moved to find seats so they could start glee club for the day. There wasn't an open seat beside Blaine, so Kurt walked to the side of the room to sit with Mercedes.

"Well then, call me George Jefferson because we went from the ghetto to the penthouse!" Artie replied. "National champs, baby!"

Everyone cheered as Mr. Schu walked to the whiteboard at the front of the room. But, as the teacher finished writing the word "goodbye", the room quickly fell silent.

"This week's assignment is easy," Mr. Schu said to the group. "Graduation is just a few days away. There's nothing left to prepare for."

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, knowing that Blaine would be looking back at him. Blaine looked sad, so Kurt offered a hopeful smile. Blaine smiled back at him, but it wasn't the smile that Kurt wanted to see where Blaine's whole face lit up with happiness. There was still a lot of sadness in Blaine's eyes. Kurt tried not to think about it too much.

"Our work here is done," Mr. Schu continued. "So, there's only one thing left to do. Say goodbye."

Kurt didn't want to say goodbye. But, at the same time, he _really_ wanted to say goodbye. He wished that he could magically transplant all of his friends to New York with him. Especially Blaine.

"Underclassmen, pick some songs to say goodbye to the seniors," Mr. Schu instructed. "Seniors, pick a song to say goodbye to us."

"You know, part of me wants to lock these doors and stay in here with everyone forever," Mercedes admitted.

"We could use the waste basket for the toilet," Brittany suggested. "And then we could eat Joe for the food since she's been here the shortest so we know her the least."

Kurt felt a twinge of sadness as he thought about the fact that soon there would be members of New Directions who he didn't know. Who he might never even meet.

"I really hope you're about to rap," Quinn said as Mr. Schu picked up a guitar.

Mr. Schu laughed. "No such luck," he replied. "I'm leading by example here. This one is for you guys."

"_May_ _the good lord be with you down every road you roam. And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home. Be courageous and be brave and in my heart you'll always stay forever young._"

As the teacher sang to them, Kurt thought about all of the moments that they had all shared together. They had come so far since forming New Directions as a group of five enthusiastic but naïve students. And now they had to leave the nest and fend for themselves in the world.

Things would never be the same.

Most of the students had tears in their eyes by the time Mr. Schu finished his song. The teacher dismissed them, as there was nothing to rehearse, and Kurt and Blaine walked to the parking lot together.

Kurt was hyper-aware of his every move as they reached his car and it was time to say goodbye for the afternoon.

"See you tomorrow," he smiled at Blaine.

Blaine stepped forward and kissed Kurt gently on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow," he agreed, and he turned and walked quickly away.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine got home, he was surprised to find that his parents had prepared an early dinner. They sat down at the table to eat, and Blaine was happy for the distraction. They chatted about insignificant things as they ate, and when dinner was over Blaine went up to his bedroom to work on his final essay of the year. He poured himself into the paper until late that evening, but when he finally climbed into bed he could no longer distract himself from his thoughts.

Blaine was dreading Kurt's departure. He knew that they could make it despite the distance, but he was acutely aware of how much it was going to hurt to have to say goodbye to Kurt for weeks, or maybe months, at a time.

He just wanted to _talk_ about it. He wanted to curl up somewhere with Kurt and talk about it all night long.

Blaine grabbed his phone off his bedside table and sent a text message to Kurt.

_I love you._

As he put the phone down, he noticed that it was after midnight, and he cringed a little. Hopefully his message wouldn't wake up the other boy.

His phone vibrated almost as soon as he set it down, and he grabbed it again to find Kurt's response.

_I love you too._

Blaine smiled. He felt a little better – they could still do this when Kurt was in New York. They wouldn't be completely cut off from each other.

His phone vibrated again.

_And don't worry; I wasn't asleep. But I'm going to sleep now, so see you tomorrow! Goodnight, Blaine._

Blaine could imagine Kurt, also lying in bed, rolling over to go to sleep. He made a mental note to require multiple photographs of Kurt's dorm room in New York so that he could picture where Kurt was when they were both falling asleep.

He sent his response and put his phone down before rolling over and closing his eyes, hoping for a peaceful night of sleep.

_Goodnight, Kurt._

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Kurt walked down the hallway to his locker the following morning, he thought about how he had changed since starting high school.

He had been in the closet back then. Looking back on his life before he had officially come out, he found it difficult to believe that he had fooled anyone, but he had tried.

But he had found the courage to come out. To be himself despite all the people who wanted him to change because his sexuality and personality made them uncomfortable. It had been a struggle, but Kurt was glad that he had fought for himself. He had no regrets. Even Dalton, which had, at first, seemed like running away, had been one of the best decisions of Kurt's life. And not just because of Blaine. His time at Dalton had taught Kurt a lot about what was important to him and had challenged him to think differently. He had returned to McKinley as a wiser man and a better team player.

And with a boyfriend, which had been a nice bonus.

As he walked, Kurt passed a basketball player that was in one of his classes, and the two waved greeted each other. It was still a weird feeling for "popular" students to even give him a second thought that didn't involve throwing him in a dumpster or ruining his clothes with a slushie. But it was a good feeling. It reminded him of his first day at Dalton, when a random student had raised a hand for a high five as Kurt had walked down the hallway.

Kurt opened his locker and grabbed Rachel's yearbook. They had exchanged yearbooks the night before so that they could write something meaningful to each other, but Kurt was still working on what he wanted to say. It felt like an impossible task, trying to write down what Rachel Berry had come to mean to him.

He had to write something for Blaine, too, but that was such an overwhelming thought that he was avoiding it. Blaine hadn't written anything for him yet, either, so he wasn't too stressed about it. If all else failed, he would just write "I love you" a bunch of times and hope that got the point across.

As he closed his locker and walked down the hallway toward the library (where he was meeting Rachel to work on a final project they had for one of their classes), Kurt hoped that he would be able to hold it together this week. He knew that Blaine was going to cry. And Rachel. And maybe even his father. But Kurt didn't want to have a meltdown about graduating from high school.

Rachel was already in the library when he arrived, working at a small table. Kurt sat down across from her.

They worked on their project and chatted about silly things until they fell into a comfortable silence as they concentrated to finish their work.

"Okay," Rachel said suddenly, "so I know we said we'd give each other two days to inscribe each other's yearbooks, but I finished yours."

She pulled his yearbook out of her bag and handed it to him across the table.

Kurt sighed. "I'm still working on yours," he admitted.

"It's okay!" Rachel responded. "Maybe reading mine will give you, you know, a little inspiration."

Rachel kept looking at Kurt, and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to read her message right there or wait for later.

"Now?" he asked.

"No," Rachel allowed. "Read it later."

Kurt started to put the yearbook away, but Rachel threw her arms out.

"No, read it now!" she decided.

"Okay," Kurt smiled, opening the yearbook.

"It's in the back," Rachel directed him. "Sorry if my calligraphy's a little splotchy... some tears were shed."

If she had cried while writing it, Kurt knew he was going to cry while reading it. But he decided to read it out loud anyway.

_Dear Kurt,_

_I love you so much. You have challenged me, inspired me, and taught me the importance of having a signature style. You're the bravest, truest person I've ever met, and because of you I will never apologize for who I am or how I look (even with this nose!)._

Kurt stopped reading and looked up at his friend. "I love your nose," Kurt told her, trying not to focus too hard on the tears in Rachel's eyes. He needed to finish reading what she wrote for him.

_Thank goodness we're going to be in New York together, because I don't think I could survive there without my best friend and soul mate. Which is what you are to me._

_I love you forever, and see you on Broadway!_

_Rachel Berry_

Kurt took a deep, shuttering breath and reached across the table to hold Rachel's hand.

"I love you," Rachel said quietly.

"I love you," Kurt echoed.

Rachel blinked a few times to keep the tears from escaping onto her face, and Kurt squeezed her hand before releasing it.

"Ugh, I'm never going to be able to write something so nice," Kurt teased.

Rachel laughed. "Don't sell yourself short," she encouraged as Kurt put his yearbook into his bag beside Rachel's.

Before their conversation could continue, Kurt's phone vibrated.

_Meet me in the auditorium._

It was from his father.

"Who is it?" Rachel asked.

"My dad," Kurt replied, confused. "He..." Kurt shook his head. "I've gotta go. Can you watch my stuff until I get back?"

"Definitely," Rachel agreed.

Kurt hopped out of his seat and hurried down the hallway to the auditorium.

"Dad," Kurt greeted his father, who was sitting on the edge of the stage, "why on Earth did you want to meet me in here?"

He felt a rush of apprehension as he tried to imagine why on Earth his father had come to school and asked to meet him in the auditorium with no warning.

"Oh my god, my NYADA letter came, didn't it?" Kurt asked.

"Not yet," Burt said quickly. Kurt wasn't sure if he felt relieved or even more anxious. Where was the letter? He tried not to panic. Rachel's letter had been late the first time. And Rachel hadn't received her letter this time either. So they hadn't gone out at all yet. It was okay.

"Sit down," his father instructed. "I want to give you your graduation present."

His graduation present?

"Is Elaine Stritch here?" Kurt teased as he approached his father at the front of the auditorium.

"I don't who that is," Burt admitted. "You see, this is the problem with getting you gifts. I can't make heads or tails about what it is you like!"

"Dad, I'm easy," Kurt reassured him as he took a seat. "Just get me something from Tom Ford's Vanities in Vanity Fair."

"Good to know," Burt said.

The older man hopped off the stage to stand in front of Kurt.

"So," Burt got to the point, "somewhere around your seventh birthday, I lost you. Now, before that you were a normal kid. I mean, a kid who liked to dust, but... you know, I read you to bed. I put cartoons on the TV when you were bored. I taught you how to ride a bike. Normal stuff. And then you turned seven, or eight, and you start to become _this_..." Burt waved at hand at Kurt.

Kurt stayed silent and waited for his father to continue.

"And, uh, it was like I was living with an alien," Burt said. "I mean, I tried to keep up. But, uh, you know, once your mom passed I... I really– I didn't stand a chance."

"You did good, Dad," Kurt disagreed.

"I am _proud_ of what you and I did together," Burt said seriously.

"I'm proud of us, too," Kurt agreed. They were an odd pair, but somehow they were perfect together. Because both of them had tried, and still tried, to see where the other was coming from. And because they loved each other so much.

"Do you remember when it started?" Burt asked, turning to walk up the stairs onto the stage. "When we turned a corner and started walking towards each other rather than in opposite directions?"

Kurt had no idea what was happening as Burt turned to face him from up on the stage.

"Tell me," Kurt suggested.

"Aw, screw that," Burt said with a wave of his hand. "I'm gonna show you."

Show him? Kurt felt a strange mixture of delight and nervousness as he tried to figure out what his father was going to do.

"It was in the, uh, basement of our old house," Burt explained. He pulled a sequined glove out of his pocket, and suddenly Tina and Brittany were walking across the stage toward him. Wearing black leotards.

"You were wearing a unitard," Burt reminded him.

Kurt felt as if his brain had stopped working.

"Oh god. Dad, please don't do this," Kurt said, completely flustered. He started to stand up.

"Sit down," Burt commanded, "and accept your present."

Kurt sank back into his chair, too shocked to argue.

"Hit it!" Burt shouted.

Suddenly, _Single Ladies_ was blaring from the auditorium's speakers, and Kurt was sure that he was living in a dream world as he watched his father do the dance with Tina and Brittany.

It was the best present Kurt could ever have imagined. As soon as they finished, Kurt jumped to his feet to applaud.

_His father_ had just done the _Single Ladies_ dance. His father, who wasn't a great dancer and who definitely wasn't into this kind of thing. Kurt knew that it had probably taken his father many hours to learn the dance, and Kurt was overwhelmed with emotions.

He didn't even notice Tina and Brittany leaving as his father descended the stairs and wrapped him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Dad," Kurt said.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt replied as he released Kurt and they both stepped back. "I'm so proud of you."

The bell rang signaling a class change, and Kurt sighed.

"You're the best father anyone could ever ask for," he blurted out before he could think about it and stop himself.

Burt swallowed and nodded. "I'm so glad you're _you_, Kurt," he responded.

They hugged once more, and then Kurt had to run to get his things from the library and get to his next class and Burt had to go to the tire shop to see how things were going. He was spending the entire week at home so he could be around for Kurt's final week of high school and his graduation, and he was using the time to also make sure that his business was still functioning properly without him.

Kurt told the group about his father's present at lunch, and he and Blaine were still talking about it as they left the cafeteria.

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

Kurt and Blaine didn't have any classes together, but in the final week of school they had a study hall after lunch and the teachers were mostly lenient about which classroom you spent study hall in. So, Kurt had been spending study hall with Blaine. They couldn't study together for their classes, but it was fun to sit beside each other and pretend they had a class together.

"I wish someone had recorded it!" Blaine commented as he followed Kurt down the hallway.

"Best graduation gift _ever_," Kurt agreed as they walked into the classroom.

"What about those monogrammed towels I got for you?" Blaine teased.

"Ah, you didn't have to get me a gift, silly," Kurt reminded him as they sat down beside each other at a table.

Kurt was still doing that thing where he was making everything no big deal. As they settled into their seats, Blaine decided that this was a good moment to broach the subject. They were in a room with other students, so Kurt wouldn't feel pressured to say _too_ much, but maybe it would get the metaphorical ball rolling.

"Um... we've been putting this off for far too long," Blaine said, shifting in his chair so he was facing Kurt, "but don't you think we should have 'the talk'?"

"Can't we just have two final days of denial?" Kurt asked immediately.

"No!" Blaine scolded. "No, we cannot. This is happening right now, Kurt. It's not some far off thing in the future. You're graduating. I'm not. You know how hard long distance relationships can be. We both saw _The Notebook_."

Kurt turned toward Blaine.

"Do you want to know how I picture the end of my life?" Kurt asked. "Just like in _The Notebook_, I'm sitting in a nursing home talking endlessly about my high school sweetheart. My first love. Going on and on about every little detail as if they matter."

_My first love_. Blaine's chest felt like it was going to crack open, but he was glad that Kurt was talking.

Kurt shifted and leaned a little closer.

"Only, in my version," Kurt continued the story, "he's there with me. Telling me to shut up so he can finish watching the American Cinema Tech salute to J-Lo."

Blaine was listening so intently that he almost didn't understand a word Kurt was saying.

"So... we're gonna be alright?" Blaine asked.

"Yes," Kurt said eagerly, reaching out with both of his hands to grasp both of Blaine's hands on the table. "We're gonna be alright. I told you, I'm never saying goodbye to you. We'll figure out this whole long distance relationship thing, I promise."

"Okay," Blaine agreed as Kurt turned back to the table. He felt better. He still wished that they didn't have to do the long distance thing at all, but Kurt was so _sure_. So sure that they were together for the long haul. And that was all that Blaine really wanted.

"So," Blaine asked, "have you decided how you're gonna say goodbye to everyone else?"

Kurt turned to look at him again and hesitated for a moment.

"I think so," Kurt finally said. "But it's a surprise."

Blaine smiled and flipped open one of his books, and when he looked back up he was surprised to see that Kurt was watching him carefully.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"I dunno," Kurt said, quickly turning his attention to the task of placing his bag on the floor by his feet.

"It's okay to be sad and anxious, Kurt," Blaine encouraged.

"Yes, Dad," Kurt teased.

Blaine kicked him under the table, and Kurt shot him a pouty expression.

"Can we– can we talk about this more?" Blaine asked tentatively. "Sometime later?"

Kurt looked at him, and Blaine saw the conflict in Kurt's eyes.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "Before I leave for New York, we'll talk about it. And _not_," he added quickly, "the night before I go."

Blaine smiled as their teacher entered the room and instructed everyone to be quiet and get to work studying for their exams at the end of the week.

"Thanks," he whispered, quickly rubbing Kurt's shoulder before turning his attention to his schoolwork.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

That afternoon after school, it was time for Kurt to sing his goodbye song for the group.

"I wanted to dedicate my goodbye song to all of you," Kurt explained as he stood in front of his friends. "But I wanted to mostly thank the men in the room, who have truly inspired me. You never saw me for the things that made us different. You only saw me for the ways that we're the same."

Kurt could feel tears pooling in his eyes, but he didn't fight it. He needed to let some of his sadness out or he was going to explode.

"Because, in this room, it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight," Kurt continued. "What matters is that we're friends."

Satisfied with his introduction, Kurt turned to the band to silently ask them to start the song.

It was a song he had chosen for multiple reasons. The most obvious reason was that the lyrics made sense to how Kurt was feeling as he prepared to graduate, but he also liked the throwback to their Madonna tribute during New Directions' first year and the fact that it could also be interpreted as a song for Blaine. Blaine, who had taught him more than anyone what it meant to be himself.

"_Say goodbye to not knowing when the truth in my whole life began. Say goodbye to not knowing how to cry. You taught me that. And I'll remember the strength that you gave me now that I'm standing on my own. I'll remember the way that you saved me. I'll remember._"

As he sang, he thought about the group and all the different things that had had learned from each of his friends. He would carry the lessons with him for the rest of his life, but would he always remember the people? Would he know all of their names ten years later?

"_I'll remember..._"

As the song ended, there was a moment of silence and Kurt and the rest of New Directions just looked at each other.

Then, Rachel jumped out of her seat and grabbed him into a hug, and it quickly transitioned into a huge group hug with Kurt at the center. Kurt closed his eyes as the group squeezed in around him and admitted to himself that he was going to miss this. He was going to miss everything so much.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

"What does Blaine want to do?" Finn asked out of nowhere the following morning when he and Kurt stopped at Finn's locker before school. Finn's car needed work, so he had carpooled to school with Kurt for once. Usually, they drove separately because they often went separate directions after school.

"What?" Kurt asked, leaning against the row of lockers.

"I mean, you know, after he graduates," Finn clarified.

"Oh," Kurt said. "I'm not sure, really... he wants to come to New York – he told me so last year – but I try not to press him for details. I don't think he has decided for sure, yet, anyway."

"You could get married in New York," Finn said, as if the idea had just occurred to him.

Kurt rolled his eyes and started to reply, but Rachel interrupted.

"Hey!" Rachel said as she came up beside Kurt. "Oh, thank goodness you guys are here. Okay, so I called Pace and NYADA... and they sent out our acceptance letters this week!"

Kurt's stomach lurched. He both wanted the letter more than anything in the world and was dreading the letter like he had never dreaded anything in his life.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, bringing his hands up to clutch in front of his face, "that's so exciting!"

"And totally terrifying," Finn added.

"We need to make a pact," Rachel suggested. "When we get our letters, we open them together. In the choir room."

Kurt nodded.

"These letters," Rachel continued, "you know, they're like our _futures_. So, I want to open mine with my two most important people."

She looked at Finn and Kurt.

"Deal?" she asked.

"Deal," Finn agreed.

"Deal," Kurt said. He held out his hand. "Pinky swear?"

They pinky swore, and as Kurt met Rachel's gaze he felt a surge of excitement. He had _killed_ his audition, and Carmen Tibideaux had given Rachel a second chance to show what she was made of. And they were part of a national championship show choir. Their chances were good.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

Over the next few days, the goodbye songs kept coming and the tears kept flowing. The seniors sang to the underclassmen and the underclassmen sang to the seniors, and everyone took their final exams. Puck passed the exam that he needed to pass in order to graduate, giving everyone a boost of happiness as the week drew to a close.

And suddenly it arrived.

Graduation.

As Kurt stepped out from behind the curtain to get his diploma and officially finish his high school career, he felt hugely nostalgic. Blaine handed him a handkerchief as he walked by, and Kurt managed not to cry _too_ hard until he had joined the group of graduates on the stage.

But it was after the ceremony that the reality of the future really settled in.

Their letters had come in the mail. Kurt had discovered his and Finn's in the mailbox the evening before, and had immediately called Rachel to make sure hers had arrived as well. Now they needed to open them.

"I'm seriously having trouble breathing right now," Kurt admitted as he and Finn tossed their letters onto a stool in the choir room after changing out of their graduation gowns and the clothes they had worn underneath the robes.

"Are you guys ready?" Rachel asked as she joined them.

"I kinda want to wait," Finn admitted.

"For how long?" Kurt asked, open to the idea of a few more minutes of denial.

"Forever," Finn wished. "I'm... just a couple more seconds. But this is the last moment before we _know_. After we open those envelopes, it's– it's gonna change our entire lives, no matter what's in it."

This was Kurt's concern as well. If it was good news, his life would change for the better. But if it was bad news... Kurt wasn't sure. He had no idea what he would do.

"Either way," Finn continued, "I just kinda want another minute with you guys here like this."

The trio exchanged glances, and they all knew they couldn't wait any longer. It was time to face the future.

"So, who's first?" Kurt asked.

"I'll go first," Finn decided. "I've got a good feeling about it."

Kurt could see Rachel nodding out of the corner of his eye, and he hoped with all his might that this was going to be the start of a triple dose of good news.

Finn reached out and grabbed his letter to open the envelope, but Rachel interrupted.

"Look," she said, "no matter what happens... we're all here for each other."

Kurt nodded, and Finn opened his letter. As Finn pulled the paper out of the envelope, Rachel rushed over to clutch onto Kurt. Kurt could barely breathe as Finn unfolded the letter and read it silently to himself.

"I didn't get in."

Kurt felt as if someone had dropped an anvil into his stomach. He didn't dare look at Rachel. Instead, he let his eyes close as he tried to remind himself that this wasn't the end for Finn. There were more options out there in the world. He felt Rachel pull out of his grasp, and he opened his eyes.

All of his excitement about possibly getting into NYADA had vanished. Now he just felt sick with worry and desperation.

"It's okay," Rachel encouraged Finn, grabbing his arm in support.

"Please, just somebody else open theirs, come on," Finn said.

"I'll go next," Kurt volunteered. He couldn't stand to wait another moment, even if he was about to have his entire life shattered.

Kurt snatched his letter off the stool and tore the single piece of paper out of the envelope.

He didn't even have to read the whole letter. The words "we're sorry" jumped off the page at him, and he just stared at the paper in his hands as the shock slammed into him like a freight train.

"I didn't get in," he managed, knowing that Finn and Rachel were waiting for his results. He looked up from the paper. "I didn't get in."

"Kurt, I'm so sorry," Rachel said, leaving Finn's side to walk over and console her friend. Kurt barely heard her over the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

He wasn't going to New York.

He wasn't going to be on Broadway.

He was going to spend the rest of his life stuck in this miserable little town in Ohio.

"Your turn, Rachel," Finn said, coming up beside Kurt. Kurt tried to snap out of his internal pity party to focus on his friend. Rachel could still get in. He _wanted_ her to get in. He needed _someone_ to get out of this town.

Finn shook Kurt gently by the shoulder as Rachel picked up her letter and turned her back to them to read it.

"It's okay, dude," Finn whispered. Kurt tried to nod, but he wasn't sure if he accomplished the task because he was concentrating so hard on Rachel.

She turned back around.

"I got in."

Kurt didn't know how to feel. He _wanted_ to feel absolute joy for his best friend. Rachel deserved this. She worked _so_ hard. She was _so_ talented.

But a wave of jealousy shoved its way into his mind, and he just gaped at her.

He had _killed_ his audition. He had somehow managed to make mostly As and Bs throughout high school, despite all the things that probably should have distracted him from his schoolwork. He didn't have the most amazing list of extracurriculars in the world, but was that really all that mattered to a school like NYADA?

As Kurt watched Rachel react, he knew he had to get a grip. Rachel was one of the twenty. One of the elite who would be studying at NYADA in the fall. This was a _huge_ deal. And he wasn't going to let her be disappointed about her success just because _he_ wasn't having similar success.

"Congratulations!" Kurt said, pulling out of Finn's grasp to walk over and wrap Rachel in a tight hug.

"Kurt –" she started.

"No," Kurt interrupted her as quickly as he could. He released her and stepped back to look into her sad eyes. He let his hand linger on her shoulder for a moment before stuffing his hands into his pockets to avoid crossing his arms over his chest in distress.

The trio looked at each other for a moment, and the silence was unbearable. Without anything to distract him, all of Kurt's emotions started to build up inside of him and he knew that he had to go away or risk ruining the moment for Rachel.

"I just need a minute," Kurt managed to choke out as he turned to leave. To his relief, Rachel and Finn didn't try to stop him. He didn't want pity. He just wanted to figure out what NYADA's rejection meant for his future. He needed to think and just _exist_ all by himself without having to worry about other people.

He wasn't going to New York.

Kurt felt as if someone had ripped his identity out of his body and shattered it into a million pieces before offering it back to him. He felt like his entire life suddenly had no meaning. The past year – sparked by his trip to New York with New Directions the year before, especially his moment on the stage of the Gershwin Theatre with Rachel – had been full of dreams and plans for life in New York after graduation.

Suddenly, Kurt couldn't conjure up the mental image of him and Rachel in a tiny New York apartment. He couldn't imagine himself on a Broadway stage. He could barely remember what New York City looked like.

He might never see it again.

Fear started to shove its way in beside the crushing disappointment. He might be stuck in Lima, Ohio for the rest of his life. Just another sad story of a young man with big dreams who couldn't measure up. What was he going to do?

In a daze, he passed by the door to the auditorium, and he paused. In his devastated mental state, his mind said to him that this might be his last chance. His last chance, _ever_, to sing on a stage. Before he had to resign himself to a life he had never wanted.

He stepped through the doorway, and he was already singing by the time he pushed aside the curtain and walked into the auditorium's mass of seats. He didn't hurry on his way toward the front of the large room. He wanted to remember this place. This experience. It already looked so different. _He_ was so different. _Everything_ was different now.

_You were once my one companion_

_You were all that mattered_

_You were once a friend and father_

_Then my world was shattered_

He let his hand drop to brush along some of the seats as he walked. He hadn't properly prepared himself for this moment. He had _known_ that the odds were against him – was he one of the top twenty out of _thousands_ of applicants? – but he had never _really_ allowed himself to consider what would happen if NYADA said no. And now they had.

_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Wishing you were somehow near_

_Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed_

_Somehow you would be here_

The dream of New York and of proving, to himself and to the world, that he was more than a small-town boy had been _such_ a driving force in Kurt's life over the past year. Over the past few years. What was going to push him to be better now? He wasn't one of the best. He felt lost.

_Wishing I could hear your voice again_

_Knowing that I never would_

_Dreaming of you helped me to do_

_All that you dreamed I could_

He reached the stairs leading up to the stage, and he paused. Following his own advice to Rachel the year before on a much more famous stage, he could imagine what this performance would look like if he wasn't alone in the dark auditorium. He took a deep breath and hurried up the stairs for one final performance on the McKinley stage.

_Too many years_

_Fighting back tears_

_Why can't the past just die?_

Kurt turned around to face the empty auditorium and let his body pour all of his devastation into the song.

_Wishing you were somehow here again_

_Knowing we must say goodbye_

_Try to forgive_

_Teach me to live_

_Give me the strength to try!_

_No more memories_

_No more silent tears_

_No more gazing across the wasted years_

As the song released its intensity in favor of a gentler ending, Kurt blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear his vision. Some of the tears escaped and ran down his face, but he didn't care. He didn't feel like having a meltdown – the horrible, body-racking sobbing that he _knew_ would come later – but this was an appropriate moment for a few tears.

_Help me say goodbye_

_Help me say goodbye_

As his voice echoed away into silence in the large, empty auditorium, Kurt tried to remember how to breathe. How to think. How to exist.

He had to get through this. He couldn't just give up or he would resent himself forever. But he wasn't sure how he could ever recover from the devastation he was feeling.

Suddenly, something warm wrapped itself around him from behind, and Kurt felt a soft, warm kiss on the side of his neck.

Blaine.

Kurt was so relieved to remember that he still had something good, something _amazing_, in his life that his diaphragm hitched and suddenly he was _really_ crying. Blaine didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled Kurt down into a sitting position on the stage, wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders, and held on to him as he sobbed.

Kurt felt like he cried for a week. He cried until he felt as if his body had run out of water to use as tears, and then he just hiccupped and sniffled until he felt exhausted and a little nauseous. As he quieted, he felt Blaine's grip loosen around his shoulders, and Blaine shifted around so he was sitting in front of Kurt. Blaine's eyes were red and swollen from crying too, and Kurt wasn't sure if it made him feel better or worse that Blaine was feeling this pain with him.

"I love you," Blaine said softly.

There _was _water left in Kurt's body for tears. Blaine's words led to a new round of crying, and Kurt was a little embarrassed this time as Blaine rubbed his arm and held his hands and just sat with him while he tried to get control of himself for a second time.

"I hate myself," he whined as he started to calm down again.

"_Kurt_," Blaine scolded.

"I know," Kurt replied quietly.

"I'm so sorry," Blaine said sadly.

"I know," Kurt repeated. "Thanks."

Blaine shifted so he could lean forward and press a warm, salty kiss to Kurt's lips. It felt so good, so familiar. Kurt kissed him back and was sad when Blaine finally pulled away.

"I'm not going to New York," Kurt said. It felt weird to say the words out loud. Maybe this was a dream?

To Kurt's surprise, Blaine scoffed. "In what universe do you need permission from NYADA to go to New York?"

Kurt met the other boy's gaze, and the fire he saw in Blaine's eyes made his heart ache. Blaine wasn't going to let him give up. Kurt didn't _want_ to give up.

"We're going to figure this out, Kurt," Blaine said. He grabbed both of Kurt's hands and wrapped them in his.

Kurt nodded. Somewhere inside, he _did_ know. So he decided to just agree and trust that his emotions would bow to his logical side eventually.

They were silent for a moment, until Blaine spoke again.

"That was a beautiful song," he said.

"The last I'll ever sing in here," Kurt explained.

Blaine's forehead furrowed in thought, and then he seemed to decide something.

"Get up, come on," Blaine said, releasing Kurt just long enough to climb to his feet and offer Kurt a hand to help him up. Kurt hesitated, but Blaine insisted and Kurt allowed Blaine to pull him to his feet.

As soon as Kurt was standing up, Blaine swept Kurt's knees out from under him to pick him up.

"Hey!" Kurt objected, but Blaine ignored him. He spun around a few times, and, despite how he was feeling, Kurt laughed.

"What was that for?" he tried to pout as Blaine gently set him down.

"To get you in the right mood," Blaine replied with a smile.

"You're so weird," Kurt said, but he was smiling. It felt good.

Blaine shrugged and offered a hand.

"That's not a good ending," he said, shaking his hand a little to insist that Kurt take it.

When Kurt grasped his outstretched hand, Blaine pulled him in and wrapped his free arm around Kurt's waist.

"Oh, no," Kurt whined.

Blaine laughed.

"_Wicked_ always makes you feel better," Blaine said sweetly.

"I'm going to cry again," Kurt informed him.

"No," Blaine countered, "you're going to dance with me."

"Ugh," Kurt pretended to whine. But he was so delighted with Blaine's over-the-top attempt to make him feel better that he wasn't about to say no.

Blaine took a deep breath and started to sing.

_The trouble with schools is_

_They always try to teach the wrong lesson_

_Believe me, I've been kicked out of enough of them to know_

Kurt narrowed his eyes at Blaine, but this was helping. Blaine always knew how to remind him that life was worth living. No matter what.

_They want you to become less callow_

_Less shallow_

_But I say why invite stress in?_

_Stop studying strife_

_And learn to live the unexamined life_

Blaine paused briefly, and Kurt knew he was waiting to see if Kurt wanted to continue. This time, offering Blaine a smile didn't feel so strange. Blaine beamed at him in return and started to twirl them around the stage as he continued the song.

_Dancing through life_

_Skimming the surface_

_Gliding where turf is smooth_

_Life's more painless_

_For the brainless_

_Why think too hard?_

_When it's so soothing_

_Dancing through life_

_No need to tough it_

_When you can sluff it off as I do_

_Nothing matters_

_But knowing nothing matters_

_It's just life_

_So keep dancing through_

Blaine twirled Kurt out of his arms and danced around him, and Kurt laughed and mimicked Blaine's moves as he danced.

_Dancing through life_

_Swaying and sweeping_

_And always keeping cool_

_Life is fraught-less_

_When you're thoughtless_

_Those who don't try_

_Never look foolish_

_Dancing through life_

_Mindless and careless_

_Make sure you're where less_

_Trouble is rife_

_Woes are fleeting_

_Blows are glancing_

_When you're dancing_

_Through life_

Blaine paused again, but this time he gestured with one hand for Kurt to pick up the song.

This wasn't a song that Kurt usually sang, but he wanted to. With Blaine. So, he took a deep breath and sauntered playfully over to Blaine as he continued the song.

_Let's go down to the Ozdust Ballroom_

_We'll meet there later tonight_

_We can dance 'til it's light_

_Find the prettiest boy_

_Give him a whirl_

Blaine smiled as Kurt changed the pronouns, and Kurt giggled as he continued to sing.

_Right on down to the Ozdust Ballroom_

_Come on, follow me_

_You'll be happy to be there_

Blaine grabbed Kurt's shoulders and turned him toward the empty auditorium and an imaginary audience, and they sang the rest of the song together.

_Dancing through life_

_Down at the Ozdust_

_If only because dust_

_Is what we come to_

_Nothing matters_

_But knowing nothing matters_

_It's just life_

_So keep dancing through_

Blaine applauded loudly as the song faded away, and Kurt started to cry again. But this time there were tears of gratitude mixed in with the tears of sadness. Blaine kissed his cheek as he wrapped him into another hug.

"Thank you," Kurt whispered into Blaine's ear.

"That's a better song to end with, don't you think?" Blaine teased, releasing Kurt and reaching out to wipe the tears from Kurt's cheeks.

Kurt nodded.

"Rachel got in," Kurt told him.

"I know," Blaine said. "I was looking for you and I found Rachel and Finn."

Kurt reached out and grasped one of Blaine's hands in each of his.

"I'm sorry I've been so flippant about graduation," he apologized. "I just always– the future felt so _good_ and I didn't want to think about anything else but how perfect things would be in– in New York."

He had to pause for a moment to keep his emotions in check, and Blaine took the opportunity to speak.

"It's okay, Kurt," he said gently.

"Nothing's okay," Kurt said. "Except you."

Tears filled Blaine's eyes as Kurt looked at him and hoped that Blaine understood how much just being there made Kurt feel like _maybe_ his entire life wasn't over.

Kurt took a long, deep breath. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since they had opened the letters. An hour? It could've been a week for all he knew.

"I've gotta tell my dad," he realized, feeling the panic starting to rise into his throat again. He had to tell Burt that he hadn't been good enough. And that he wasn't sure what he was going to do now.

"He loves you, Kurt," Blaine reminded him. "He's only going to be disappointed because _you're_ disappointed."

"Okay," Kurt agreed halfheartedly.

Blaine was right. Burt was devastated, but he jumped instantly into protective father mode.

"Well, who needs 'em anyway!" Burt announced. "One day they'll see you, you know, up there on the big stage on Broadway and they'll be kicking themselves!"

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt sniffled.

"And hey," Burt leaned in close and glanced around to make sure nobody else could hear him, "at least you're not getting married right out of high school."

"Dad!" Kurt shrieked, slapping his arm.

Finn and Rachel's wedding was only two days away.

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

The following evening – the night before the wedding – Kurt and Blaine were cuddling together on Kurt's bed, scouring the Internet on Kurt's laptop for possible things for Kurt to do in the fall (Get a job in New York and audition in his spare time? Find an internship? Apply to a university for a major he had no interest in just to get his foot in the door and then transfer to another university later? Fashion school? Take a year off from school all together and work at the tire shop full time and try to get into NYADA the following year?), when they were interrupted.

"Hey, uh, guys?" Finn knocked on the doorframe. "Can I, uh...?"

"Come in," Kurt beckoned with his arm.

As Finn entered the room, Kurt sat up and realized that something was going on. Finn looked horrible.

"You okay?" Blaine voiced the same concern as he sat up too.

"No," Finn admitted.

Kurt motioned for Finn to sit down on the bed, but Finn shook his head.

"No, I'm just gonna..." Finn made eye contact with Blaine and then turned his attention to Kurt. "I'm not marrying Rachel."

Kurt's mouth fell open in shock.

"What?" he gasped.

"But Kurt. _Kurt_," Finn stressed, forcing Kurt to focus. "You can't tell her, okay? Not yet."

"I can't... _what_?" Kurt asked.

Finn decided to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"I talked to her dads already," Finn continued. "Instead of the wedding tomorrow, I'm gonna take her to the train station so she can go to New York."

Blaine made a noise like he wanted to say something, but when Finn and Kurt looked at him he just waved a hand for Finn to continue.

"And, uh, well, I know this is asking a lot," Finn said, directing his words at Kurt, "but it'll be really good for her if you're there."

"Okay, wait," Kurt said. "Just... wait."

His mind was spinning so fast he could hardly form a coherent thought.

"I thought she wanted to defer for a year?" Blaine asked cautiously.

The morning after they had graduated and opened their letters, Rachel had announced that she was going to defer her acceptance to NYADA for a year. So that she could stay in Lima with Finn and Kurt. So that they could all go to New York together.

"She does," Finn replied. "And that's the problem. She's ready _now_. They chose her _now_. And no matter how much the rest of us wish we had been chosen, we weren't. But she can't give up her dreams for any of us."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

"Isn't that her decision to make?" Blaine finally spoke up.

"The _only_ reason she wants to defer is because of me and Kurt," Finn said. "So yeah, I guess I'm not going to _make_ her get on that train. But I'm going to... ugh, 'dump her' sounds so pathetic... I'm going to set her free."

"She wants to go," Kurt agreed quietly.

Blaine knew that Rachel wanted to go. And he knew that, objectively, it was best for her to go now. To go in the fall. But he had a hard time with the idea that Finn would basically make the decision for her, even if he was doing so with the very best intentions.

He looked at Finn and then at Kurt.

"Okay," Blaine allowed. This wasn't any of his business, anyway. Finn wasn't asking for advice. He was asking for their help. This was about supporting Rachel.

"Thank you," Finn said as he stood up. "Just... thank you."

"We'll be there," Kurt reassured him.

Finn closed the door behind him, and Blaine turned to look at Kurt.

Neither one of them knew what to say.

Blaine reached for the laptop, which he had put on the bedside table when Finn had come into the room, but Kurt caught his wrist. Blaine turned to ask Kurt why he didn't want to continue the search, but the look in Kurt's eyes said everything.

"No," Blaine tried to argue.

"Please?" Kurt asked sweetly.

Blaine groaned in frustration, but he didn't object as Kurt squirmed out of his arms and pulled him into a sitting position.

"Yes?" Kurt asked, casually unbuttoning his shirt.

Blaine knew that Kurt would stop if he asked, but he couldn't think of a rational reason not to take a break from their search. They could finish later that evening. Or the next day.

Blaine reached out and gently pushed on Kurt's chest so that Kurt would lie down on his back with his head at the end of the bed, and he climbed on top of the other boy.

"Yes," he said, leaning down for a kiss as he Kurt's hands trying to tug his shirt off. "Okay, yes."

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, Blaine picked Kurt up so they could go to the train station.

Kurt didn't say anything as he climbed into the car, and Blaine could tell that he was waging an emotional war in his mind. They were about to go see Rachel off to New York City so she could prepare to live her dream. _Kurt's_ dream.

"Hey," Blaine said encouragingly, reaching out to nudge Kurt's shoulder. Kurt glanced at him, and Blaine beckoned with his finger. Kurt sighed, but obliged, leaning across the center console for a kiss.

"I'm so proud of you," Blaine said as he settled back into his seat.

"Don't be proud of me yet," Kurt said. "I may still rip the ticket out of Rachel's hands and make a run for it."

"Can I come in your suitcase?" Blaine asked as he backed out of the driveway and started the drive to the train station.

"No," Kurt said, and Blaine was happy to hear the other boy's voice start to liven up a bit, "I'll buy you a ticket for the next train so when you arrive I can be waiting at the station for you."

Blaine hummed his approval, and he heard Kurt stifle a laugh.

"What?" Blaine asked, glancing briefly at Kurt.

"You in my suitcase," Kurt giggled, amused by the mental image.

The laughter got out of control, and by the time they reached the train station Kurt was wiping tears out of his eyes.

"Why am I _laughing_?" he whined as Blaine parked and turned off the car.

Blaine took a few deep breaths to get his own laughter under control and he twisted in his seat to look at Kurt.

"You don't have to be sad forever, Kurt," he said.

Sadness crept back into Kurt's eyes as he turned to look at Blaine.

"I feel so conflicted," he admitted. "I'm... everything I planned for myself is gone. And Rachel. There's– it's like my brain can't decide if I feel happy or jealous or desperately sad that she's going without me."

He leaned back on the headrest and closed his eyes.

"Everything is just so confusing right now," Kurt mumbled.

"But you're here," Blaine replied, gesturing to the train station even though Kurt couldn't see. "You're here because you're a good friend. And I'm proud of you for that."

Kurt shrugged.

Blaine watched him for a moment, letting a comfortable silence fall between them.

"We need to go meet the others," Kurt said reluctantly as he opened his eyes.

They both got out of the car and walked in silence to where the students of New Directions were waiting with Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury.

"Alright," Mr. Schu said as they approached, "that's everyone... Finn asked us to wait on the platform – it's out of sight – so let's go!"

The group chatted and wandered around on the platform as they waited for Finn and Rachel to arrive. Blaine was happy for the distraction, because he was nervous for Rachel. She loved Finn so much... this was going to cause her so much pain. Even if, in the long run, it was going to be the best thing for her. And maybe even for her relationship with Finn.

Blaine was in an intense discussion with Mike, Puck, and Kurt about whether or not Rachel would accept the ticket and go or if she would refuse the ticket and stay in Ohio when Joe, who they had sent to keep watch, came running back to the group.

"They're getting out of the car!" he informed the group. "Here we go."

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

As Finn and Rachel appeared from inside the station, Kurt was glad to see that Rachel didn't look _too_ upset. She was crying, but Kurt knew that this was a huge shock. He would be concerned if she _wasn't_ crying. When Rachel had climbed out of bed in the morning, she thought she was going to be Finn's wife by the end of the day. And now, instead, she would be in New York by the end of the day. Without Finn. Without Kurt.

Rachel didn't say anything as she moved down the line of their friends, but Kurt could see that she was grateful that they were gathered to see her off. Rachel grasped Blaine's arm as she passed, and then she looked at Kurt.

Kurt could see in her eyes the Rachel he loved so much. The confident, driven young woman who knew what she wanted and was not going to stop until she got it right. But he could also see the pain and guilt that she was feeling about going to New York without the boy she loved and without her best friend. Kurt smiled, hoping to encourage her, and Rachel dove into his arms for a hug.

He knew that she wasn't going to be gone forever. Yet. She was just going for a few days to check out the dorms at NYADA and probably see a Broadway show or two with her dads. But Kurt felt like he was saying goodbye to her forever.

As Rachel pulled out of the hug and turned to embrace Mr. Schu, Kurt reminded himself that this was not the time for crying. He needed to smile and be strong for Rachel to help her find the courage to go to New York and to fight for her dreams.

NYADA's rejection didn't mean he was forbidden from going to New York. His life wasn't over. Maybe one day soon his friends would be waving at him as he departed Ohio for the city of his dreams.

Kurt put an encouraging hand on Rachel's back as they walked to the door where she would board the train. He wanted to tell her how much he was going to miss her and how proud he was of her, but he knew better. He could say those things later, when Rachel wasn't so emotional.

Rachel kissed Finn and then quickly boarded the train. She didn't look back.

The group rushed to see if they could find Rachel through one of the windows so they could wave at her until the train pulled away. As she appeared in the large window, Kurt forced away all of his other emotions and just felt _happy_ for his friend. She had worked so hard for this, and he was proud of her for going for it. For not letting anyone hold her back.

As the train started to move forward, Kurt waved until he could no longer see Rachel in the window. He watched as Finn ran alongside the train for a moment until the train was too fast and he had to stop, and, as soon as Finn turned back toward the group, Kurt pushed to the front of the group and reached out for Finn as he approached. Kurt wasn't usually one to initiate physical contact, but he knew that Finn needed a brother right now.

"Thanks, man," Finn sniffled as he pulled out of the hug. He clasped Kurt on the shoulder, and Kurt knew that it was going to be a rough summer for his step-brother.

Kurt stepped aside as Mr. Schu approached, and he turned to find Blaine waiting for him a few steps away.

Blaine reached out for Kurt's hand, and they walked in silence back to Blaine's car. Kurt didn't know what to say. There was nothing they could say to make what had just happened into a purely happy moment.

They climbed into the car, but Blaine didn't start the engine. They just sat there in silence for a moment until Kurt remembered that he had managed to finish writing in Blaine's yearbook late the night before. He reached down to grab his bag from where it was resting near his feet, and he pulled out the red book so he could hand it to Blaine.

"Oh!" Blaine remembered. "I have yours... hold on..." he twisted around and reached into the back seat to grab his bag.

As Blaine dug around for Kurt's yearbook, Kurt thought about Rachel. She had been gone maybe fifteen minutes. What was she thinking? What was she doing? He wanted to text her, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea. Not yet. He was glad that he had managed to finish writing in _her_ yearbook – a message about how her drive and confidence inspired him, how grateful he was that the two of them had each other to lean on, and how much he loved her and believed in her – before this had happened.

Kurt reached out to take his yearbook from Blaine, and Blaine caught his wrist and pressed a gentle kiss to his palm before giving him the book. Kurt smiled at him. He could make it through whatever challenges were waiting for him in the future. Because he had Blaine.

They had each other.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Blaine,<em>

_Thank you. Thank you for coming to McKinley and making my senior year more magical than I could've ever imagined. Thank you for helping me find and maintain the courage to be myself no matter who tries to put me down. Even myself. Thank you for inspiring me, encouraging me, and loving me. You saved my life in so many ways, and we – the two of us and what we have together – will always be my proudest accomplishment. Even when I make it to Broadway._

_I love you,_

_Kurt_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Kurt,<em>

_I love you. I'm going to miss you so much when you go to New York (because you are going!), but I am so proud of you and I can't wait to video chat and talk on the phone and send each other postcards and letters and packages. I'm forever grateful that you stopped me that day on the stairs at Dalton and started our journey together. You have taught me so much about individuality, confidence, and the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I love you, Kurt, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for us, together._

_All my love,_

_Blaine_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aaaaaand that's it for season 3! I can't wait to see which parts of this story Glee proves wrong in season 4 (nothing will ever top Blaine suddenly becoming a junior, though). ;) September 13th, come to me!<strong>_

'_**Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' (youtube DOT com SLASH watch?v=jt04Qne8xag) would've been the **_**perfect**_** song for Kurt to sing after he learned about NYADA's rejection, right? It even fits with the title of the episode – the last line is "help me say goodbye"! Anyway... and then there's sweet Blaine, who convinced the Warblers to come with him to serenade Kurt when he returned to McKinley and who sang to his crush in the middle of a crowded GAP. He's totally up for an over-the-top method of cheering Kurt up! ;) And I know 'Wicked' is Kurt and Rachel's thing, but Blaine can be their Fiyero, right? (The song is 'Dancing Through Life' – youtube DOT com SLASH watch?v=of03sHr0O5I)**_

_**As always, thank you all so, SO much for being the sweetest bunch of people on the Internet. Your kind words are just the best thing ever and I'm so happy that you enjoy this crazy project. Come say hello on Tumblr – I'm the same username over there (functionaloptimist)! Don't be shy! :)  
><strong>_

_**See you the day after the season 4 finale in the spring for the first episode of season 4! :) I love you all!**_


	40. 4x01: The New Rachel

_**Well, here it is: season 4! It's been a wild ride for Kurt and Blaine this season, hasn't it? It's been an emotional roller coaster, but, overall, I think I approve of their arc. It has definitely been a shakeup! As always, this story is how I see things as they stand now, at the end of the season... the way the Glee writers set things up in the finale (to extend season 4 into season 5) complicates things for this story a bit in terms of a lack of resolution (and therefore a lack of insight into what Kurt, especially, is thinking), but I've done my best to imagine how Kurt and Blaine are feeling throughout the season and I hope it all seems in character for the two of them. If I'm proven wrong when season 5 begins, so be it! I'm just hoping this is enjoyable in the meantime. Many, many thanks to Mr. Criss and Mr. Colfer for their phenomenal acting; it's easy to get lost in Kurt's or Blaine's thoughts when they are brought to life so wonderfully.  
><strong>_

_**Thank you all so much for all your kind messages throughout the season expressing your anticipation for the season 4 episodes! I hope it will live up to your expectations! This one's especially long, so I'll shut up now and let you get to it... :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On the first day of his senior year of high school, Blaine felt a mix of emotions. Standing with Tina, Brittany, and Artie in front of the cabinet that housed their Nationals trophy from the year before, Blaine felt good about the possibilities for the school year. There were so many exciting things coming up for all of them. Working to get New Directions back to Nationals. The school musical. College applications. Senior prom. Graduation.

But there was one thing that was gnawing at the back of Blaine's mind, holding the enthusiasm down a notch. Kurt was gone. But not the kind of "gone" that Blaine had anticipated.

"Face it, Rachel Berry was the group's undisputed star," Jacob Ben Israel announced from behind Blaine and the others, snapping Blaine out of his thoughts. "So, really, the only question is... which one of you is the new Rachel?"

The group turned to face Jacob and his camera. "I am," Blaine said, in unison with Brittany and Tina.

They all fell silent as they looked at each other, and Blaine realized that he was in for more competition than he had anticipated. Fitting into the hierarchy of New Directions had been difficult for him, but, by the end of the previous year, Blaine had finally found his place. And now, as a senior, he was ready to regain some of the authority he had lost when he left Dalton.

Jacob grabbed the cameraman's arm to turn the camera toward himself so he could narrate. "Take note, viewers. New Directions is in a state of chaos!"

"We are _n_–" Blaine tried to argue, but Jacob stepped forward and shoved the microphone in Blaine's face.

"Blaine Anderson," he said, "how does it feel to have a bright future while your boyfriend has given up on his dreams?"

Blaine tried to snatch the microphone out of Jacob's hand, not sure what he planned to _do_ with it once he had it, but Jacob jumped away and ran out the door. The boy holding the camera stood for a moment with the camera still pointed at Blaine, but Blaine took a threatening step in his direction and he, too, fled the room.

"Do you–?" Artie began.

"Kurt has _not_ given up on his dreams!" Blaine snapped, waving a dismissive arm at his friends. He didn't miss the look Artie and Tina exchanged as he stormed out of the room.

He ran straight into Sam as he turned the corner into the hallway.

"Woah!" Sam laughed. "Where're you going, man? Glee rehearsal is starting in, like, no time."

"I –" Blaine couldn't think of a legitimate excuse to continue his mini-tantrum, so he sighed in defeat. "Yeah, sorry."

"How's Kurt?" Sam asked as Blaine spun back around to lead them into the choir room. "It's kinda weird not seeing him... I mean, I love living with my family again and all, but Kurt makes great breakfast on the weekends."

Blaine had to laugh. "Yeah, he does," he agreed. "Kurt's doing fine. He's re-applying to NYADA soon and, in the meantime, he's working to make some money and he's going to take some classes at the community college."

"Cool," Sam approved.

It made Blaine feel better to have someone supporting Kurt's plan, so the day seemed bright again by the time he sank into his chair to wait for Mr. Schu.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"...and glee rehearsal was canceled on the first day?" Kurt frowned into the phone. "Why?"

"I don't know," Blaine said. "Joe passed Mr. Schu in the hall on the way to rehearsal and Mr. Schu told him that it was canceled."

"Well," Kurt grinned, "as you know, I just got home from work...?"

"Yes," Blaine agreed. "Your house, then?"

"Yeah, let's do my house today," Kurt suggested. "I'll make you dinner. 'Happy first day of school' style!"

"That sounds amazing," Blaine said. "See you soon!"

Kurt ended the call and went upstairs to change out of his work clothes. As he was buttoning his clean shirt in front of the mirror, trying to decide if he liked it or not, he heard Blaine ring the doorbell downstairs.

"COME IN!" he shouted, knowing that Blaine couldn't hear him. He grabbed his phone off his bed and sent Blaine a text message telling him to let himself in, and he heard Blaine open the front door and come running up the stairs.

"Hey," Blaine said casually as he strolled into Kurt's bedroom. He dumped his bad on the floor and walked over to wrap his arms around Kurt from behind. He hooked his chin over Kurt's shoulder and met his eyes in the mirror.

"How was school?" Kurt asked.

"My brain hurts from trying to re-engage," Blaine teased.

"Mmm," Kurt hummed in understanding.

Blaine released Kurt and wandered over to Kurt's wall of shelves. "Have you heard from Finn lately?" he asked as his eyes fell on a photo of Kurt and Finn together at their high school graduation.

"Nope," Kurt admitted as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "He calls Carole sometimes, you know, to check in, but neither she nor my dad are particularly forthcoming with details. He texts me sometimes asking how I am or asking for advice about random things, but not lately. Last I heard he had injured himself – not life threatening, remember when I told you about this? – and had to leave the army. I think he's still in Georgia, though. Working somewhere."

"Yeah," Blaine acknowledged.

"Rachel keeps asking about him," Kurt continued. "I guess she hasn't heard from him in months. Which, although I love them both dearly, I think is probably for the best."

"How is Rachel?" Blaine asked.

"She's still calling multiple times a day," Kurt explained. "I think she's probably a little lonely. Getting adjusted. But she seems to love it. New York."

"I bet," Blaine walked over to sit down beside Kurt on the bed, and Kurt hated the sadness in Blaine's eyes that was trying so hard to hide. Kurt knew that Blaine was worried about him, but what could he do? The situation wasn't ideal, but it had to work for now. He was grateful that Blaine didn't push him to talk about it much. For now, Blaine's happy sigh when Kurt leaned over to kiss him was enough to keep Kurt's thoughts from lingering too long on the city and the life that was still out of his reach.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt got up early. He wanted to stop by McKinley on his way to work to meet Coach Sylvester's new daughter. And to surprise Blaine.

It was strange to park in a space designated for visitors at his old school, but not as strange as walking down the hallways and feeling both at home and out of place. Fortunately, as he was walking through the entrance to the school, Rachel called and spared him a silent walk with his thoughts.

"Hey!" Kurt answered. "How's New York this morning?"

"I met a guy last night," Rachel squeaked.

"What?" Kurt gasped. "Rachel!"

"I mean... not like _that_, but he lives in my building," Rachel explained. "His name is Brody. He's a junior."

"A junior," Kurt approved. "So, if it wasn't like _that_, what _was_ it like?"

"I was in the bathroom preparing for my nighttime skincare regimen and he was there," Rachel said excitedly. "Getting out of the shower."

"And you decided to leave the 'he was naked' part out until now because...?" Kurt asked.

"He wasn't– he... well, he had a towel," Rachel stammered. "But it gets better... when he was leaving, he turned around in the doorway and told me that I was wondering – I was _not_, by the way – if he was straight. And he is," Rachel giggled and Kurt grinned. He missed this. He missed Rachel.

"So, he was wearing a towel that was barely covering his twinkle tube... and he's straight?" Kurt confirmed. "Hot. Do you like him?"

"No! You know I'll always love Finn," Rachel said immediately. Kurt was about to tell her that she had protested too quickly, but Rachel barely took a breath before changing the subject.

"Oh, and I love you," Rachel said. "I miss you like _crazy_."

"Oh," Kurt teased, "is _that_ why you're calling me every three hours?"

"Well I just want to make sure that you're okay," Rachel replied. "I'm great. I love it here. My dance teacher worships me..."

She trailed off for a moment, and Kurt wasn't sure what to think. He guessed that, even though NYADA seemed to be going well, she was probably a little homesick. So he put up with her constant calls and lived vicariously through the stories she told him of the city.

"But how are you?" Rachel recovered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm keeping busy," Kurt dodged.

"Where are you right now?" Rachel asked brightly.

"I just passed Mrs. Hagburn's old classroom," Kurt admitted. "Figured I'd stop by McKinley and meet their newest addition."

"Ohhh!" Rachel whined happily. "I bet she's so cute. Is Blaine there?"

"He doesn't know I'm here," Kurt said, "but I'm going to surprise him after I see Coach Sue. Do you have class today?"

"Yes," Rachel replied. "I'm walking to campus now."

"Well," Kurt said as he spotted the door to Sue's office down the hallway, "I hope you run into not-actually-naked junior boy today."

Rachel made a noise that suggested that she hoped so too.

"I'm here," Kurt said as he walked up to Coach Sylvester's closed door. "So... talk to you later?"

"Sure!" Rachel said brightly. "Have a great day, Kurt. Say hi to everyone for me!"

"I will," Kurt agreed. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Rachel replied. "Bye!"

"Bye."

Kurt stowed his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath before knocking gently on Coach Sylvester's office door.

"Come in, if you must!" Sue called from inside.

Kurt opened the door and was pleased when he was greeted with a mostly friendly smile from the cheerleading coach. But his eyes were immediately drawn to the tiny bundle in Sue's arms.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite gay former student," Sue greeted, turning slightly so Kurt could see the baby in her arms as he approached.

"She's so cute," Kurt whispered, feeling the need to keep his voice down even though the little girl was awake.

"Porcelain, this is my daughter, Robin," Sue introduced the baby. "I loved the name ever since I was a little girl. It recalls hope and springtime and my favorite dead BeeGee."

Kurt couldn't resist making silly faces at little Robin as Sue kept talking. "Oh, she's the love of my life," Sue continued, "and I'm so, so devoted to her."

Sue put her daughter into her stroller, and Kurt was opening his mouth to offer his congratulations when Sue interrupted.

"Kitty!" she barked in the direction of the door, "get in here!"

"Yes, Coach Sylvester?" a cheerleader who Kurt had never seen before entered the room almost immediately.

"I need you to change Robin's diaper and then sing her a lullaby," Sue instructed. "Preferably something not yet butchered by the glee club. Good luck finding one."

Kurt rolled his eyes, knowing that she had added that comment only because he was in the room.

"Porcelain," Sue turned her attention back to Kurt, "this is Kitty. Kitty is my new head bitch. She's like a young Quinn Fabray, except she's not pregnant, manic-depressive, or in and out of a wheelchair."

"Shouldn't you be in college or something?" Kitty asked without preamble. "I thought gay people were all successful over-achievers."

"I _am_ a successful, over-ach–" Kurt argued.

"Oh, don't pay attention to what Kitty thinks," Sue interrupted as the cheerleader wheeled Robin out of the room, "even if it's exactly what the rest of the world thinks."

She moved around to sit down at her desk. "I'm actually very proud of you, Twinkle Tush," Sue told him. "You're a real trailblazer. You know, it used to be that just straight ex-football players would lurk the halls of high schools after graduation? But you've proven that gay ex-show choir champs can also be depressive, sad sacks desperately clinging to the past."

"I'm not a sad sack, okay?" Kurt countered. "My classes at Allen County Community College start next week–"

"I'm sorry," Sue interrupted, "I tuned out the moment you opened your mouth. Keep livin' the dream, Porcelain."

Kurt felt a rush of shame and sadness and jealousy that he was stuck in his miserable little hometown while his best friend was thriving in New York City. He turned and left the room before Sue could think of anything else to say to him.

Fortunately, he found Blaine in the hallway right outside the door, walking and chatting with Sam and Sugar. Kurt snuck up behind them and tapped Blaine on the back.

"Wha –? Kurt!" Blaine's surprise morphed quickly into delight, and he wrapped his arms around Kurt in a tight hug. Sugar wrapped her arms around both of them to join the hug.

"What're you doing here?" Blaine smiled as they released each other. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, if you must know, I came to see baby Robin," Kurt teased.

"And me," Sugar added.

"I'm glad you're here," Blaine said happily.

"Hey," Sam said, clasping Kurt on the arm. "I have to admit... I miss your cooking."

Kurt laughed. "After living with just my dad for so long, how I actually enjoyed living with you and Finn will forever be a mystery. But I miss you, too. I'm glad your family was able to come back to Ohio, though."

"Me too," Sam agreed.

The bell rang and Blaine offered an apologetic shrug. "_Class_," he whined.

"I've got work, anyway," Kurt reminded him. "Talk to you tonight?"

"Absolutely," Blaine agreed.

Kurt _really_ wanted to reach out and pull Blaine by his tie into a goodbye kiss, but he resisted. Instead, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and squeezed it as a silent goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The second day of school passed much more quickly than the first, and Blaine was pleased with how the day had gone by the time he settled into his chair in the choir room for glee rehearsal. His classes were going to be easy enough, which meant he would definitely be able to focus a great deal of his time on being captain of New Directions and on applying to colleges.

"Glee!" Mr. Schu exclaimed as he entered the room a short time later. He had no explanation for his absence the day before, but Blaine didn't care. It had been nice to have the entire afternoon to spend with Kurt.

"We are coming off of a national championship," Mr. Schu reminded them, "but it's time to look forward. And, thanks to glee now being the coolest club in the school, this shouldn't be a problem."

Blaine grinned and glanced around at his classmates. When he had transferred to McKinley, he had never imagined that New Directions could ever be as popular as the Warblers were at Dalton, but maybe he had been wrong. He had already been high-fived three times in the past day and a half by complete strangers in the hallway.

"Yes," Mr. Schu continued, "we've lost some big voices. But we still have some huge ones in here. And I promise to do everything I can to replace the ones that we lost."

Blaine's chest constricted slightly as he thought about Kurt, but he tried to ignore the feeling. He and Kurt had survived attending separate schools before. They would survive this.

"And, on that note," Mr. Schu said, "I'd like to introduce you to our newest member... the MVP of last year's Nationals: Wade 'Unique' Adams!"

As Unique entered the room, Blaine felt an unexpected surge of defensiveness.

"I wanted to be somewhere where different was celebrated," Unique explained as she stood beside Mr. Schu at the front of the room.

"We are so excited to have you!" Mr. Schu gushed.

When the applause from the students was weak at best, Mr. Schu turned a critical eye on the group. "Guys," he chided, "where's the love?"

Blaine, waging an internal war between wanting to be kind and wanting to be in charge, decided that honesty was probably the best idea. "I think Wade is great," he tried to save them from what was rapidly becoming an awkward situation, "but the competition to be the new Rachel is already so intense. The last thing that we need is... one more contender."

"The 'new Rachel'?" Mr. Schu repeated, confused.

"Every glee club needs a star performer," Tina explained. "Rachel was that and, now that she's gone, many of us want the job."

"Okay," Mr. Schu scolded, "we don't win with stars. We win as a _team_. One that supports new members. I don't want to hear any more of this 'new Rachel' stuff, okay?"

None of the students agreed, but Mr. Schu took the silence as acceptance.

"Have a seat, Wade," Mr. Schu suggested, and Blaine reluctantly lifted his arm from the empty chair beside him so the new student could sit down.

"Make no mistake," Unique said quietly to Blaine as soon as she was settled into the chair and Mr. Schu was distracted at the front of the room, "Unique _will_ be the new Rachel."

Competitiveness flared inside Blaine.

"We decide this on our own, then," he replied coolly. "Thunderdome style."

He turned to look at the others. "Five o'clock," he told them, "in the auditorium."

"Okay!" Mr. Schu clapped his hands, turning his attention back to the room. "Let's talk themes! Who has ideas?"

Blaine turned his attention back to their teacher, but he struggled to focus as Mr. Schu carried on about possible song ideas and costume changes and other things that had clearly been floating around in his head all summer. Thankfully, once they had agreed on a few possible themes and songs to start learning, Mr. Schu decided to end the rehearsal early. Blaine, Tina, Unique, and Brittany got up together to walk to the auditorium, but they were interrupted by Artie before they made it out of the choir room.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"The auditorium," Blaine told him.

"Why?" Artie asked.

"Shhh!" Tina scolded. "Just come."

With Artie in tow, the group walked silently to the auditorium.

"So," Tina said as they arrived, "here are the rules. We perform the song for Artie. He makes his choice. We go to Mr. Schu as a group and we tell him who the new lead soloist is."

That seemed acceptable to Blaine, so he remained silent.

"Hopefully it'll be me," Tina added, "because that's what Rachel wanted."

"Though I am uncomfortable doing this behind Mr. Schu's back," Artie said, "I am a director. Therefore, I never pass up an opportunity to judge people."

"What song are we singing?" Unique asked.

"What Rachel would sing if she were here," Tina offered. "The song of the summer: _Call Me Maybe_. Do you need time to prepare?"

"I can sing any song, any time," Wade replied immediately. "Just press play and get back."

They sang and danced the song together, each trying to out-perform the other, and, by the time they finished, Blaine felt confident that he had done enough to secure the title. As the song ended, Blaine fell to one knee and threw his arms out, hoping to channel a little bit of the _real_ Rachel.

"So, Artie," he asked, "who's the new Rachel?"

Artie closed his notebook and remained silent for a moment, studying the group on the stage.

"I'll get back to you," he said authoritatively.

"What?" Tina whined.

"This is not a decision to be made lightly!" Artie argued.

"Whatever," Unique said. "We all know who's gonna win, anyway."

"Thank you, Artie," Blaine ignored the others as he stood up. "See you guys tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine ran into Brittany in the parking lot of the Lima Bean before school. Whenever Kurt had an early shift, Blaine tried to come by in the morning for his coffee so he could see Kurt for a few minutes. And, because it was so close to school, other students from McKinley were usually there.

As soon as they walked in the door, Blaine saw Kurt. He was hunched over the counter writing something on a small piece of paper. Blaine and Brittany moved toward an empty table, and Blaine managed to catch Kurt's attention. A huge smile stretched across Kurt's face as their eyes met.

Blaine waved, knowing that Kurt knew both of their orders, before sitting down. Brittany sat down across from him and an awkward silence fell between them.

"So," Blaine asked the first question that came to his mind, "how's Santana?"

"She's good!" Brittany said. "She's just really busy with cheerleading practice. And it's hard making out over Skype. You can't really scissor a webcam."

Blaine didn't know what to say to that, so he was grateful when Kurt suddenly appeared beside them and changed the subject.

"Here's an extra hot soy latte for him and a no-whipped chocolate for her!" Kurt said cheerfully, placing drinks in front of each of them.

Blaine glanced down at the soy latte in front of him. Since Kurt had started working at the Lima Bean, Blaine had decided to start ordering something different every time he came in so Kurt could show off the different drinks he was learning to make. Blaine wasn't sure if he was going to like this particular drink, so he decided not to take a sip of it right away.

"Merci!" Brittany said as Kurt grabbed a chair to sit with them.

"I can't wait for Friday," Kurt gushed as he sat down.

"Why?" Blaine asked.

"Glee club auditions!" Kurt answered brightly.

"That sounds like fun," Brittany said unenthusiastically, and Blaine tried not to look as sad as he felt inside. Kurt didn't want to be in Lima helping New Directions find new members. He wanted to be in New York. Moving on with his life. Blaine felt like he was being smothered by Kurt's forced enthusiasm.

"It'll be nice," Blaine said, playing with the lid on his cup and mentally chastising himself for the apathy in his voice.

"Is it depressing that I'm more excited about it than either of you?" Kurt asked nervously.

"No! No, not at all!" Blaine said immediately.

"Yeah," Brittany said simultaneously, "a little bit."

"No, no" Blaine reiterated his lie. "No, it's –"

"Excuse me!" A female voice from behind Blaine saved him from having to make up some reason why it was okay for Kurt to still be in Lima. "Garçon?"

Kurt glanced over at the new voice before jumping up and hurrying over to where the girl was sitting. Blaine twisted around in his seat and realized that he knew her. She was a cheerleader named Kitty; she and some of her popular friends had been sitting with Blaine and the other members of glee club at lunch since the first day of school. Blaine couldn't hear what she said to Kurt, but Kurt turned to look back at Blaine and Blaine had to look away. He heard Kurt's manager scolding him for something, and Blaine felt a sudden urge to leave.

"Let's head out," he said to Brittany. "Looks like Kurt's going to be busy for a while, anyway."

"Okay!" Brittany said brightly.

As they reached the door, Blaine turned and met Kurt's eyes across the room. He wasn't sure what to make of Kurt's expression, so he made a motion with his hand that suggested a phone and mouthed to Kurt that he'd call him before pushing the door open and stepping out into the sunlight.

"Is Kurt coming to your house later?" Brittany asked before she unlocked the door to her car.

"Uh, maybe," Blaine answered, unsure. They hadn't planned to meet up that evening, but maybe he would suggest it when he talked to Kurt later. "Why?"

"He needs a hug," Brittany answered simply.

Blaine sighed. He didn't want to talk about it. "Yeah," he agreed. "See you at school."

Brittany waved and twirled around to climb into her car. During the short drive to school, Blaine tried to distract himself from thinking about Kurt by turning on the radio, but every song reminded him of the other boy. _Everything_ reminded him of Kurt.

He had prepared himself for Kurt's departure. Had steeled himself for the loneliness. Had made physical lists, now hidden away in a box under his bed, of ways to keep their relationship strong despite the distance.

But he had not prepared himself for this. For a situation where Kurt was physically present but emotionally checked out.

* * *

><p>The summer had started off nicely. Kurt had been devastated by NYADA's rejection, but his confidence had quickly taken over and he had applied to every musical theater program in New York that would take summer applications. He had even applied to a few traditional universities, hoping that transferring to NYADA might be easier than applying straight from high school.<p>

That couple of weeks had been some of the best of Blaine's entire life. Kurt was _so_ fired up about not giving up and making it to New York _no matter what_ that he had been _so_ full of energy. And he had wanted Blaine by his side every second because "soon we won't be able to be together all the time". They had gone to Columbus to see the Michael Jackson _Cirque du Soleil_ show with their friends. They had gone swimming and to the movies and on long walks in areas remote enough that they felt totally comfortable swinging their intertwined hands between them. They had done things together in the privacy of Blaine's bedroom while his parents were at work that _still_ made Blaine feel butterflies in his stomach when he thought about them.

It was the weekend after the Fourth of July that things had started to unravel.

On the holiday, Kurt and Blaine had gone out with their group of friends from New Directions to watch fireworks. And on the way back to Blaine car, Rachel accidentally said it. The word "we".

"Hey Kurt, when we get to New York, we _definitely_ need to –"

The whole thing had been ten times worse than it should have been because she caught herself mid-sentence and stammered into silence. And suddenly everyone in the group was looking at Kurt.

Kurt had laughed and told everyone that he had been "_rejected_, not banned!" from NYADA and that they didn't need to walk on egg shells around him. But Blaine had seen the shame in his eyes.

A few days later, when Blaine arrived at Kurt's house to pick him up so they could go to the mall, Kurt had finally had the emotional meltdown that had been building up inside of him since graduation. Kurt had mostly been a hysterical mess of words like "useless" and "loser" and "stupid", and it had taken Blaine a full thirty minutes to calm him down enough to get a few coherent sentences out of him.

Kurt had been horribly embarrassed when he finally calmed down, and the only reason he said anything other than "I'm so sorry" for the rest of the day – spent cuddling on Kurt's bed instead of at the mall – was because Blaine had insisted that he wasn't leaving until he was sure that Kurt was okay.

So, while Blaine held him and rubbed his hand along Kurt's side, Kurt had told him his new plan.

The rejection letters from most the applications that he had sent out early in the summer had come back, trickling in and piling up on Kurt's desk like a physical representation of his failure. He had been accepted to one program in New York, but as an early admission for the spring semester rather than a late admission for the fall semester. All the rest weren't accepting any more students or didn't want to offer Kurt a slot in their programs. And Kurt couldn't take it anymore. Holding on to the hope that he might get to go to New York was too much. He was going to stay in Lima. Attend community college, find a job, and re-apply to NYADA for the spring semester.

Blaine had tried to talk him out of it. It felt like Kurt had given up on himself; it was easier for Kurt to deal with the mundane existence he was living in Ohio than to hold on to his big dreams and watch them get crushed over and over again all summer. But Kurt had snapped at him that he didn't understand, and Blaine had realized that it wasn't his decision to make. Pushing Kurt toward New York while he was so upset was only going to push Kurt away from Blaine.

In the end, Blaine had agreed to drop the subject only after Kurt _promised_ that he would re-apply to NYADA as soon as possible.

They hadn't spoken about it again since that day.

* * *

><p>Blaine felt emotionally numb by the time he got to school. He threw his coffee away without even tasting it. He had never anticipated that Kurt's unhappiness would affect him so profoundly. But, over the past two months, Kurt's self-deprecating jokes and forced enthusiasm about things had been piling up on Blaine's shoulders like he was hoarding them. Blaine was trying so hard to make Kurt remember how amazing and talented and <em>special<em> he was that it was all he could think about when he was with Kurt. No, you're not a failure. No, it's not sad. No, you're not going to amount to nothing. I love you. You're amazing.

Fortunately, the one thing that had _not_ changed was Kurt's affection for Blaine. So, despite the _thing_ hanging over their heads whenever they were together, their relationship was solid. One of the ways that Blaine rationalized Kurt's decision to stay was that everything was so _good_ between them. They had anticipated being apart – seeing each other on laptop screens and hearing each other through cell phones – but, instead, they could still see each other almost every day. They could sing together in the car and eat junk food together while they watched reality television and hold each other and touch each other.

So, Blaine tried to believe, maybe it was okay that Kurt had decided to stay in Lima for one more semester.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As Kurt watched Blaine and Brittany leave, he huffed out a frustrated breath and hurried to fill the biscotti container.

He knew that hanging around Lima and making stupid jokes at his own expense didn't sit well with Blaine, but Kurt didn't know what else to do. He _had_ to joke about it. At least this way he was in control of making fun of himself so others wouldn't do it for him.

The morning rush ebbed away, and soon Kurt was left with little to do but absentmindedly pretend to clean things and try not to think too hard.

What if he went to New York, just because? He could find a job and live with Rachel in an unbearably small apartment and it would be just like they imagined. Except that Kurt would be doing... what? He could apply to work at a Broadway theater as a janitor or the person who runs the coat closet. He could get a job as a waiter or a cashier and just _be_ in New York.

In reality, somewhere deep inside, Kurt was incubating the inkling of a secondary dream that could be his backup if NYADA didn't work out. Fashion. Maybe he could get an internship somewhere. Could you get an internship if you weren't a student?

Kurt shook his head. No. It was better to wait for NYADA's decision and deal with the consequences then. That was the logical thing to do. Plus, he would spare himself the humiliation of going to New York and being forced to come crawling back in shame when he couldn't afford anything.

But what if he didn't get into NYADA on his second try? Sure, he had been a finalist once, but did that really matter now? What if he had to spend his entire life in Ohio? Could he be content getting a basic degree at a basic university and settling into a severely basic life?

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"You've had enough time," Tina grilled Artie at lunch, "so who is it?"

"You can't rush the casting process," Artie scolded. "My genius needs its dream time."

Blaine was about to ask if Artie had any finalists in mind when they were interrupted by a student Blaine had never seen before.

"You guys are the glee club, right?" the girl stumbled a little over her words as she stopped beside their table. "Hi!"

She was clearly very nervous, so Blaine nodded encouragingly.

"I'm gonna try out," the girl said. "I'm a sophomore. My name is Marley."

"Great," Tina said indifferently, "well, lots of competition, so good luck to you."

Marley's eyes flickered to Blaine's, and he offered a little smile. Marley's smile in return was huge, and she turned and quickly walked away. Blaine watched her go, but was quickly distracted by Unique's arrival.

"Unique offers her greetings and salutations," she said as he sat down beside Blaine.

"Wade, you can't wear that makeup and stuff in here," Sam scolded. "You have to know how this stuff works. It's like _Game of Thrones_."

"Yeah," Artie agreed. "The truce between us and the truly popular kids is weak. Winter is coming. It's not going to take much for us to get smacked down to the bottom again."

Blaine was conflicted. He never wanted someone to feel like they couldn't be whoever they were, but he also knew the benefits of fitting in. "Maybe you should just save Unique for performances," Blaine offered, "and– and be Wade the rest of the time."

Unique looked disappointed, and Blaine felt a stab of guilt. "Alright," Unique said, "I'll go take off my face."

As she stood up to leave, Blaine glanced at the rest of the group, hoping that _someone_ would say something. Would say that it was okay. That Unique was always welcome. But nobody said a word.

Kitty and a few football players interrupted any conversation they might have had about the subject, and suddenly the table was full of insults being hurled at an overweight lunch lady across the room. Insecurity flooded into Blaine's veins as he listened to them saying horrible things about the woman. But he knew that if he spoke up, _he_ would quickly become the target of their cruelty.

It had happened to him multiple times at his school before Dalton. Before he had come out, Blaine had been marginally popular. Friendly with most of his fellow students but without many close friends. After learning what "gay" meant and absorbing the way his friends reacted to the idea one day on the playground in second grade, Blaine had been firmly in the closet. And being in the closet made it difficult to really let people in. More than once, it had meant that he had to laugh at "jokes" about being gay to avoid being scrutinized.

It was a mindset that was difficult to shed, even a few years and a great deal of confidence and maturity later.

"Right, Artie?"

Blaine was dragged back to the present as one of the football players at the table looked to Artie for a joke about the lunch lady. There was a long moment of silence as everyone at the table looked to Artie. Blaine knew that his friend didn't want to make a joke at the woman's expense, but Blaine could see some of the same insecurity in Artie's eyes as Blaine felt.

"When she sits around the house, she really sits around the house," Artie blurted out.

The football players and cheerleaders laughed approvingly, and Blaine felt ashamed. He laughed, more out of nervousness than anything, but the guilt stayed with him. Being popular was starting to feel much more like a prison than a privilege.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As if the universe wanted to punish him for his attitude, Kurt ended up having to work a few extra hours that afternoon to accommodate a sick co-worker. By the time he got home, he was impressed with himself when he remembered to call Blaine instead of collapsing into bed and sleeping for twelve hours.

"Hey, you!" Blaine answered.

"Hi," Kurt said. "Just got home."

"How was work?" Blaine asked.

"Average," Kurt said unenthusiastically. "I don't want to talk about it. How was your day?"

"Average," Blaine teased.

"Shut up," Kurt mumbled.

Kurt forgot about how exhausted he was as they continued to talk – about Blaine's classes and crazy customers at the Lima Bean and New Directions and, finally, about all the things they would do and see together if they ever won the lottery – and, by the time they said goodnight, Kurt felt much better.

Even if he ended up living an ordinary life, devoid of fame and fortune, Blaine would be by his side. And that would make his life worth living.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Work on Friday morning flew by because Kurt had something to look forward to. Glee club auditions in the auditorium.

"Hey," Blaine whispered as Kurt hurried down the row of seats to sit beside him.

"I can't believe we actually have to have _auditions_ to choose the best people this year," Kurt whispered back. "Usually, we're begging anyone who can kinda sing and walk in a straight line to join."

Blaine hummed his agreement and slid the camera they had brought along to record the auditions closer to Kurt. "You run this," he suggested.

"Okay!" Mr. Schu interrupted from his seat behind them, "Let's get started!"

Kurt leaned forward and started the camera before settling into his seat. "Remember, guys," Kurt said to the group, "we're looking for superstars!"

Much to Kurt's dismay, the first few auditions were anything but star-worthy. "Are there words to this song?" Blaine asked as one girl danced around the stage. Kurt didn't know what to say. This was not the kind of audition process he had imagined. After a stream of average-to-horrible auditions, Kurt was rapidly approaching the end of his patience.

"I feel like Simon on American Idol," he whispered to Blaine as the next contender walked onto the stage, "but without the money in my bank account to ease the pain."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Hello, sir," Mr. Schu greeted the next person in line. "What's your name?"

"Jake," the student replied.

"You got a last name, Jake?" Mr. Schu asked as he wrote the boy's first name in his notebook.

"Uh, just Jake," the boy replied.

"Okay, um, well, show us what you've got, 'just Jake'," Mr. Schu allowed.

Much to Kurt's relief, Jake was amazing. Kurt barely heard some of the students behind him commenting on Jake's attractiveness because he couldn't take his attention off of the boy on the stage. His voice was fabulous. He was cute. Kurt was grateful that _someone_ was going to make it into New Directions today.

Mr. Schu cut Jake off after the first verse of the song, clearly having heard enough to know that Jake would be perfect for New Directions, and Jake looked confused.

"I don't get to finish?" Jake asked.

"We've got a lot of people to see," Mr. Schu explained.

"But I've been practicing," Jake argued.

"We've seen enough," Mr. Schu said decisively. "Thank you."

Jake turned around, grabbed one of the violinists' stands, and threw it on the ground. The music fluttered all over the stage as Jake turned to leave.

"That's rude and unacceptable!" Kurt scolded.

"I'll handle this," Mr. Schu said, silencing Kurt and the other students with a wave of his hand. He stood up. "Jake," he called, "c'mon, man, why don't you pick up the music stand?"

Kurt knew immediately that Jake wasn't going to oblige. The boy on the stage gave a mock bow and looked Mr. Schu in the eye for a moment before turning and walking away. Kurt rolled his eyes. All that talent and he threw it away because of a bad attitude. They didn't have time for this.

"Next!" he called out.

A slender young woman with brown hair walked onto the stage, and Blaine nudged Kurt's side.

"She's nervous. Be nice," he whispered.

Kurt raised an eyebrow, but he nodded.

"Hello, I'm Marley Rose," the girl introduced herself, "and I'll be singing _New York State of Mind_, written by Billy Joel."

It almost sounded like a question, and Kurt grinned. She was definitely nervous.

"Popularized by one Miss Barbara Streisand," Unique added.

That made Kurt think of Rachel, and he wondered how she was doing in New York. She hadn't called all day.

Marley sang the song – Mr. Schu allowed her to sing the whole thing, and Kurt wondered if he was trying to avoid another meltdown – and she was fabulous. Kurt's hope in finding new students was quickly restored.

"Thank you!" Mr. Schu said as the group in the audience applauded at the end of the song. "Thank you! Wow," he turned to Kurt and the students of New Directions, "now _that's_ what I call star quality! What do you guys think?"

"Ten," Sugar said.

"She's good," Blaine said quietly. "She's good."

Kurt turned and gave Blaine a suspicious look, but Blaine ignored him.

They reached the end of the audition list without another standout. "How is it that, in this _entire_ school, all we can find is one new member?" Kurt whined as he and Blaine walked to their cars.

"We'll figure it out," Blaine reassured him, squeezing their joined hands.

"We should go to Dalton and bribe some of the Warblers to transfer," Kurt mused.

Blaine laughed. "What we need is another Cheerio or two. They're always great dancers."

"Good luck with that," Kurt teased.

"It's going to work out, you'll see," Blaine reassured him. "And then I'm going to say 'I told you so'."

"You are a ridiculous optimist," Kurt smiled, pulling Blaine to a stop in front of his car so he could press a quick kiss to his lips.

"I know," Blaine agreed. "Happy weekend! See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," Kurt agreed. "My last weekend of freedom before college!" he fanned himself dramatically, which elicited a smirk from Blaine.

"Well, if that means I'm dating a hot college guy, I'm cool with it," he winked.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he turned to walk away.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday after school, Blaine walked into glee club to find Kurt crouched by a bunch of papers that were arranged in neat lines on the floor.

"Um, what's this?" Blaine asked.

"I'm organizing all the sheet music," Kurt explained as he stood up. He turned his attention briefly to Artie, who had just rolled into the room. "Artie, go around it, not over it!"

While Tina tried to bribe Artie into making her the new Rachel, Blaine studied Kurt's lines of sheet music. "You okay?" he asked.

"So, I get a little OCD sometimes," Kurt shrugged. "It's nice to be organized."

Blaine wondered if maybe Kurt's first day of community college hadn't gone well. "How was class today?" he asked.

Kurt shook his head, and Blaine knew that they needed to talk about it later. Alone.

"MVP in the house!" Unique announced as she walked into the room. When Blaine turned to look, he was surprised to see that she was wearing a dress and a wig and heels. She looked like Unique, not Wade.

"Bro," Joe said, "I thought we agreed you'd only wear that stuff on stage."

"What's wrong with you guys?" Kurt scolded. "This club is about diversity and acceptance! Or at least it _used_ to be."

Blaine felt a fresh surge of guilt. They should have accepted Unique from the start.

"And another thing," Kurt added. "Since when did everyone become so obsessed with who's the biggest star?"

"Since day one!" Tina retorted. "You and Rachel fought over solos for three years."

Blaine moved away from Kurt, who fell silent after Tina's rebuke, so he, Tina, Unique, and Brittany could gather around Artie.

"No more stalling, Artie," Tina said. "Who's the new Rachel?"

"Yeah, who is it?" Sugar said from her seat on top of the piano.

"Tell us," Brittany urged him.

Artie looked at all of them for a moment before speaking. "After meticulous deliberation and an online poll," Artie said as he wheeled through their group before turning to face them, "the new Rachel is... Blaine."

Blaine didn't hear what the others were saying as a wave of relief and satisfaction washed over him. He was _it_. Senior year was going to be amazing.

"Guys!" Mr. Schu announced as he walked into the room with Marley close behind, "this young lady gave, hands down, one of the best auditions I have ever seen. Let's give it up for our newest member: Marley Rose!"

The group cheered and applauded, and now that the question about who would lead the group had been settled, Blaine felt _so_ much better about having new members. "Marley," Blaine said, deciding that now was a good time to start _being_ the leader, "on behalf of all of the New Directions, welcome!"

"Thank you," Marley beamed at him. "I'm really excited to be here!"

"I really like your sweater," Sugar commented. "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh!" Marley said, glancing down and tugging on her sweater. "Thanks! Um, J. Crew."

She didn't sound sure, but Blaine didn't think it was normal for most people to remember exactly where they bought every item of clothing in their closet.

"Really?" Sugar pressed.

Marley nodded, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

"It's beautiful," Kurt said, breaking the tension. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Marley said, offering Kurt a relieved smile.

"Alright," Mr. Schu said, "well, does anyone have anything they need to say before we get started?"

"We've elected Blaine to be our captain this year," Artie said, and everyone turned to look at Blaine.

"Yeah?" Mr. Schu said. "Alright. I think we all know you're up to the challenge, Blaine! Good."

It was a relaxed rehearsal. Blaine helped Kurt finish organizing the sheet music while the rest of the group brought Marley up to speed on how glee club worked, and then they all spent the last fifteen minutes of the rehearsal teaching Marley some standard dance moves. By the end, everyone was laughing and having a great time, even Kurt.

"Thanks for coming today, guys," Mr. Schu dismissed them at the end of the hour. "See you tomorrow!"

"Satisfied?" Blaine teased Kurt as he filed the final pile of sheet music away.

"Thank you for humoring my OCD," Kurt grinned and pecked a quick kiss to Blaine's lips before walking over to pick up his bag. Blaine grabbed his bag, too, and they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway toward the parking lot.

"So, class today?" Blaine asked again, hoping that he'd get a real answer now that they weren't in a group.

"I dunno," Kurt said. "It's pretty much exactly what I expected. I think my math class might be decent, but the others just seem like a waste of time. Although," he added, "I guess if I end up transferring to a school that's not NYADA, maybe I'll need the credits."

"You're _going to_ get into NYADA, Kurt," Blaine nudged him with his elbow. "And, hey, a semester's worth of A's might look really great on your application."

Kurt shrugged.

As Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand as a goodbye and they walked to their separate cars, Blaine made a decision. Kurt had to get out of Ohio. With every passing day, Kurt was losing his confidence and his sense of self. By the time his NYADA application for the spring semester was due, would Kurt even feel up to the challenge? He needed to go now, before his fears got the best of him and he was forced to live a life of regret.

So, instead of getting into his car, Blaine leaned back against the driver's door and pretended to do something on his phone until Kurt's car disappeared down the street. Then, he ran back into the building. There weren't many students still around, but Blaine was relieved when he saw a Cheerio he knew from his history class.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her at her locker, "can I ask a favor?"

The girl nodded. "Let me guess," she asked, "you want to sing a song in the courtyard and you want backup."

Blaine blinked a few times, surprised, and the Cheerio laughed. "I was there last year when you did the song and dance and then the piano burst into flames," she reminded him.

"Oh," Blaine remembered. "Well, uh, yes. I need to sing a song to someone, and I want it to be fun..."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day at lunch, Kurt brought coffee from the Lima Bean to McKinley and he and Blaine sat down together at one of the tables in the courtyard. Blaine was glad that it was a beautiful day; it hadn't been difficult to get Kurt to agree to sit outside. Kurt's classes were all on Monday/Wednesday/Friday so he could work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but his boss had given him the week off to adjust to his new classes. It meant that they could have lunch together every day of the week.

"... and Rachel wanted me to tell you that she's flattered that all of you fought to be the 'new Rachel'," Kurt said as they drank their coffee. "And she's happy for you."

"Aww," Blaine smiled. "Well, nobody can replace Rachel Berry – or Kurt Hummel, for that matter – but I'm glad she approves."

"Just... don't get too power hungry," Kurt teased, but there was a spark of seriousness in his eyes, too.

Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Of _course_ I think you should be the lead soloist," Kurt said. "But can I give you some advice?"

Blaine nodded.

"Even when Rachel was her most controlling," Kurt explained gently, "she still made sure everyone felt included."

"Okay," Blaine acknowledged, both because he agreed and because the anticipation of what he was about to do was rapidly requiring all of his focus. "You have a point."

Kurt smiled at him and took a drink of his coffee, and Blaine knew it was now or never. It was time to push Kurt away from the comfort of Lima and McKinley and _Blaine_. To send him to his future in New York.

"Can I give _you_ some advice?" Blaine asked, careful to keep his voice light and positive.

Kurt gave him silent permission as he put his cup down, and Blaine tried to calm his racing heart. He had to say this the right way.

"You can't... be here anymore, Kurt," Blaine said.

"I get it," Kurt said immediately, staring at the coffee cup in his hands. "I know. I'm pathetic."

"_No_," Blaine stressed. "No, you're not pathetic! It's just that you're... you're _stuck_."

Kurt looked up from the table, and Blaine hoped that all the love he was feeling was showing on his face. He was so scared that Kurt was going to get defensive and push back. But Kurt didn't look upset. If anything, he looked a little sad.

"You don't belong here anymore," Blaine said softly. "You belong in New York."

"And I'm re-applying for NYADA," Kurt reminded him. "But I can't just _go_ to New York!"

"You don't _need_ NYADA," Blaine disagreed. "And, believe me, I don't want you to go... but I just can't stand to see you stay here. It's killing you. And that's killing me."

He was surprised to see that Kurt's expression was still mostly neutral. Maybe Kurt had been thinking about this more than he let on.

"What about us?" Kurt asked.

"In a year, I'll be there too," Blaine reassured him. "But right now is your time."

Kurt didn't look opposed to the idea, but he didn't look convinced either.

"You're ready," Blaine added.

The corners of Kurt's mouth twitched upward, and Blaine knew Kurt was almost there. Almost ready to make the decision to get out of the small town and chase his dreams in the big city. Blaine turned to look at the cheerleaders at the table beside them, giving the silent signal to begin the song, and they began the beat with the plastic cups in their hands.

Kurt turned to look at them, and Blaine could tell that he hadn't yet made the connection that _Blaine_ was responsible for this new commotion. But, as the band – hidden on the staircase – began to play, Blaine saw the realization in Kurt's eyes. And the gratitude. And the embarrassment.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt had known that this conversation was coming. Blaine had tried to hide the way that Kurt's situation was affecting him, but Kurt had seen it. How Blaine had been less enthusiastic lately. Kurt's lack of contentment had been affecting everyone around him, and Kurt knew that he had to leave. But he was so scared.

As Blaine teased him by pointing back over his shoulder toward where the band was hidden on the stairs, Kurt wondered how he was going to get through rough moments in New York without Blaine's presence to steady him.

Kurt buried his face in one hand, happily embarrassed, as Blaine began to sing. Despite all his anxiety, Kurt couldn't hold back a smile as he watched Blaine across the table. Blaine was proud of himself for this.

_So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent_

_And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit right to the top_

_Don't look back_

_Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check_

As Blaine stood up, Kurt thought about the two other times Blaine had performed in this courtyard. Like this, both of those performances had been a complete surprise to Kurt. A surprise goodbye from Blaine and the Warblers when Kurt had decided to transfer back to McKinley and an enthusiastic, and very public, audition for New Directions the following year.

And now this. A song to let Kurt know that it was time to go.

_I don't ever want to let you down_

_I don't ever want to leave this town_

_'Cause, after all, this city never sleeps at night_

As Blaine walked away toward the large concrete staircase, Kurt twisted around on his bench and pulled his knees up to his chest to watch Blaine jump rope as he sang.

_It's time to begin, isn't it?_

_I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit I'm just the same as I was_

_Oh, don't you understand?_

_I'm never changing who I am_

Blaine rushed over to the side of the courtyard and danced in sync with a few other students, and Kurt wondered how he had convinced so many people to help. It wasn't really such a surprise, though. Kurt couldn't imagine anyone saying no to Blaine.

_This road never looked so lonely_

_This house doesn't burn down slowly_

_To ashes_

_To ashes_

Blaine returned to the cement staircase, and Kurt stood up so he could see better as Blaine and a circle of students kept the beat going with more red plastic cups. They had practiced this. Kurt felt a surge of gratitude and a little guilt for holding off for so long that Blaine felt the need to do something like this.

_It's time to begin, isn't it?_

_I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit I'm just the same as I was_

_Now don't you understand?_

_I'm never changing who I am_

_It's time to begin, isn't it?_

_I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit I'm just the same as I was_

_Don't you understand?_

_I'm never changing who I am_

As Blaine approached him again and the song wound down, Kurt was grateful that Blaine had chosen a song that was upbeat. It made it easier not to burst into tears in the middle of such a public place. Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck and took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of Blaine, the feel of Blaine's arms squeezing around his waist. He felt _safe_ in Blaine's arms.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Kurt said.

Blaine's arms briefly squeezed him tighter before Blaine released him. "Me too," Blaine admitted as he stepped back and looked like he was trying to memorize what Kurt looked like.

"The year's going to fly by," Kurt said, trying to convince them both. "A year from right now we'll be skipping through Central Park together."

Blaine smiled his approval, and Kurt had to pull him into another hug. "Thank you," Kurt whispered.

"I love you," Blaine said, his voice muffled because it was buried against Kurt's shoulder.

It was like a switch had suddenly been flipped in Kurt's mind. He was going to New York. Soon. This week, maybe, if he could pack fast enough. He needed to call Rachel. Or maybe he should wait until he actually had a ticket. Where was he going to live? How was he going to afford food? Or anything? How was he supposed to know where he was safe? What if he couldn't remember how to read the Subway maps?

"Oh my god," Kurt gasped, pulling out of the hug. "This is insane."

"The _good_ kind of insane," Blaine amended calmly. "Kurt, you can do this."

"I don't know," Kurt said. He could feel his pulse pounding in his ears.

"I do," Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Can we go pack?" Kurt asked breathlessly.

"Right now?" Blaine laughed. "Kurt, it's the middle of a school day."

"Yeah," Kurt realized. "Okay. I need to... I need to quit my job. Oh god. And– my dad. My _dad_! Blaine..."

"I talked to him," Blaine admitted sheepishly.

"What?" Kurt gasped.

"I just wanted to see how he felt about me... nudging you toward New York," Blaine explained. "He's cool with it. He said he figured you'd decide to go soon, regardless."

"I don't want to leave," Kurt argued, clutching Blaine's hand like a lifeline.

"But you want to go," Blaine reminded him. He tugged at Kurt's hand to lead him back to their table, but he sat down beside Kurt instead of across from him.

"Look at me," Blaine said.

Kurt turned to make eye contact. He felt both sick with nerves and lightheaded with excitement.

"Go tell your boss at the Lima Bean," Blaine instructed. "And then go talk to your dad. I'll be over as soon as school ends, okay?"

"I love you so much," Kurt gushed through a sudden onslaught of emotion.

Blaine leaned over and kissed Kurt's cheek. "I love you, too. Now go," he nudged Kurt with his shoulder and released his hand. "I'll see you after school.

Kurt obeyed, stopping by the Lima Bean on the way home to quit his job before driving to the tire shop where his father was spending a rare day making sure everything was running smoothly while he was in Washington DC.

"Dad!" Kurt ran into the shop, unable to contain his excitement. "Dad?"

"Hey, kiddo!" Burt said, appearing out of the main office. "Talk to Blaine today?"

"I'm going to New York!" Kurt sobbed, surprised by his sudden burst of emotion. Burt wrapped him in a hug and Kurt's chest ached as he realized how much he was going to miss his father.

"But, Dad," Kurt realized as he stepped back from the hug, "how am I–?"

"You're going to sell your car," Burt answered one of Kurt's questions. "I already have a guy who'll buy it for what I think is a reasonable price... sorry! I didn't tell him he could _have _it yet, but I knew– don't look at me like that! Anyway, that'll give you enough money to start out. And you're a smart kid, Kurt. With a lot of people who love you and who want to help you do your thing. You're going to be just fine."

"Can I say goodbye to my car?" Kurt squeaked.

Burt laughed, and they cleaned out Kurt's car together. By the time Burt dropped him off at home, Kurt was exhausted, but he knew there was still _so_ much to do. He needed to pack. And buy a plane ticket. And figure out how he was getting from the airport in New York to... where? He glanced at the clock. Blaine wouldn't be over for at least two more hours.

Kurt passed the time by labeling everything. To go. To stay. To sell. To put in storage. It felt great to re-use the Post It notes he had used to do the same thing before his NYADA rejection. By the time Blaine arrived, a bouquet of bright flowers in one arm and a huge smile on his face, Kurt was pleased with his progress. Everything just needed to be boxed up.

"Hi," Blaine grinned, offering the flowers.

"Why, thank you," Kurt offered a quick curtsy as he took the flowers.

"You're the bravest person I know," Blaine said. "Don't ever forget it."

They turned up the radio and sang and danced around the room as they packed Kurt's things. Kurt was grateful for the light mood. He knew there was going to be a moment when they had to look at each other, touch each other, hold each other for the last time before everything changed, and he was dreading it.

Since Kurt had decided to leave most of his things – somehow, most of the things in his room at _home_ didn't feel right for his new life in the city – Kurt and Blaine were almost finished packing his "things to take with me" boxes by the time Carole arrived home with dinner. Burt got home shortly after his wife, carrying the money from selling Kurt's car, and they all sat down together to eat.

To Kurt's delight, Burt suggested that Blaine stay the night. So, after a phone call to Blaine's parents to make sure it was okay with them, Kurt dragged Blaine back upstairs so they could finish packing and buy Kurt a plane ticket.

"Oh god," Kurt said as they stared at the summary screen with all of his flight details on it. "This is real."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. Kurt turned to look at him, but he couldn't read Blaine's face. "You're going to New York the day after tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day at school dragged on forever for Blaine. Knowing that Kurt was at home finishing packing and explaining to his dad what to do with everything made schoolwork seem completely unimportant. It wasn't until Brittany sat down beside him at lunch that Blaine found a momentary distraction.

"I hereby revoke my vocal abilities from the glee club," she announced as she sat down.

"What?" Artie asked.

"Don't be so dramatic," Tina rolled her eyes.

"The competition was rigged from the start and I refuse to be part of such corruption," Brittany explained.

"Britney, I'm sorry, but I won fair and square," Blaine chided. "You can't just decide not to sing anymore. We all need your voice."

"I had a song in my heart, Blaine Warbler," Brittany said seriously, "and you killed it. Now I have a dead song in my heart, and pretty soon the corpse of my dead heart song is going to start to smell."

Blaine was surprised when she called him "Blaine Warbler", but he didn't know what to say. He knew that _he_ would've been severely disappointed if he had lost the leadership position to any of the others. He hoped that Brittany, and the others who were still upset, would cool down over time.

"Okay, guys," Kitty said, ignoring their conversation, "since we can't do a popularity homecoming float with all white people, I say I think we should do one with all white chrysanthemums."

Blaine had no idea what she was talking about.

"That's a good idea," Brittany agreed.

"We need a float?" one of the football players asked. "Why don't we just ride her?" He motioned toward the overweight lunch lady.

"Look at her boobs," Sugar added. "It's like two grocery bags full of soup."

Blaine cringed, but his sense of self-preservation grabbed the words that he wanted to say and shoved them back down his throat.

To his surprise, Marley spoke up. "That's really mean!" she scolded.

"Excuse me?" Kitty challenged.

"You don't know her," Marley elaborated. "You don't know what her life is like!"

"So?" Kitty replied. "Why do you care?"

"Because she's my mom."

Blaine's stomach lurched with guilt at Marley's unexpected confession. He should never have let this happen.

"I thought you guys were _different_," Marley grabbed her lunch tray and hurried away. A heavy, awkward silence fell over the table as she disappeared.

"Well," Kitty said, "that's unfortunate. But, anyway, back to homecoming..."

Blaine didn't hear much of what was said for the rest of the lunch period. He was so embarrassed and hurt for Marley, and when he coupled those emotions with everything he was feeling about Kurt, he felt incredibly overwhelmed. Glee rehearsal was awkward – Mr. Schu was upset that Marley had decided to drop out of New Directions, but he didn't know the reason why – and Blaine had never been so glad to drive away from school that afternoon.

Except that he was driving to Kurt's house to say goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt knew it had been against his father's better judgment, but Burt had decided that he and Carole would go out to an early dinner the night before Kurt left for New York. Burt made some excuse about not having much food in the fridge and that Kurt needed to finish packing, but they all knew that it was all really an excuse to give Kurt and Blaine a few hours alone.

Alone in the house, Kurt felt like he was waiting for Blaine on their first date; he was nervous and excited and wanted everything to be absolutely perfect. He had set the kitchen table for the two of them with candles and a bouquet of roses and had made Blaine's favorite pasta. He spent an hour deciding what to wear and getting dressed and fixing his hair.

When he finally opened the door to find Blaine standing on the front porch, it was clear that Blaine was feeling as nervous and emotional as Kurt. He was wearing one of Kurt's favorite outfits and had a cheesecake from Breadstix in his arms.

"Hi," Kurt said shyly.

"Hi," Blaine echoed. "I got..." he held out the cheesecake.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled. "Come on."

Blaine stepped into the house, and Kurt balanced the cheesecake in one hand so he could grab Blaine's hand with the other. He led him into the kitchen, where he had set up their food, and Blaine's delighted laugh washed over Kurt like a shower of happiness.

"_Kurt_," Blaine said. "You're moving tomorrow. You didn't need to spent time–"

"Which means," Kurt interrupted, "that I won't be able to have dinner with you for who knows how long. So I wanted it to be nice."

"You're the best," Blaine said softly, and Kurt tried to ignore the way his voice was thick with emotion.

Their spirits improved during dinner. They talked about the silly drama of New Directions and all the things Kurt was going to do in New York when he arrived. As they tried to figure out the best, most outrageous way to surprise Rachel, they laughed so hard that Kurt choked on his water and ended up sitting on the floor beside his chair as his laughter morphed into tears.

Blaine, who had jumped out of his seat and rushed over when Kurt had slipped out of his chair, sat down beside him and brushed the back of his hand against Kurt's cheek.

"I don't want to go!" Kurt sobbed.

Blaine tried to wrap his arms around Kurt's shoulders, but Kurt resisted. He wanted to be able to see Blaine's face. He grabbed both of Blaine's hands, instead.

"I'm serious," Kurt said fiercely, watching tears trail down Blaine's face. "I'll just wait for NYADA. I'll know by Christmas and that means I can stay here until then and that's good for _everyone_, really, I think it'll save tons of money and Rachel's really loving New York so she's fine there she doesn't need me around yet so this is all just really stupid, anyway, and –"

Blaine shook his head, and it was as powerful a message as if he had verbally interrupted. Kurt studied the agony and love in Blaine's eyes before he lost it completely and let himself tip over into Blaine's embrace. They sobbed together on the floor for what felt like hours, until Kurt felt like he had cried out every drop of water in his body. Then, they just stayed there on the floor together as Kurt tried to deal with the idea that he was about to abandon Blaine in this small town that both of them had always wanted to escape.

And he slowly realized that his entire body hurt from staying crumpled on the floor for so long.

"Ouch," he whined as he relaxed and gently pulled out of Blaine's arms.

Blaine remained silent as he stood up and offered a hand to Kurt to pull him to his feet, but, as soon as Kurt was steady enough to stand up on his own, Blaine pulled him forward into a desperate kiss.

"I'm," Blaine gasped between kisses, "gonna miss you so– so much. But!" Blaine pulled away, and Kurt could tell that his body and his mind were at war, "I want you to go, though. I want you– it's everything. You ever dreamed of."

"Not everything," Kurt reassured him, committing the way Blaine was looking at him to memory. "I'm _here_ now, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine breathed.

Kurt kissed him a few more times standing in the kitchen before intertwining their fingers to drag Blaine up the stairs to say a wordless goodbye.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Blaine spent the night again – accidentally, this time. After he showered, Blaine was so exhausted that he fell asleep against Kurt's chest while they cuddled in Kurt's bed – but he had to leave early in the morning for school.

They had gotten to say everything they wanted to say the night before. I love you. I'm going to miss you. I'm here for you. It's going to be okay. We can do this. I love you. So, when the time came for Blaine to climb into his car and drive away, they didn't say anything. Instead, Kurt hugged Blaine close with all his strength and breathed in the familiar, comforting scent of Blaine's hair gel. Blaine buried his face in the crook of Kurt's neck and they held on to each other until they couldn't put it off anymore.

They released each other just long enough for Kurt to tug Blaine forward by the front of his shirt into a sweet, gentle kiss. When he pulled away, Blaine's eyes were full of tears, but there was certainty in his expression, too. Blaine nodded and Kurt stared at him, unable to walk away.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's chin and tipped his face down for one final kiss before he turned and got into his car.

Kurt waved until Blaine's car disappeared from view.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

A few hours later, Kurt felt like he was living in a dream as he and his father drove to the airport. They didn't talk much, and Kurt knew it was because they were both worried about bursting into tears.

"Alright," Burt said as they pulled up to curb at the airport, "as soon as you find a place to live, I'll ship you the rest of your stuff. And you've got enough cash from selling your car to get you through at least two weeks at a motel. And the emergency credit card, which is only for what?"

"Emergencies," Kurt acknowledged, barely listening. He was having _major_ second thoughts. "Dad, this is silly. I don't have to be in New York to re-apply for NYADA. So, I can find a job that pays the same amount as the Lima Bean but pay ten times more in rent?"

"Yeah," Burt encouraged as he unbuckled his seat belt, "because it's an adventure!"

Sitting by the curb of the airport with his plane to New York looming on the other side of the building, Kurt thought that he might settle for never having an adventure ever again in his entire life if he could just stay home.

"Look," Burt continued, "all great artists need a little struggle in their lives. Didn't you tell me that Julia Roberts sold shoes in New York before she made it? Good enough for Pretty Woman, good enough for Kurt Hummel."

Kurt turned to look at the airport. He had never been on an airplane by himself before. How was he going to arrive in a city like New York and manage to find himself somewhere to live? This was a terrible idea.

"You scared?" his father's voice asked.

"Terrified," Kurt admitted.

"New York is gonna be a _breeze_ compared to Lima," Burt said. Kurt snapped his head around to look at his father. A _breeze_? More like a tornado of uncertainty and fear.

"Think about all the crap you've been putting up with the last couple years," his father elaborated. "You know the difference between this place and New York?"

"Decent bagels?" Kurt teased, trying to keep the mood reasonably light so he wouldn't dissolve into hysterical tears.

"New York is filled with people like you," Burt said. "People who aren't afraid to be different. You're gonna feel _at home_ there."

That had always been Kurt's mental image of moving to New York. Fleeing the small-town mindset of Ohio to the big city where people were always themselves. Where _he_ could be himself and be embraced for it.

Blaine's face flashed through his mind – ever since they had first met, Kurt's mental image of New York always included Blaine – but Kurt pushed it away. This was _not_ the time to start thinking about the fact that he was leaving Blaine behind.

What if New York wasn't everything he had always dreamed it would be?

"If you're not scared, it just means you're not sticking out your neck far enough," Burt added.

"You truly are the world's greatest dad," Kurt gushed before he could think too hard and stop himself.

"I know," his father teased, "it's written on the coffee mug you got me for Father's Day. Now get out of here," Burt pushed Kurt with his voice. "You're gonna miss your flight."

This was it.

Kurt unbuckled his seat belt and his father leaned across the car to wrap him in a tight hug. As Burt patted him twice on the back, Kurt realized that he had no idea when he would see him again. He had never gone more than a week or two without seeing his father. That one year Burt convinced him to attend a weeklong summer camp. When he had driven to St. Louis with his aunt and uncle and cousins for a week. When New Directions had gone to New York for Nationals. A surge of homesickness rushed through Kurt, and he _almost_ decided to call the whole thing off and rush home to climb into his bed and stay safe and warm forever. But he knew he had to go. He would hate himself later if he stayed.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," he said as he pulled out of the hug. He was proud of himself for being able to speak so clearly when so many emotions were thundering around in his mind.

"You can always come back," Burt reassured him.

Kurt climbed out of the car, retrieved his suitcase, and walked back to the open passenger door window.

"I love you," he said, hearing his voice trembling this time.

"I love you too, Kurt," Burt said vehemently.

Kurt turned and walked away, planning not to look back. But, as he reached the doorway to the airport, he _had_ to. He glanced back and was pleased to see that Burt hadn't immediately driven away. His father waved, and Kurt waved back before turning and walking into the airport.

The lady at the check-in desk was very nice – she asked Kurt why he was going to New York and seemed genuinely happy for him when he told her he was going to find a job and apply to performing arts school – and he made it through security at a moderate pace, so he ended up sitting at his gate with a few minutes to spare until boarding began.

He held his phone out in front of his face and tried to look both excited and nervous as he took a photo of himself to send to Blaine.

The response came back quickly: a photo of Blaine smiling his happiest, most hopeful smile. Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately and typed a response.

_Boarding soon. Not convinced that this is a good idea._

_It is!_ Blaine replied. _It's okay to be scared._

_I wish you were coming with me_, Kurt sent back.

_Me too!_ Blaine answered. _But Rachel's there, so you won't be alone. And I'm just a text or phone call away._

Kurt blinked a few times to keep the tears at bay. _I'll text you when I land, okay?_ he told Blaine.

_Okay_, Blaine said. _I love you!_

_I love you_, Kurt responded as an announcement signaled the start of the boarding process. _Thanks for everything._

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

With Kurt on the plane to New York, Blaine was thankful for the distraction of his final class of the day and for the plan that he and the rest of New Directions had to get Marley to reconsider leaving. Blaine could see Sam talking to the young woman as he and the other members of New Directions walked down the hallway toward Marley's locker, and he hoped that Sam's understanding would improve their chances of pulling Marley back into the group.

"We came to apologize," Artie explained as they approached the young woman.

"I think being popular felt a little too good," Tina admitted. "We forgot ourselves."

"Well, I didn't," Brittany chimed in. "I was always popular. But I do forget to wear underwear sometimes, though."

"The best part about glee club is that everyone gets to be a star," Blaine explained. "Which is why we were all hoping that you could come to rehearsal with us this afternoon and maybe sing lead vocal on one of the songs we're working on."

"And if words don't convince you," Unique added, "let the majesty and mystery of Unique's fabulousness be enough!"

Marley smiled and Blaine was hopeful that she would accept their offer.

"I mean it," Unique continued, walking over to stand beside Marley. "Glee club's a special place. I mean, where else could I dress like this and be welcomed with open arms?"

"Okay," Marley said, "one last thing... I don't think I'm comfortable sitting with a cheerleader and those guys at lunch."

"That won't be a problem," Kitty interrupted, approaching with the football players who were usually by her side. "We could handle Gimpy and The Tarantula Head and Richie Poor because you guys were national champs like us, but our invitation was not extended to Pre-Op Precious: Based on the Novel 'Barf' by Sapphire and Mike and Molly's daughter as part of our crew."

"Well," Blaine said, tired of playing the popularity game, "then I guess we're not in your crew anymore."

"You know," Kitty replied smoothly, "I was kinda hoping you'd say that."

On cue, the two boys standing behind Kitty stepped forward and threw slushies on Marley and Unique. "And with that," one of the boys announced, "order is restored!"

"Well, looks like you guys have been officially welcomed to the glee club," Artie deadpanned as Kitty and her friends walked away.

"Unique's eyes. They are on fire!" Unique cried.

"Let's get you cleaned up and go to rehearsal," Blaine suggested, stepping forward to place a gentle hand on Unique's back. He decided to wait until another day to explain to either of them what kind of damage a slushie had once done to _him_.

"I've got it," Tina offered, making her way to Marley's side. "Come with me."

As the girls departed to find a bathroom where they could wash the slushie off, Blaine led the others to the locker rooms so they could change for the rehearsal.

"Hey," Joe asked as they walked the short distance from the locker room to the auditorium, "how's Kurt?"

"I don't think he's landed yet," Blaine explained. He had just checked his phone and there wasn't a text from Kurt, who had promised to text Blaine the moment he landed in New York.

"It was really good of you to encourage him to go," Joe said kindly. "I hope it's everything he dreamed of. I'm praying for him."

Blaine reached up and rubbed his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. It was hitting him in waves that Kurt was gone. Gone to his new life in the big city that was sure to be abundantly more interesting than Blaine's life in Lima, Ohio.

Joe put a hand on Blaine's shoulder briefly as they walked into the auditorium, and it helped Blaine snap out of his moment of doubt. "Thanks," he said, offering Joe a smile before he turned his attention to Mr. Schu.

"Alright, guys," Mr. Schu clapped his hands. "Ready to go? Where's Marley?"

"She's recovering from her first slushie to the face," Artie explained. "She'll be here shortly."

Mr. Schu frowned but didn't comment. Instead, they began to run through the choreography, with Mr. Schu taking Marley's place until Blaine finally noticed their newest member arriving. He ran over to grab her and pull her onto the stage, and the rest of the rehearsal went incredibly well. Marley picked up the choreography and the vocals quickly, and by the end everyone was sweaty and pleased as they walked back to the locker rooms to get their stuff and go home.

There was still no message from Kurt, so Blaine checked his flight information to make sure he remembered the flight time correctly. It should have landed. Was everything okay?

_Hope your flight was uneventful..._ Blaine texted Kurt as he walked down the hallway toward the exit to the parking lot. He knew Kurt would turn his phone on as soon as they landed. _I miss you!_

As Blaine put his phone away, Marley appeared out of the girl's bathroom beside him.

"Hey," Blaine said, causing Marley to jump in surprise as she whirled around to face him.

"Sorry," Blaine added, but her face lit up at the sight of him.

"Oh, no! It's– no, I was, I mean– you scared me!" Marley motioned with one arm to ask if Blaine was on his way out of the building, and Blaine nodded.

"Um, I need to apologize," Blaine said as he fell into step beside Marley. She furrowed her brow, but didn't say anything, so Blaine continued. "I should've spoken up when they were making fun of your mom."

Marley nodded. "It's okay," she said. "I know why you didn't."

Blaine raised his eyebrows at her, surprised, and Marley elaborated. "I was scared, too," she added, "of what the others would say."

Blaine looked down at the ground at his feet as he walked, unhappy that he had allowed himself to be frightened into silence.

"At my old school I didn't have any friends," Marley blurted suddenly as Blaine pushed the door open and held it for her as they walked out. As soon as the words left her mouth, Blaine could see that she thought she had overstepped.

He smiled. "That's surprising," he offered, hoping to make her feel better.

She returned the smile. "Thanks. It's just... we don't have much money. And my mom..." she shrugged.

"I know something about people getting down on you for things out of your control," Blaine said, hoping to reassure her and convince her that he was _truly_ sorry. "Don't worry, okay? We've got your back."

"It's because you're gay, isn't it?" Marley asked.

Blaine huffed out a short, nervous laugh and felt warmth rushing to his face.

"I mean– wait, is it a– I don't–" Marley stammered, her face flushed, too. "I... I saw you kiss that other boy after glee rehearsal on my first day, so I just assumed..."

"No, no," Blaine reassured her. "It's– I'm out and dating Kurt. It's okay."

Marley breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh," she said, "good."

As they approached his car, Blaine glanced ahead and saw Marley's mom waiting in a car across the mostly-empty parking lot. He had a sudden idea and reached out to touch Marley's arm so she would stop walking.

"Hey," Blaine said, "want to grab an early dinner? My treat."

"Oh," Marley shook her head and looked away. "Um, thank you, but you don't have to do that."

"I know," Blaine agreed, stepping closer to her so she would look at him. "But my boyfriend just left for New York and you're new here and I think we could both use a friend...?"

Marley studied his face for a moment before nodding. "Okay," she agreed. "Let me go ask my mom. Be right back!"

"Great," Blaine waved as she ran to her mom's car, but he was quickly distracted when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He yanked the phone out and was immensely relieved to see a text from Kurt.

_I'm in. New York. Oh my god._

Before Blaine could type a response, another message came through.

_I miss you already! When you come to visit for the first time I'm totally going to come to the airport to get you just so we can have a romantic moment where you drop your bag and run into my arms in front of everyone._

Blaine leaned his back against his car and typed a response. _I'm counting down the days already! Are you still on the plane?_

_Yes_, Kurt replied. _We're at our gate but I'm near the back of the plane so I'm just waiting to get off. Thank god I only have a carry-on bag._

Blaine looked up as Marley ran back across the parking lot toward him.

_I'm so proud of you for doing this, Kurt_, he texted. _I love you._

_Love you too!_ Kurt sent back. _Looks like I'm getting off soon, so I'll text you later?_

"Hey," Marley greeted as she approached. "Is that...?"

"Kurt," Blaine confirmed. "He just got to New York."

_Perfect_, Blaine told Kurt. _Be safe. Have fun! Say hi to Rachel and take lots of photos!_

Kurt sent back an emoticon of a toothy smile and Blaine put the phone away before he decided to call off his plans with Marley so he could go home and sit on his bed and stare at his phone until Kurt texted again.

"So," he asked Marley as they climbed into his car, "have you been to Breadstix yet?"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was so excited and nervous as he walked through the airport that he suddenly realized he had to figure out where Rachel was so he could surprise her. It took him the entire taxi ride to the Manhattan hotel he had pre-booked for a few days to figure out how he was going to get her to tell him where she was without giving away the fact that he was in New York.

_Hey, how's New York today?_ he texted Rachel after he finished exploring his hotel room. It was basic, but clean. It felt safe.

It took Rachel a few minutes to respond, and Kurt spent the time staring out the window at the city below. It was overwhelming and exhilarating to be in such a busy place. He _lived here_. He lived in New York. In a hotel, for now.

_It's great!_ Rachel texted him back.

_Where are you?_ Kurt asked. _Got any big city plans for the rest of the day?_

_I finished my classes for the day so I'm just wandering around Central Park_, Rachel told him. _People watching and enjoying the green space._

Kurt grabbed his shoulder bag and ran out the door and down the hallway to the elevator. Central Park.

He continued his text message conversation with Rachel as he navigated the Subway to the part of Central Park where Rachel was wandering around. He was proud of himself when he decided to ask her for a photograph of where she was and she sent him back a self-portrait with a fountain in the background. An inspection of a map of Central Park told Kurt where he needed to go, and he hurried that direction, trying not to get distracted by all the things around him that he wanted to stop and look at. He needed to find Rachel.

His phone vibrated in his hand as he walked, and he was surprised to see that Rachel was calling instead of sending him another text.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi!" Rachel said, trying and failing to sound upbeat. "I wanted to hear your voice. Where are you?"

"In the car," Kurt lied. "I, uh, Dad got me a new hands-free Bluetooth earpiece."

"I miss driving," Rachel said, her voice quivering.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked. "You sound sad."

"I lied," Rachel cried into the phone. "I'm not okay. I miss you and I miss everything."

Kurt was only partially surprised to hear her confession. She had never really said _anything_ negative about living in New York, and that always meant that she was hiding something. But it hurt to hear her crying about it now after keeping it bottled up for so long. Kurt quickened his pace as the fountain from Rachel's photograph came into view in front of him.

"My dance teacher is a monster," Rachel admitted, "and I– I can't even go into my dorm room because my roommate is sleeping with the entire school!"

"Maybe you should move out and find a new roommate," Kurt suggested, smiling broadly as he saw Rachel's yellow hat on the other side of the large fountain. Her back was to him. Perfect.

Rachel let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah," she replied skeptically.

Kurt had planned to drag things out. To tease Rachel along until she started to suspect something. But she was upset and Kurt knew she needed to see him right now.

"Turn around," Kurt suggested.

Rachel spun around and, as their eyes met and her face crumbled with emotion, Kurt knew he had made the right decision in coming to New York. He wasn't going to be here alone. He was with Rachel. Like they planned.

They ran around the fountain toward each other, and Kurt wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and lifted her off the ground as she flew into his arms. When he put her down, both of them babbling incoherently, Kurt felt more optimistic about his future than he had since the moment before he had opened his letter from NYADA.

He was going to make it. In New York. With or without NYADA.

"Wait, wait!" he gasped, pulling out of Rachel's arms. "I want to... here..."

He pulled out his phone and wrapped an arm around Rachel so they could press their cheeks together for a self-portrait. He laughed when he reviewed the photo – they both looked a little crazy with happiness.

He sent the photo to Blaine. _Found her! :) Miss you like crazy. Thank you. For everything. I love you._

_P.S. get good grades this year because I'm already done waiting for you to join us!_

_P.P.S. Rachel says hi!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kurt's in New York! Hallelujah! I really like this episode for Kurt and Blaine. Starting things off on a hopeful note before the real emotional roller coaster begins.<strong>_

_**The plan is to post a new chapter every WEEKDAY. Monday-Friday, probably sometime in the evening (East Coast US time). If, for some reason, I ever miss a day, don't worry! I ****promise****, I haven't forgotten. Also, they're not all going to be as long as this one... the episodes where Kurt and Blaine are in the same physical space will, generally, be the longest because there's canon interaction to expand on. :)  
><strong>_

_**And finally, a reminder: I'm the same username on Tumblr if you'd like to say hello! Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Love.**_

_**Up next (on Monday!)... 4x02: Britney 2.0.**_


	41. 4x02: Britney 2

_**A second tribute episode for Britney Spears... a strange choice, I think, but okay. And Kurt still didn't get a song, even though the whole thing was his idea in season 2! So, of course, I had to give him one. ;) I think it probably makes more sense in my mind than when it's written out (it's weird to try to write a performance, you know? So I tried to be vague with the details so you can imagine it however you like), but I hope it makes sense. Kurt would definitely be wearing eyeliner, that's all I'm saying in advance.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After Kurt found Rachel in Central Park, the rest of the day was a blur. Rachel took him to NYADA and showed him around, they ate every kind of stereotypically "New York" food they could get their hands on, and they talked and talked and talked about what was possible now that they were both in the city.

By the time Kurt made it back to his hotel that evening, he was so tired that he didn't even take off his shoes before throwing himself face-down on the bed.

The morning – when he had said goodbye to Blaine and his father and Ohio – seemed like a week ago. He had been on a plane less than twelve hours ago. It was all a blur.

He called his father first to tell him all about his first day in the city. Yes, the hotel was fine. Yes, he felt safe. Yes, Rachel had been happy to see him. Yes, they were planning to hunt for places to live as soon as possible. Yes, he had washed his hands after getting back to the hotel via the Subway.

Then, he called Blaine.

"Hi!" Blaine answered, delighted. "How's New York?"

"It's amazing," Kurt gushed. "Hi."

He went through many of the same questions and answers with Blaine as with his father, with a few extras. How was Rachel? What was NYADA like?

"Also," Kurt added, especially exhausted after telling Blaine as much as he remembered about the NYADA campus, "I think I'm going to apply to Vogue dot com."

"What?" Blaine gasped.

"Oh," Kurt realized that the idea had just been in his head so far. This was the first Blaine was hearing of it. "Yeah. I mean, it seems like a long shot, I guess, but why not?"

"Kurt, _yes_!" Blaine encouraged. "It's not a long shot at all! You're the most stylish, handsome person I know."

"I'm going to make a website with a bunch of my fashion," Kurt explained. "I'm hoping maybe the visual will give me a tiny edge. Get me noticed, anyway. Can you send me any decent photos of me wearing decent outfits?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

"Who knows," Kurt mused, "maybe fashion can be my backup plan."

"You could do both," Blaine suggested.

"Yeah," Kurt teased, "and, when I am a famous fashion designer, you'll get a discount on all of my clothing."

Blaine hummed approvingly and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"What?" Blaine asked, reading into Kurt's moment of silence.

"You're lucky I love you so much," Kurt mumbled.

"I am," Blaine agreed happily.

Kurt was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "I need to..." he tried to stifle a yawn, but it escaped and made the same point as the words he had planned to say.

"It's your first night in New York," Blaine sighed, his voice a little strangled.

"It's my first night in New York," Kurt repeated.

It was his first night in New York.

"Sleep well, okay?" Blaine added. "Sweet dreams."

"You too," Kurt said. "Love you."

"Love you," Blaine echoed, and Kurt didn't know which one of them ended the call because he was already drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning at school, Blaine passed Brittany in the hallway and realized she was talking to herself.

"...vice-Rachel of the glee club, and now I'm planning a Middle East-style sham election that will install me as senior class president for life."

"Brittany, who are you talking to?" Blaine had to ask.

"I thought I was doing a voiceover," Brittany explained.

Blaine realized that he would never understand and decided to just walk away. "Okay," he allowed as he wondered how Brittany made it to school in one piece every morning.

That afternoon at glee club, Blaine decided he should probably mention Brittany's weird behavior to Mr. Schu.

"Mr. Schu?" Blaine caught the teacher's attention after most of the other students had left the room after rehearsal. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Blaine, yes, absolutely!" Mr. Schu acknowledged, glancing around to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. "What's up?"

"I'm worried about Brittany," Blaine confessed.

"Worried how?" Mr. Schu asked.

"Well," Blaine thought about it, "ever since she lost the competition to be captain of New Directions, she just seems... bored. And she was talking to herself in the hallway this morning. Giving herself a voiceover."

"Hm," Mr. Schu acknowledged.

"We need to do something," Blaine said. "She's probably missing Santana and feeling bad about herself because she didn't graduate last year."

Mr. Schu looked thoughtful for a moment. "She loves Britney Spears..." he mused.

"Yes!" Blaine agreed. "Didn't you do Britney Spears week two years ago?"

"Yeah, don't you– oh, wow, you weren't here yet," Mr. Schu remember. "You're such a key member of our team now that it seems like you've always been here. How's Kurt?"

"Thank you," Blaine nodded appreciatively. "Kurt's adjusting to New York brilliantly, of course. Thanks for asking."

"Glad to hear it!" Mr. Schu smiled. "And Britney Spears week to lift Brittany's spirits sounds great, Blaine."

"Artie and I have been messing around with a mash-up that's half Britney, half Justin Bieber," Blaine suggested, suddenly realizing that their goofing off could kick off the week's theme. "Maybe we could perform it for her tomorrow during glee rehearsal?"

"Sounds perfect," Mr. Schu agreed.

"Okay," Blaine nodded. "Well, uh, see you tomorrow!"

"Have a great evening, Blaine," Mr. Schu smiled.

Blaine hurried out of the choir room and hoped that Artie hadn't gone home yet. Sometimes he spent the afternoon messing around with the film equipment...

"Artie!" Blaine grinned, happy to see Artie hunched over a computer in the media studies classroom.

"Howdy," Artie waved without looking away from the screen.

"You know that mash-up we've been working on?" Blaine reminded him. "Want to perform it for everyone tomorrow in glee club?"

Artie finally turned his head to look at Blaine as Blaine walked up beside him. "Because...?" he asked.

"Brittany's not herself," Blaine explained. "And doesn't Britney Spears always cheer her up?"

"If it didn't before, it sure will once we couple it with the Biebs!" Artie said enthusiastically, raising a hand for a high five. "Hell yeah."

"Thanks, man," Blaine laughed. "Do you think we need to rehearse any more or should we just wing it?"

"Let's wing it," Artie replied. "We're cool enough to make it work with just the sheer force of our personalities. Am I right or am I right?"

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Blaine teased, smiling widely. "Thanks, Artie."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Great news, guys!" Mr. Schu announced the following afternoon at the start of glee rehearsal. "Principal Figgins has asked us to perform at the annual back-to-school pep rally this week. Now, I understand our national champions' street cred has dropped a little bit since school started, but this is our chance to really wow them and get it back."

"What are we going to perform?" Joe asked.

"Good question," Mr. Schu said as he turned to walk to the white board. "We're a family in here and, when one of our family is falling down, it's up to us to get together to pick them back up."

He wrote "Britney 2.0".

"Oh my god, are we doing Britney week again?" Tina asked.

"You really came into your own during the last Britney week," Mr. Schu said to Brittany. "You showed us the best of Britney: youth, energy, confidence. She inspires you and you inspire us. So, everyone prepare a Britney song for the week and we're gonna pick one to do for the pep rally. And I've asked Blaine and Artie to give us a little taste of what we're looking for."

"This one's for you, Brittany," Blaine told her as he stood up and moved to the front of the room with Artie.

Their mash-up of Britney Spears' _Boys_ and Justin Bieber's _Boyfriend_ had happened accidentally at lunch during the first week of school. Marley had never heard of a mash-up before, so Artie and Blaine had tried to make one up on the spot. After a few failed combinations, they had managed to successfully produce one line of _Boys_/_Boyfriend_, and they had been so pleased with themselves that they decided to mash-up the entire songs one day after school.

Blaine had a blast performing the song for the group. Brittany looked unimpressed through the entire song, but Marley and the other girls, in particular, seemed to love it.

"So, Britt, what'd you think?" Artie asked when they finished.

"I'm once again inspired by the awesomeness of Britney," Brittany said. "Thanks, Mr. Schu."

"I'm glad!" Mr. Schu smiled. "We're always here for you, Brittany. Thanks, Blaine. Artie," he added.

Blaine wasn't sure that he believed Brittany's positive feedback, but he decided not to argue. They couldn't expect her to just bounce out of her seat and be cheerful again.

"Alright," Mr. Schu said as Blaine and Artie returned to sit with the other students, "split up into groups and work on ideas for Britney week..."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Rachel had class at NYADA all day, so Kurt spent the morning working a website of photographs for his Vogue dot com application. He had to sit in the hotel lobby; it was the only place in the building where his laptop got decent Internet signal.

He finished quickly – to his surprise, he didn't have to weed out many disasters – so he decided to go ahead and fill out the actual Vogue dot com application. But, when he was ready to hit "send", he hesitated.

Could he really do both? Fashion and performing? What if he got into NYADA in a few months? Could he be a full time student _and_ a full time intern?

Kurt rolled his eyes at himself and submitted the application. He hadn't been accepted to NYADA _or_ Vogue dot com yet, so why was he worried? He would deal with everything as it came his way.

That evening, Kurt was getting ready to go meet Rachel for dinner when Blaine called.

"Well, hello," Kurt answered, putting the phone on speaker so he could get dressed while they chatted.

"Hello, yourself," Blaine replied. "Guess what?"

"What?" Kurt asked.

"We're doing Britney Spears week in glee club!" Blaine told him.

"Ah! I'm missing it!" Kurt wailed dramatically, pausing to press both hands over his chest even though Blaine couldn't see him.

"Sorry," Blaine teased.

"It's fine," Kurt sighed heavily. "I guess I'll get over it... in a week. Or so."

"Well, we're performing at the pep rally later this week, so you can be glad you get to miss that," Blaine reassured him. "Everyone always looks so bored."

"Bored is better than rioting," Kurt mused.

"True," Blaine allowed. "So, what's new in the Big Apple?"

"Well," Kurt explained, excited, "Rachel and I are going to look at an apartment in Bushwick tomorrow!"

"No way!" Blaine squirmed happily on his bed. "What's like on paper?"

"Looks good," Kurt said. "A realtor friend of one of Rachel's dads found it for us. So, basically, if we like it, we get it. It's much larger than anything we could find in Manhattan for the same price – which is still outrageous, by the way – so we could each have our own little space. It's a loft, so no walls, but my dad had the idea to hang big curtain rods."

"Sounds perfect," Blaine agreed. "I hope it works out! I'll be happy to know that you've got a home there."

"Aww," Kurt teased lightly, "thanks. And oh! I finished my Vogue dot com application this afternoon!"

"Kurt, that's great!" Blaine said, sitting up. "Were you pleased with it in the end?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed. "Despite the fact that I had to do the whole thing on this hotel's abysmally slow Internet connection, it felt really good when I finished and submitted it. I'll send you the link."

"They're going to love you," Blaine informed him.

"Let's hope," Kurt said. "It's a plan, anyway, which feels good. But tell me more about what's going on at home. How's everyone?"

"Brittany is having... something. A crisis. I'm hoping that Britney Spears week will lift her spirits, but I'm not sure. She was talking to herself in the hallway the other day."

"It's hard to tell when she's just being Brittany and when she might actually need help," Kurt agreed.

They spent the next few minutes talking about their respective families. Kurt told Blaine about Burt going back to Washington DC and about the new office he was getting that was much nicer than the tiny closet he had been using since his election. Blaine told Kurt about Cooper's latest drama: he had refused to cooperate with a policeman who pulled him over for speeding and had been arrested for disobeying the officer. He spent a night in jail, but was released in the morning with a ticket and a stern warning.

"H-he called me," Blaine choked out, laughing so hard he could barely talk, "that morning, as– as soon as he got home... he did it on purpose! So he could experience a night in jail."

They both roared with laughter, and Kurt was wiping tears from his eyes when he noticed the time.

"Oh my god!" he gasped. "I'm supposed to meet Rachel. I have to go!"

Blaine was having a hard time getting control of his laughter. "Have fun!" he managed to gasp into the phone.

"I'll try," Kurt promised, feeling light and content after laughing so hard. "Bye!"

"Love you," Blaine laughed, and Kurt ended the call as he ran out the door.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt and Rachel's realtor – a man about Kurt's dad's age who Rachel's dads knew from college – knew Rachel a little bit from the few times he had traveled to Ohio to see Hiram and Leroy, and he was keen to find them a safe place to live in their new city.

"Okay," he said as he led them up the stairs to the recently-vacated loft apartment in Bushwick, "it's empty, so you'll have to use your imaginations to see what it would look like with furniture, but keep an open mind."

Rachel glanced nervously at Kurt, and he nodded his reassurance. They would know if this was their place.

"The door's kinda cool," the realtor said as they reached the entrance to the apartment. The door slid sideways like the door of a warehouse, and the trio stepped into the large, empty space.

Kurt knew it was perfect for them before the realtor opened his mouth again to start explaining specific things. He barely heard any of the details as they walked around – visions of how they could decorate and where they would set up their beds and their television and what kind of shelving situation would work best for the bathroom had taken over his brain – and, by the time the realtor smiled and told them he would wait downstairs so they could have a moment alone in the space, Kurt was nearly vibrating with excitement.

As the door latched closed behind the realtor, Kurt noticed two bicycles leaning against one of the walls.

"Where did those come from?" he asked.

"Weren't you listening at all?" Rachel scolded. "The previous owners left them."

Kurt skipped over and grabbed one, shaking it gently to see if it felt sturdy before climbing on.

"We can't ride those in here!" Rachel hissed.

"Oh, yes we can," Kurt countered. "We're grown adults, Miss Berry. We can do whatever we want."

Rachel looked like she wanted to protest, but her excitement got the better of her and she grabbed the other bike.

"This place is enormous!" Rachel exclaimed happily as they rode in circles around the large room.

"For eighteen hundred bucks a month we could get a shoebox in Manhattan or this hanger in Bushwick," Kurt contemplated.

"Yeah, but what's the crime rate like in this neighborhood?" Rachel asked. "Looks a little shady."

"Eh, it's better than Detroit and Damascus," Kurt teased. "So, what do you think? Should we take it?"

"Are you crazy?" Rachel teased, and Kurt was happy to hear the affirmative in her voice. "Living here with you instead of those dorms? It's _heaven_!"

"Okay, so... should we go tell him?" Kurt wondered about their realtor downstairs.

"Yes!" Rachel hopped off her bicycle and motioned for Kurt to do the same. As they walked out the door and down the stairs to street level, they couldn't stop giggling. They had a place. _They had an apartment_. And it was even better than the cramped, ugly one bedroom apartment Kurt had always imagined them sharing.

The realtor was happy for them and, after Rachel begged a bit, he went ahead and gave them the keys to their new place. "I'll bring you the paperwork in the morning to make it official, but I'll call the owner and tell him tonight. Congratulations!"

They decided to go to Kurt's hotel and get his things – his one suitcase – and to wait to get all of Rachel's stuff until the next day. Kurt got his first, and last, look at Rachel's dorm room (she had forbidden him to come because she was so mortified about her roommates sexual escapades) when they stopped by so Rachel could pack a small bag for the night.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Rachel wondered as they rode the train from Manhattan to Bushwick.

"On the floor, I guess," Kurt admitted.

"Oh god," Rachel whined happily, "this is perfect material for my memoir. The first night in my first New York apartment and I have to sleep on the floor!"

"Well, I'm glad one of us is happy about it," Kurt rolled his eyes.

They made it back to the apartment as the sun was setting, and they were so excited to plan every detail of their new place that they forgot all about dinner until it was completely dark outside.

"We can't go out in the dark, Kurt," Rachel argued when Kurt suggested that they go find a restaurant nearby. "We're not familiar with the area, and I'm not ready to add a mugging – or worse – to my memoir yet!"

"You better say nice things about me in that memoir," Kurt teased. "But, yeah, fine. Let's order a pizza or something."

They spent the time between ordering the pizza and receiving the pizza acquainting themselves with their new apartment. The water pressure was not as strong as Kurt preferred, but the bathroom, as a whole, was decent. The kitchen was old, but functional. Some of the windows were cracked, and they weren't sure what that would mean for them when the weather got cold, but, otherwise, everything seemed to be in order.

"New York Domino's is _so_ much better than Lima Domino's," Rachel gushed as they sat on the floor to eat their pizza.

"It's the water," Kurt agreed.

It probably also had to do with the fact that they had been running all around the city all day without stopping to eat, he added silently.

"So," Rachel asked, "have you heard from Finn at all?"

"Not since you asked me yesterday," Kurt scolded gently. "He's just giving you your space."

"I know," Rachel agreed. Kurt tried to think of something to say to change the subject. There was nothing he could do about Finn and Rachel's relationship, and he hated seeing Rachel so sad about it.

"You wanna feel nostalgic?" Kurt asked. "Blaine said they're doing Britney Spears again in glee club."

"Oh my god, it feels like such a long time ago since we've been in the choir room," Rachel realized.

"We are living in the future, Rachel," Kurt agreed. They were living in New York. Together. In a loft apartment that cost more than two apartments would cost in Lima. "Speaking of which... my plan."

"Okay," Rachel leaned forward, ready to absorb Kurt's ideas.

"I'm going to re-audition for second semester at NYADA," Kurt reminded her.

"Good," Rachel approved.

"In the meantime," Kurt confessed, "I've applied for a job at the only place I feel will truly appreciate my sense of style and sophistication... Vogue dot com."

"Perfect!" Rachel mouthed.

"I know it sounds crazy," Kurt explained, "but, in a way, I'm almost glad I didn't make it my first try. You know, I really learned a lot about myself over the last couple months. I feel like I have a newfound resilience and focus."

"Yeah, I could really use some of that right now," Rachel said. "My dance teacher, she just won't let up on me. The other day she told me I wasn't sexy enough."

"Maybe you shouldn't wear a bra to your next class," Kurt suggested, only half joking.

"And take all of the attention away from _the_ Miss Cassie July?" Rachel said skeptically. "She'd flip. I can't stand her!"

Kurt was proud of himself for not dropping his drink as he heard the name of Rachel's dance teacher for the first time.

"Cassie July is your dance teacher?" he demanded, and Rachel rolled her eyes and nodded. "As in _the_ Cassie July? Aka 'Crazy July'? Aka the biggest train wreck in Broadway history?"

"What?" Rachel asked.

"You don't know her story?" Kurt asked, shocked that Rachel had no idea.

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"Cassie July was the 'it' girl ten years ago," Kurt explained. "She scored the coveted role of temptress Lola in the high profile revival of _Damn Yankees_. Then, during the first preview, the out of town tryout, a man's cell phone went off in the audience. And she _flipped out_."

"_No_," Rachel gasped.

"_Yes_," Kurt confirmed. "She stopped the performance and jumped down into the audience so she could wrestle the phone away from the man. And then she smashed it into pieces right there in front of everyone."

"No wonder she's always just so _angry_!" Rachel mused.

"You can't give in to her," Kurt commanded. "Not ever. You have to keep fighting. If she wants sexy, _give her sexy_."

Rachel's looked excited and confident for a moment before anxiety shoved its way in.

"I don't know if I'm really sexy enough for, you know... _sexy_," she admitted.

"Don't say that," Kurt countered. "You know what's sexy? Confidence. So stop worrying about if you're sexy or not and just _be_ sexy."

"That doesn't even make any sense," Rachel criticized.

"Sure it does," Kurt stood up and motioned for Rachel to join him.

"And, anyway," Rachel whined as she looked up at Kurt, "even if I _feel_ sexy, which I _don't_, it's not like–"

"Oh, hush," Kurt scolded. "Get up off your ass right now or I'm throwing the rest of the pizza away."

"No!" Rachel gasped unhappily. But she obeyed, accepting Kurt's outstretched hand so he could pull her to her feet. Kurt dragged her into the middle of the room and released her hand.

"Now," Kurt said, motioning around them at the empty room, "imagine this. You're standing under the stage of a huge arena, listening to the muffled sound of thousands of fans screaming in anticipation. You're wearing something really sexy – a corset, definitely – and your hair and makeup is perfect and _outrageous_. The platform carries you up onto the stage, and..." he motioned at Rachel.

She rolled her eyes, but Kurt just stood still and stared at her. He was not going to let her wallow in self pity when they could be singing and dancing around their new apartment.

"Close your eyes and get the image in your mind right now, Rachel Berry, or we're going to stand here all night," Kurt chided.

Rachel exhaled heavily, but she closed her eyes. And Kurt could see the moment that she started to imagine his scenario; her face softened and then settled into a determined expression as she opened her eyes.

"Lights!" Kurt called, and they both surrendered to the fantasy. A huge arena. Bright lights. Extravagant costumes. Loud music.

Rachel was definitely feeling sexy as she struck a pose to begin the song. Kurt leaned against a pillar to watch as she danced and sang and put on a show in the middle of their empty apartment.

_There's only two types of people in the world_

_The ones that entertain and the ones that observe_

_Well, baby, I'm a 'put on a show' kinda girl_

_Don't like the back seat_

_Gotta be first_

_I'm like the ringleader_

_I call the shots_

_I'm like a firecracker_

_I make it hot when I put on a show_

_I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins_

_Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break_

_I'm like a performer_

_The dance floor is my stage_

_Better be ready_

_Hope that you feel the same_

_All eyes on me in the center of the ring_

_Just like a circus_

_When I crack that whip everybody gonna trip_

_Just like a circus_

_Don't stand there watching me_

_Follow me_

_Show me what you can do_

_Everybody let go_

_We can make a dance floor just like a circus_

Rachel spun around and pointed at Kurt, which was all the encouragement he needed to walk into the center of the room to take over the song.

_There's only two types of guys out there_

_Ones that can hang with me and ones that are scared_

_So, baby, I hope that you came prepared_

_I run a tight ship_

_So beware_

_I'm like the ringleader_

_I call the shots_

_I'm like a firecracker_

_I make it hot when I put on a show_

_I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins_

_Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break_

_I'm like a performer_

_The dance floor is my stage_

_Better be ready_

_Hope that you feel the same_

_All eyes on me in the center of the ring_

_Just like a circus_

_When I crack that whip everybody gonna trip_

_Just like a circus_

_Don't stand there watching me_

_Follow me_

_Show me what you can do_

_Everybody let go_

_We can make a dance floor just like a circus_

They sang the musical interlude, danced like crazy, and sang the final chorus together at the top of their lungs.

_All eyes on me in the center of the ring_

_Just like a circus_

_When I crack that whip everybody gonna trip_

_Just like a circus_

_Don't stand there watching me_

_Follow me_

_Show me what you can do_

_Everybody let go_

_We can make a dance floor just like a circus_

By the time the song ended, Rachel was rosy-cheeked and smiling so widely that Kurt knew she was feeling great about her chances of impressing Cassandra July. "That was so _fun_!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Kurt's neck.

"Told you so," Kurt teased as Rachel pulled away from the quick hug.

"_Yeah_," Rachel agreed. "Okay, fine. I'm gonna show _the_ Cassie July what sexy _really_ looks like."

"It'll be an epic story for your memoir," Kurt sang as he ran away into the bathroom for a shower before Rachel could catch him and smack his arm.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, Blaine ran straight past his mom – "My day was great, thanks for asking, Mom!" – and up the stairs to his bedroom to call Kurt and tell him the day's drama.

"Oh my god," Kurt answered. "I'm sorry, I was so busy with Rachel last night I forgot to call you!"

"It's fine!" Blaine reassured him. "You'll never gue–"

"We got the apartment!" Kurt interrupted, although it was more of an extension of his previous sentence than a separate thought.

"– what? Oh. Oh!" Blaine realized. "Kurt, that's amazing. Really amazing! Congratulations!"

"It's perfect," Kurt gushed. "Right now it basically looks like a big brick hanger for private jets or something, but I've got so many ideas. Do you think we should paint any of the walls so it's not so _red_? I think we should, but Rachel's not convinced. Wait, let me send you a photo so you get what I mean..."

"Okay," Blaine agreed, caught off guard by the onslaught of enthusiastic details and questions.

As he pulled the phone away from his face to look at the photo Kurt had sent him, Blaine had a thought that he immediately wished he could cram back into the nothingness where it came from and have no memory of ever thinking it.

This was the start of Kurt's life splitting from Blaine's.

It was the moment Blaine had been dreading since Kurt had started to talk about NYADA and New York more and more during the last school year and Blaine had realized that none of it involved _him_.

The moment when Kurt would anchor himself to his New York identity instead of Blaine.

Kurt had forgotten to call him because he was doing New York things.

"It's so– I _love_ it, Kurt," Blaine managed as he brought the phone back up to his ear. "I think, uh, yes, paint would be good. I'm sure anything you have in mind is going to look beautiful."

"I know," Kurt giggled. "But wait, I'm sorry, I'm freaking out. What were you going to say before?"

"Oh," Blaine said. "Just... well, Brittany tried to shave her head today."

"_What_?" Kurt gasped.

"We tried to inspire her with Britney Spears week," Blaine explained, feeling slightly better now that Kurt had brought the conversation back to him without prompting, "but it's not helping. So, today in glee rehearsal, she got up during the middle of the song Tina, Joe, and Sam were singing and... where did she even get a razor, anyway?"

"She didn't _actually_ shave her head, though, right?" Kurt asked, horrified.

"No, thank goodness," Blaine replied. "But she ran out into the hall and basically attacked Jacob Ben Israel."

"What're you gonna do?" Kurt asked.

"We're going to get together and tell her we're really worried about her. See if she wants to be _in_ one of the Britney numbers rather than just watching," Blaine explained.

"Wow," Kurt appreciated the complexity of the situation.

"The pep rally is in a few days," Blaine reminded him, "so hopefully she'll want to be part of that performance."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, but he suddenly sounded distracted. Silence hung between them for just long enough to be awkward before Kurt realized he wasn't paying attention.

"Oh, uh, sorry," he stammered. "Rachel's just... Rachel! Don't, hey, hold on..."

He must have put the phone down, because Blaine could hear Kurt and Rachel talking from what sounded like far away. He couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Okay!" Kurt said cheerfully as he returned to the phone. "Just a little design discussion."

Blaine let himself laugh a little at the mental image of Kurt and Rachel living together. "You two should have a reality show," he suggested.

"One day," Kurt agreed. "But, uh, is it okay if I talk to you tomorrow? I want to help Rachel figure out how the shelves should be set up in the bathroom."

"Um, yeah, sure," Blaine allowed.

"Alright," Kurt said. "Good luck talking to Brittany tomorrow! Thanks for calling."

"Love you," Blaine said.

"You're the love of my life, Blaine Anderson," Kurt said warmly. "I miss you like crazy. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Kurt," Blaine smiled, and Kurt ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After glee rehearsal the following day, Brittany was sitting in a chair in the front row of chairs when the rest of New Directions gathered around to express their concern and to ask her if she wanted to lead them in the Britney song for the pep rally.

But it didn't go as expected.

"W–we don't lip synch in glee," Blaine protested as Brittany announced that she would perform at the pep rally only if she could lip synch the performance.

"Well, my voice is too weak to sing live," Brittany informed them. "I've been up every night this week yelling at the shrubs in my yard that have been making fun of me."

"This sounds like a terrible idea," Artie argued.

"We'll record the song in advance," Brittany explained. "I'll choreograph an amazing routine without having to worry about anybody running out of breath, and Mr. Schuester will never know the difference."

Blaine shook his head. No. This was not a good idea.

"Lots of performers do this now," Brittany added. "Kristen Stewart, James Earl Jones."

Nobody knew what to say. Brittany asked her phone if it was a good idea and, when it said yes, Blaine knew things were getting out of hand.

"No," he said, stepping out of the group toward Brittany. "Brittany, I'm sorry, but we don't –"

"I'm not asking, Blaine Warbler," Brittany said. "If you don't like it, you can pretend that you ran out of hair gel and had to stay home."

Blaine scoffed and turned to glare at Sam as he attempted to muffle a laugh by coughing.

"I miss Santana," Brittany added absentmindedly.

Blaine turned to look at the rest of the group, desperate for help.

"Maybe..." Tina started.

"_Tina!_" Blaine scolded.

"What?" Tina said. "I mean, it's a _pep rally_. Nobody cares, anyway."

"We should care!" Blaine argued. "Guys, no, come on..."

"Sorry, dude," Sam said. "I think you're being overruled."

Blaine groaned in frustration and turned back to Brittany. He could definitely sympathize with missing Santana. And maybe it wasn't such a big deal. They'd all be dancing and nobody would really be looking at their mouths, anyway. And if it helped Brittany feel better...

"Fine," he allowed.

They recorded the song in the media studies room, taking turns keeping watch by the door in case someone came down the hall. The next day's glee rehearsal was spent learning Brittany's dance routine. It was standard for them to learn the dance without the vocals before putting the song with the dance, so Mr. Schu was oblivious to their plan. And, somehow, they convinced Mr. Schu that it would be fun for him to see the finished product for the first time with everyone else at the assembly.

The following day, New Directions gathered in the gymnasium behind the makeshift stage's curtain and Blaine prayed that everything would go smoothly.

Things weren't off to a great start.

"Brittany, shouldn't you be stretching or warming up or _something_?" Blaine asked desperately as Brittany sat on the ground and ate Cheetos.

"Do you need a baby wipe?" Tina suggested. "You have Cheeto hands and Cheeto mouth."

"I'm fine, thank you," Brittany said.

"Get _up_," Blaine scolded, hurrying forward to take the bag of Cheetos from Brittany. She rolled her eyes, but climbed to her feet and took off her baggy shirt to reveal a black bra underneath.

"_Please_..." Blaine asked, not sure how to voice everything that he wanted to ask her to do. Or _not_ to do.

"Let's do this thing," Brittany said passively.

"It is my honor to introduce McKinley's New Directions!" Principal Figgins announced. Blaine didn't have time to snatch the bottle of soda in Brittany's hands away before the curtain was drawn back and the music began.

Blaine knew it was going to be a disaster by the time Brittany was done "singing" the first line of the song. She wasn't focused. She was basically ignoring the choreography. Blaine wasn't sure what to do about it – if they stopped and Brittany's voice kept going, the lip synching would be exposed – so he tried to stick to the routine. And he tried not to look at Brittany, because he didn't want to draw any more attention to her than absolutely necessary. They just needed to suffer through the song and he would deal with Brittany's complete lack of interest later.

He did lock eyes with Sam briefly, though, and the look on Sam's face did not help to ease his nerves.

By the time Blaine had to dip Brittany halfway through the song, he was quickly realizing that they weren't going to make it to the end of the performance. The crowd began to boo, and Blaine wanted to sink into the floor and die. Instead, he ran over to grab the curtain and drag it across the stage to get them out of view of the audience.

"Brittany!" he half scolded, half whined at the girl now lying on the ground in a pile of Cheetos. She didn't even seem to hear him.

"Come on, Britt..." Sam hurried over and helped her up.

Blaine led the group to the choir room, where he knew Mr. Schu would be waiting for them.

"In the fifty eight year history of the William McKinley High School glee club, there has _never_ been _such_ a debacle!" Mr. Schu scolded them once everyone was sitting down. "We _do not_ lip synch! _Ever!_"

"We're sorry, Mr. Schu," Blaine said miserably. "We were just trying to help Brittany out."

"Lip synching is the equivalent of blood doping in professional sports," Mr. Schu raged. "Every gain we've made in the past three years has been wiped out! And I'm not just talking about our reputation here at McKinley. If the National Show Choir Board of Review gets wind of this, we could be barred from competing. What do you have to say for yourself, Brittany?"

"To quote the legend herself: 'If I met me, I would say a quick hello and then think I was a really nice girl'," Brittany said.

Blaine couldn't decide if he was concerned for her well being or if he wanted to scream at her.

"I now resign from glee club, effective immediately," Brittany added.

Blaine glanced at Tina as Brittany walked out of the room and found the confusion that he was feeling mirrored on her face.

"Okay," Mr. Schu said seriously after a brief, awkward silence, "here's what's going to happen. There will be no more shenanigans, do you understand me? We need to be _disciplined_ if we want to make it back to Nationals this year. The next person who orchestrates anything like this will be off the team."

Blaine didn't miss the way Mr. Schu's eyes lingered on him. He was the captain. He should never have allowed this to happen.

By the time Blaine got home that afternoon, all he wanted to do was lie in bed and cry. Instead, he fueled his shame into a productive rage and sat down at the kitchen table to power through all of his homework for the next few days. He _wasn't_ a bad leader. This _wasn't_ his fault.

After making small talk with his parents over dinner, Blaine retreated to his bedroom to grab his pajamas and took a long, hot shower. It didn't wash away his disappointment in himself and his teammates the way he hoped it would. When he returned to his bedroom, Blaine picked up a photo of Kurt on his dresser and studied it. What did Kurt look like right now? What was he wearing?

He put the photo down and climbed into bed.

He knew it was the guilt of the day's events making things feel more intense than normal, but he felt like he had never missed anything so much in his entire life as he missed Kurt. If Kurt had still been in Lima, at least someone would have reassured Blaine that he wasn't a failure for allowing the lip synching to happen. When Kurt was around, there was always something to look forward to, no matter how bad the day was.

But Kurt was hundreds of miles away, living in a fabulous New York apartment with Rachel and applying to Vogue dot com and NYADA while the most important thing happening in Blaine's life was drama in his high school show choir.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"So," Rachel whined into Kurt's ear as he tried to hold his phone against his face with his shoulder so he could continue washing the bathroom mirror, "I'm going to be late tonight. I'll probably have to take the last train, all alone in the dark, because _Cassandra July_ is a power-hungry tyrant!"

"You _did_ say some less-than-kind things to her after your performance this week..." Kurt reminded her.

"And I apologized!" Rachel whined. "I get it... it was mean. I don't know what came over me. But she's just so _superior_!"

"Can't you just bring the laundry here to wash it?" Kurt suggested.

"Maybe," Rachel allowed. "But I have to hand wash everything, and where am I going to do that in our apartment? In the kitchen sink?"

"On second thought, no," Kurt rescinded the suggestion.

Rachel groaned in frustration. "I'll text you when I'm on the train home, then."

"Alright," Kurt agreed. "Be safe, okay? Call if you need anything."

"Bye," Rachel said, and she ended the call before Kurt's "bye" in return left his lips.

Kurt scrubbed every inch of the bathroom, humming along to the music blaring out of his phone on the counter, until he felt satisfied that it was clean. Then, he moved on to the kitchen. He was impressed with the previous tenants' cleaning job before they moved out, but it felt better to _know_ that things were clean.

It had been dark for a while by the time Kurt fell, exhausted, onto the floor and sprawled out on his back in the middle of the still mostly-empty room. They needed to find a couch.

_You okay?_ he texted Rachel.

_How was the pep rally?_ He texted Blaine.

Rachel's response came back quickly. _Just finished! Waiting for the train._

_Good_, Kurt responded. _Text me when you're almost to our stop so I know when to worry if you're not here._

_Thanks, Kurt_, Rachel said.

After a few minutes of playing around with random games on his phone, waiting for Blaine to text him back, Kurt decided to call him.

"Mmm?" Blaine answered with a confused noise, and Kurt knew he had been asleep.

"Oh!" Kurt whispered, "Sorry. It's late, I know."

"S'okay," Blaine mumbled. "I went to bed early."

"You okay?" Kurt asked. "You sound... sad."

"I miss you," Blaine confessed. "And it was just one of those days."

"I miss you, too," Kurt told him. "How was the pep rally?"

"Terrible," Blaine explained. "Brittany decided to lip synch the performance and I don't know _why_ I let her do it... but Mr. Schu was so mad."

"Yeah," Kurt acknowledged. "Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? Brittany sounds like a complete train wreck."

"I just wanted to help," Blaine whined.

"I know," Kurt reassured him. "I'm sure Mr. Schu is just concerned for Brittany and for all of you so he lost his cool."

"I dunno," Blaine mumbled.

"Well, uh..." Kurt chewed on his lip as an idea came to him, "... Rachel's not here. And..." he could feel a blush spreading across his face, and he mentally scolded himself for being embarrassed. It was _Blaine_.

Blaine's silence told him that Blaine understood where this was going.

"... our Internet's not hooked up yet for video chats," Kurt continued, "but just hearing your voice is... good. You know."

"I know," Blaine said, his voice rough. Kurt had to bite back a giggle as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine Blaine there with him, laying on the floor in his – _their _ – empty apartment in the middle of the night.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Mr. Schu apologized for his anger the day before. He had, he said, realized that Brittany's lip synching debacle was a cry for help, so he and Ms. Pillsbury had decided to work privately with Brittany to help her get things back on track.

It only marginally helped to lessen Blaine's disappointment in himself and his classmates. And Marley sang a sad song about longing for the one you love, which didn't help, either. By the time Blaine got home, he felt really down. It had not been a good week.

Fortunately, as he was lying in bed trying to numb his brain with a show about aliens on the History Channel, Kurt called.

"Hello?" Blaine answered, more desperately than he had planned.

"Hi," Kurt returned happily. "Happy Friday!"

"Happy Friday," Blaine grinned, feeling better as he absorbed some of Kurt's cheer. "How was your first _full_ week in New York?"

"Transitional," Kurt explained. "But Rachel and I are going to work really hard this weekend to get the apartment all furnished and decorated, so I think it will feel much more like home by Monday!"

Blaine sighed. "I wish I could be there to help," he admitted.

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "Did I send you the 'before' photo? If we can bring my vision to life, it's going to be a big change!"

"You did," Blaine reassured him. "I can't wait to see it in person! I can't wait to see _you_ again. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," Kurt said softly. "Honestly... this week has been a little lonely. Rachel's got class every day, so I've spent a lot of time by myself. I did manage to find a fabulous bakery, a nice little coffee shop, and a few promising clothing stores within walking distance of our apartment, though. It feels nice to know the neighborhood a little."

Blaine laughed. "I can't believe you live in _New York City_. What an adventure!"

"Indeed," Kurt granted. "It'd be more fun with you here, though," he pouted.

"I'm going to visit soon," Blaine reassured them both.

There was a moment of silence on Kurt's end of the phone, and Blaine heard the faint sound of someone else's voice in the background.

"Hey, Rachel," Kurt said. "Yeah. Yeah, Blaine."

"Hi, Blaine!" Rachel shouted.

Blaine laughed. "Hi, Rachel!" he shouted.

"Hey!" Kurt protested. "Stop that. He says 'hi', Rachel. Anyway, sorry, where were we?"

"We miss each other desperately," Blaine reminded him.

Kurt groaned unhappily.

"You'll be so busy with Rachel and working at Vogue dot com that the time will fly by; I'll be there before you know it!" Blaine encouraged.

"Don't jinx it!" Kurt gasped, but they both laughed and Blaine realized he was feeling _much_ better than when the conversation began.

He heard Rachel talking in the background again, and Blaine could imagine Kurt rolling his eyes as he said "Rachel, I'm trying to talk to Blaine. I– yeah, but– no... _Rachel_!"

"Hi!" Rachel's voice filled Blaine's ear, and he smiled.

"Hi, Rachel," he greeted her. He could hear Kurt trying to wrestle the phone back, but Rachel sounded completely calm.

"How's school? How's glee club?" she asked.

"It's great," Blaine stretched the truth. "How's NYADA?"

"It's a– _Kurt!_– it's a work in progress," Rachel said, her voice starting to quiver with laughter.

"Give me my phone back right now, Rachel Berry!" Kurt wailed.

"In a minute!" Rachel protested. "So, what were you two talking about before I got here?" she asked Blaine.

"Uh..." Blaine wasn't sure what to say.

"We were just talking about how Blaine's coming to visit soon," Kurt said, near enough to the phone for Blaine to hear, "and that we'll have to make sure that we wait until you've gone to class to –"

"Kurt!" Rachel shrieked.

The distraction won Kurt his phone back, and Blaine wished more than anything that he was there in New York with them as he listened to Kurt and Rachel laughing.

"Hey," Kurt said into the phone. "Sorry about that."

"I'm happy to talk to Rachel," Blaine teased.

"Well, in that case..." Kurt said lightly. "Actually, though, I should probably get going. We're going to start painting tonight."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "Thanks for calling."

"I love you," Kurt said.

"You too," Blaine replied. "Talk to you soon?"

"Definitely," Kurt agreed. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt had barely started painting when he turned and noticed what Rachel had painted on the wall. Finn's name inside two big hearts.

"Am I being too obvious?" Rachel asked.

"He hasn't called you because he loves you, not because he's forgotten you," Kurt reassured her. "Your freedom is a gift he's given you; accept it!"

"I know," Rachel acknowledged. "It's just so much freedom all at once that it's starting to feel like severe loneliness."

She looked miserable as she leaned her forehead against one of their tall lamps, and Kurt wished he didn't understand her loneliness so well. "The only cure to loneliness," he suggested, realizing what would cheer them both up, "is cake."

Rachel gasped her approval and mouthed "cake!" at him.

"There's a great Italian bakery down the street," Kurt suggested.

"You don't mind going out at night?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, no, it's cool," Kurt said. "I just need to walk around like a crazy person, yelling at things and twitching. People keep their distance." He pretended to twitch a few times as he walked toward the door, and Rachel laughed.

Kurt was almost to the door when someone knocked, and he rolled it open to find a man standing in the doorway. Holding an orchid.

"Well, hello there, kind sir," Kurt said, delighted.

"Hey," the stranger said before confirming Kurt's suspicion. "Uh, I'm Brody."

"I'm Kurt," Kurt introduced himself.

"Hi," Rachel said shyly from behind Kurt, and Kurt realized that he needed to leave. Quickly.

"I was just gonna go get some cake," he said to Brody. "Uh..." he turned to face Rachel so he could give her an approving look as he mouthed "I'll leave you two alone!" before he hurried past Brody into the hallway and closed the door.

Rachel had a guy in the apartment. He needed to tell someone, so he called Blaine as he hurried down the stairs.

"Hello?" Blaine answered.

"Oh my god," Kurt whispered, even though he was almost to the bottom of the stairs and was way out of range for Rachel and Brody to overhear him. "There's a guy in our apartment."

"Wha –?"

"No!" Kurt corrected. "Not like _that_. With _Rachel_," he hissed as he walked through the door onto the street.

"Mmm," Blaine hummed appreciatively. "Is he hot?"

"_Blaine!_" Kurt gasped in mock horror. "I can't believe you would even ask that."

"I'll take that as a yes," Blaine said. "And wait, where are _you_?"

"Uh," Kurt considered lying, but he decided against it, "walking to the bakery down the street to get some cake."

"Do you even know what time it is?" Blaine said, his voice full of anxiety. "Did you –?"

"I'm fine!" Kurt snapped, irritated that Blaine assumed that he would just skip out into the night without even thinking about his safety. "I'm _fine_, okay?"

"I'm sorry," Blaine backtracked quickly. "I'm just worried."

"I know," Kurt said apologetically.

"You're going to buy... cake?" Blaine brought the conversation back to Kurt's task.

"Well, Rachel was talking about how much she misses Finn," Kurt said. "And what's better for curing loneliness than cake, right? But, now that Brody's there... wait, how do I know when it's safe to go back? If I walk in on them... I'll be emotionally scarred forever!"

Blaine laughed. "You need a code of some kind," he teased.

"It's a little late for that now," Kurt whined. "I guess I'll just take my time and then I'll knock on the door as loudly as I can before re-entering the apartment."

"A good plan," Blaine approved. "Are you almost to the bakery?"

"_Blaine_," Kurt warned, "_yes,_ I'm almost there. It's fine. There's hardly anybody around."

Blaine insisted on staying on the phone until Kurt was safe in the apartment again, so Kurt just stuffed the phone into his pocket briefly while he ordered his cake.

"Oh god, why did I go when I'm emotional and hungry?" Kurt moaned to Blaine as he left the bakery. "I bought half a dozen cupcakes and two huge pieces of cheesecake."

"Emotional?" Blaine inquired.

Kurt felt an intense pang of homesickness. "It's just... seeing Rachel so sad about missing Finn makes me miss you and my dad – and geez, even Finn! – even more than I already do."

"I was thinking about buying a ticket," Blaine offered. "To come in a few weeks."

"Yeah?" Kurt asked hopefully. "I'd love that. I'd _love_ to see you. I'm glad we can talk on the phone and text, and our Internet is getting hooked up tomorrow so I'll be able to use Skype, but I can't wait for you to be here with me. I'm going to show you everything and we can hold hands and nobody will even care and it's going to be perfect," Kurt imagined fondly.

"I'm going to buy it right now," Blaine amended. They both laughed, and Blaine purchased a plane ticket to New York as Kurt returned to the apartment.

"... that Saturday, yes," Blaine confirmed to Kurt. "I'll forward you the email with all the details."

Kurt shimmied in place in front of the apartment door. "You're coming to New York!" he whispered loudly into the phone.

"Just knock on the door, Kurt," Blaine teased.

Kurt set the cupcakes and the cheesecake down and rapped his knuckles against the door as loudly as he could.

He expected Rachel to shout "come in!" from inside, but, instead, he heard the sound of her running across the apartment to open the door.

"Oh!" she said as she saw that it was Kurt. "Hi, sorry! I didn't know it was you."

"Is he still here?" Kurt asked quietly.

"No," Rachel said, tugging self-consciously at her hair.

"No?" Kurt wondered.

"Who're you talking to?" Rachel asked, motioning at the phone against Kurt's ear.

"Oh! Sorry, Blaine," Kurt said. "He's gone."

"I heard," Blaine replied. "Do you want to go so you two can talk about it?"

"Probably, yeah," Kurt agreed. "But guess what?"

"What?" Blaine asked.

"_See you soon!_" Kurt sang into the phone. Blaine laughter filled him with hope and gave him a light at the end of his tunnel of loneliness. Blaine was coming.

"I love you so much," Blaine said through his giggles.

"Love you, too," Kurt agreed. "Bye!"

"Byeeee!" Blaine said, and he was still laughing when the call ended.

"Blaine's coming?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"In a few weeks," Kurt explained, smiling widely. "But where's Brody?"

"I couldn't," Rachel blushed. "I... he said... he told me I was sexy and he– he thinks about kissing me."

"Oh my god," Kurt gushed, hurrying to put the cheesecake in the refrigerator and the cupcakes on the counter so he could give her his full attention. "Do you like him?"

"You _know_ I like him, Kurt," Rachel scolded. "But..."

But Finn. Kurt understood.

"Come on," Kurt said, waving his arm above the sweets he had brought back from the bakery, "let's eat."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Rachel went out to get breakfast while Kurt prepared all the things they needed to get the painting done. They wanted to move on to planning for furniture that afternoon. They sat on the floor together and ate in silence, broken only by the occasional lighthearted comment or questions from Kurt. Rachel seemed incredibly preoccupied.

As Kurt cleaned his paint brush so he could put it away and use the roller, instead, he glanced over at Rachel's side of the room.

She was painting over Finn's name.

Kurt was glad. As much as he loved his step-brother and his best friend, he knew that Rachel was still working on finding her identity as an individual after spending so long identifying herself as one half of her relationship. If she could distance herself from Finn, just a little bit, maybe she would remember what an amazing person _she_ was. Without anyone else.

And then, Kurt secretly hoped, maybe they would reconnect. When they were both older and wiser.

His thoughts turned to Blaine as he started to paint, so he followed Rachel's lead and, with the roller, he made a huge "K + B" on the wall and attempted to draw a heart around it. It was a mess by the end, but Kurt knew that Blaine would appreciate the sentiment. He stepped back and took a photo of the wall with his phone so he could send it to Blaine.

_Lookin' good!_ Blaine texted him back a few minutes later.

Kurt smiled fondly at the message. The weeks ahead seemed bright and promising now that Blaine was going to come to New York for a visit. It wasn't a vague idea anymore – they had a date. Something to look forward to. Something to hold on to when the loneliness tried to overwhelm them both.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kurt's starting to get engrossed in his New York life. Blaine's starting to feel the heaviness of being left behind. Oh man.<strong>_

_**Up next... 4x03: Makeover!**_


	42. 4x03: Makeover

_**A reminder: both of the songs that Blaine and Kurt are involved in during this episode are fantasies (Blaine's "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" at the beginning as he talks about joining all the clubs and missing Kurt, and Kurt, Isabelle, and Rachel's "The Way You Look Tonight" "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" mash-up while they film the makeover video)...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine arrived at school on Monday morning, he felt more optimistic about the school year than he had since Kurt left for New York. He had spent the last school year being there for Kurt and doing whatever he needed to do to help New Directions be a cohesive team, but now he could focus on himself. It was his year to shine.

He was already captain of New Directions, but he knew he could do more. He wanted to do more.

It was, he admitted to himself, partially to fill the time that had previously been spent with Kurt. Keeping busy made it easier not to spend too much time feeling sorry for himself because he wasn't in New York with Kurt. In a year, he would be there, too, and this year would feel like an insignificant bump in the road.

And, Blaine thought as he approached the bulletin board that hosted flyers for the school's various clubs, keeping busy might help him get to New York. Colleges love extracurriculars.

He joined as many clubs as he thought he could handle, including the sewing club and the superhero sidekicks club. Those two, he thought, could go hand-in-hand because he would be able to improve his sewing while working on his costumes.

As Blaine scanned the bulletin board to make sure he hadn't missed anything that seemed interesting, his gaze fell on the signup sheet for student body president. The only name on the list was Brittany's. Written in crayon.

Blaine considered it. He could be student body president. He liked to be the leader rather than a follower, and being student body president would mean that he would have a say in the prom theme and in other things that mattered. He could make a difference.

Blaine reached up and signed his name below Brittany's.

"What do you think you're doing, Blaine Warbler?" Brittany asked from behind him.

"I'm running for President," Blaine explained as he turned to face her. He was pleased with his chances of winning. Brittany had held the position last year and had done a terrible job, so wouldn't the student body prefer someone new and competent?

Brittany blinked a few times before turning and hurrying away.

Blaine and Brittany were called to Principal Figgins' office during lunch so they could hear the rules for the election.

"To reduce student-on-student drama," Principal Figgins explained, "this year's student body president election will take place this week only. You have until Friday at lunch to campaign, and then your fellow classmates will decide who they wish to serve them this year."

"Is a week really enough time?" Blaine asked skeptically. "Monday's already halfway over, so if the vote happens on Friday at lunch –"

"Children," Principal Figgins interrupted, "the fact of the matter is that the election will happen on Friday. In addition, you will each choose a running mate to assist you in campaigning now and in governing your fellow students later. And, in the unlikely and tragic event that the student body president loses his or her life, the student body vice president will be promoted."

"Wha –?" Blaine couldn't form his question into words, so he just stared at the principal. He could tell that Brittany was nodding enthusiastically.

"That will be all," Principal Figgins dismissed them. "Good luck to you both."

The rest of the day went by quickly, mostly because Blaine was busy mentally campaigning and considering possible running mates instead of paying attention in class.

"Okay," Mr. Schu said that afternoon during glee rehearsal, "as you all know, as national champions, we get to host the annual show choir rules committee meeting."

It was an exciting perk of winning Nationals. Mr. Schu would have a say in some of the rules and regulations for the upcoming competition season.

"Please tell me you're going to ask what 'one third vintage' meant last year," Tina asked.

"Yeah, or, like, why some teams get to sing six songs and others only do one," Sam added.

"Speaking of competition," Jake said, "shouldn't we start, like, preparing for ours?"

"I have some ideas," Mr. Schu answered, "which I am working on. Very hard."

It was clearly a lie. As Mr. Schu attempted to explain why he had not yet shared most of his ideas with the group, Brittany interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Brittany said as she raised her hand.

"Yes, go ahead," Mr. Schu allowed.

"I'm not sure if what you were saying was actually important because I wasn't listening," Brittany said, "but I'd like to make an announcement."

She skipped to the front of the room. "First, I'd like to know if anyone can prove that Blaine was actually born in this country," Brittany stated.

Blaine was torn between wanting to laugh and roll his eyes. Was she serious?

"Second," Brittany continued, "I'm wrapping up the election by selecting Artie as my running mate. I think, by bridging the human/robot divide, we'll ensure that both students and vending machines will be voting for us."

"Still not a robot," Artie said.

"Brittany, that's not fair," Blaine argued. "This isn't a popularity contest. It's about who's got the best ideas! It's about believing you can make a change, right?"

"What is that taste in my... is that... sour grape?" Artie teased.

Blaine didn't know what to say. Why were they even considering Brittany when she had failed so completely at the same office the year before? Fortunately, the bell rang and saved Blaine from having to say anything else. Everyone got up and left the room, and Blaine wandered to his locker to get the books he needed for his homework that evening.

"Blaine Warbler," Brittany interjected as Blaine tried to decide if he _really_ needed his history book. He looked up to see Brittany and Sam standing beside him. "I'd like to introduce you to Sam Evans."

Sam stuck his arm out for a handshake.

"Um," Blaine glanced from Brittany to Sam and back again, ignoring Sam's hand, "we've actually met. Several times."

"He's your candidate for vice president," Brittany said.

"Uh, no," Blaine argued. "I'm picking my own running mate."

"My family's on food stamps, so that'll get you the sympathy vote," Sam offered. "And I'm not gay, so that'll help with the not-gay vote. And, you know, I don't want to brag, but my impressions are hilarious one hundred percent of the time," he finished in someone else's voice.

Blaine looked at Sam, considering it. He didn't know Sam as well as he probably should in order to accept him as a running mate, but Sam was right. He needed a straight, popular guy to help him over the hurdle of being the gay candidate. Although, Blaine reminded himself, wasn't Brittany bisexual? Maybe people were more comfortable with the idea of two girls together than two guys. Or maybe Brittany's antics were enough to push the sexuality issue off the table. Blaine wasn't sure.

"George Bush, come on," Sam explained his impression.

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "Sure."

Blaine shook Sam's hand as Brittany said "First order of business? Artie and I challenge you and Sam to a debate."

"You're on," Blaine accepted the challenge.

"What's a debate?" Sam whispered, leaning in close to Blaine as Brittany walked away.

"What's a... are you serious?" Blaine questioned.

"If it's a fight, we're totally gonna win," Sam said. "Because I'm ripped and you're a boxer, right? Although, what about the 'no punching girls' rule? Does that apply here?"

"It's not a fight," Blaine rolled his eyes. "A debate is like a... like a conversation. Someone will ask questions, and each candidate gets to answer. The idea is to show that you're the best candidate for the job."

"Huh," Sam understood.

"We'll talk about it more tomorrow, okay?" Blaine suggested.

"You got it, dude," Sam pitched his voice up and gave Blaine a thumbs up.

Blaine narrowed his eyes.

"Come on, _Full House_!" Sam scolded.

"See you tomorrow," Blaine said, not bothering to hide his smile as he turned to walk away.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Monday was a whirlwind for Kurt. He had spent the entire weekend trying to decide what to wear to his Vogue dot com interview. Should he wear something that pushed the fashion envelope to make a statement? Should he wear something traditionally formal to look like a serious candidate? How much was too much? How much was too little?

He had finally settled on a mix of offbeat and traditional; his white shirt, black tie, and dark blazer were classic, but his pants had shark teeth on them. With his hippo broach pinned on his blazer, Kurt felt good about the statement he was making. He had also decided to carry a leather bag rather than his favorite canvas bag so he would look as professional as possible.

After a few spoonfuls of his breakfast – he was too nervous to eat anything substantial – Kurt took the train into Manhattan and switched trains to take the Subway toward Vogue dot com headquarters. But, after two stops, he realized he was going the wrong way. Trying not to panic, Kurt hurried off the train at the next stop and found his way to the opposite platform so he could take the train back in the proper direction. By the time he arrived at the station nearest to Vogue dot com's building, he was so anxious that he was going to be late that he ran through the station, up the stairs onto the street, and into the building.

"Hi," he said quickly as he slid to a stop in front of the receptionist. "I'm Kurt Hummel. I'm here for an interview."

"Mmm," she acknowledged. "Have a seat, please. Ms. Wright will be with you shortly."

Kurt sank onto a couch near the receptionist desk and tried to calm down. He wasn't late. But he was minutes away from coming face to face with fashion designer Isabelle Wright. One of his biggest fashion inspirations.

"Ms. Wright will see you now," the receptionist said. Kurt stood up and the receptionist motioned down the hallway. "On your right," she instructed.

When Kurt reached the open door, he glanced in and found the room empty. Was this the right place?

He knocked on the door frame. "Hello?"

Isabelle appeared from behind a rack of clothes, smiling. "Columbus!" she said enthusiastically.

"Excuse me?" Kurt asked.

"You're from Lima," Isabelle explained. "I'm from Columbus! And, actually, I once got food poisoning in Lima. It was some Italian place... it was Bread..."

"...stix?" Kurt suggested.

"Breadstix, yes!" Isabelle remembered.

"I can't believe you ate at Breadstix," Kurt commented in disbelief. He could have sat in the same spot as Isabelle Wright. _At Breadstix_. In his hometown. And now he was standing right in front of her inside Vogue dot com headquarters in New York City. How had he not remembered that she was from Ohio? It gave him a small dose of courage; she had gotten out of Ohio, and so could he.

"Well, I wish I hadn't," Isabelle teased. She stepped forward and offered her hand. "Isabelle Wright."

"Kurt Hummel," Kurt introduced himself, shaking her hand.

"So, Mr. Hummel," Isabelle said as she turned to walk to her desk, "I have to tell you, I am very impressed with your online resume. Especially this gallery of you and your rather bold clothing choices."

She pulled the site up on her iPad and turned it around so he could see it.

"Where did you find all this?" Isabelle inquired.

"Well," Kurt explained, happy that his plan to use the website to stand out had paid off, "I made most of them and searched the Internet for bargains. And that half sweater there at the bottom, that belonged to my dead aunt. I found it in her attic. And the embroidered calico vest, uh, was actually inspired by one of your designs."

"Oh, yes," Isabelle recalled. "My quilted micro-skirt collection. It was an epic fail."

"But," Kurt said the first thing that came to his mind, "like you said in Vanity Fair... 'I don't trust anyone who hasn't failed big at least once'."

Isabelle suggested that he take a seat, and Kurt was happy to do so. His legs felt a little unsteady.

"So, I'm just going to ask you a few routine questions I ask all potential hires," Isabelle explained. "Who are your fashion icons?"

"Audrey Hepburn," Kurt told her. "Michelle Obama. And, not to kiss up or anything... you."

Isabelle smiled. "And have you done any writing on fashion?" she asked.

It was the question Kurt had been dreading. The answer was "not really". He had never written for any reason other than his own enjoyment.

"Self journaling, mostly," he said. "I did weekly updates and, uh, blogs on Project Runway since season one. And..." he couldn't think of anything else to say. There wasn't anything else. He knew he could write well enough; he almost always got As on his essays in school. Should he mention that?

To his surprise, Isabelle saved him from an awkward silence by jumping straight to the next question. "Wave your magic wand; where would you be in four years?"

A much easier question to answer. "Working here," Kurt said, "part time. Graduating from NYADA and, uh, starting my first Broadway show. I know that sounds presumptuous..." he realized as he heard himself say his dream out loud.

"No!" Isabelle disagreed, standing up to walk around the desk to sit near Kurt. "Frankly, you should be more presumptuous, you know? This is New York. It's for dreamers. It's for, you know, people like you who are just starting out and people like me who very much want to reinvent themselves. No, you should dream. You should dream very, very big. And then you should work incredibly hard and make sure you do everything in your power to make it happen."

Kurt felt like he was having an out of body experience. Very few adults ever encouraged him so strongly. He had always heard positive things about Isabelle Wright – she's lovely, she's smart, she's upbeat – but this was better than he had ever imagined.

"Look," Isabelle continued, "Anna hired me because she said that the websites that I designed for my collections were inspired. And so, neither myself nor my team can let her down."

Kurt didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"And that includes you," Isabelle added.

"Me?" Kurt asked as his heart suddenly felt like it was trying to pound out of his chest.

"Well, listen, my friend," Isabelle said warmly, "anybody who can pull off a hippo broach deserves to be here."

Kurt glanced down at the broach on his jacket and felt a flood of excitement surging through his body. Was she saying...?

"So," Isabelle extended her hand, "welcome to Vogue dot com."

"Thank you!" Kurt gushed, standing up as he shook her hand. "Thank you so– thank you –" He hugged her before he thought about whether or not it was appropriate, but she didn't seem to mind.

"You're very welcome," she said as he stepped away, apologizing for possible overstepping. "It's okay! That thing," she tapped his broach with her pencil, "should come with a warning."

"Uh, it did," Kurt said before he could stop himself. What was he saying? He was so nervous he didn't feel completely in control of his words.

"Alright," Isabelle said, moving back behind her desk to sit down. "Do you have time to do the paperwork today? You'll start your 'official duties'," she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "tomorrow, but it'll be more fun for you, I think, if the boring stuff is done today."

"Oh, yes. _Yes_," Kurt agreed. "I– yes, I have time."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass you off to someone else," Isabelle apologized. "Paperwork and I..." she shook her head and scrunched her nose in protest.

Kurt breathed out a nervous, delighted laugh and nodded his agreement.

The next hour passed in a blur of people and paperwork and tax forms and all kinds of things that Kurt prayed he was doing right. When he was finally finished with all the paperwork and had been photographed for his ID card, he was allowed to leave.

"Kurt!" Isabelle's voice stopped him before he opened the door to leave Vogue dot com's section of the building. He turned and saw her leaning out of her office. "See you tomorrow," she smiled.

Kurt was so overwhelmed that he just waved and offered his biggest smile before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

He did it.

He was an intern at Vogue dot com.

The trip back to Bushwick felt like it lasted a week because he was so excited to tell everyone.

To his delight, Kurt found that Rachel was home when he arrived. "_Well?_" she bounced on the balls of her feet as Kurt closed the door behind him.

He turned to face her and leaned back against the door. "I work at Vogue dot com," he gasped.

Rachel screamed with joy, and they rushed to each other to hug and jump up and down together.

"Okay," Rachel said, grabbing Kurt by his shoulders, "this time _I'm_ buying the cake! You stay here." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "_Call Blaine!_ I'll be back soon and we're going to celebrate the newest fashion intern in New York City!"

He nodded, and she grabbed a sweater and ran out the door.

He called his dad first, so excited that Burt didn't even understand what he was saying for the first few seconds. And then he called Blaine.

"Hey!" Blaine answered "So...?"

"_So_," Kurt giggled, "you are talking to Kurt Hummel, internet at Vogue dot com!"

"_Kurt!_" Blaine applauded. "Congratulations! I knew they would love you!"

"You did," Kurt recalled. "Thank you. I even got to do the interview with Isabelle Wright!" he gushed.

"_No_," Blaine gasped. "Oh my god, Kurt, you've met Isabelle Wright. You _work with_ Isabelle Wright."

"I know!" Kurt sang happily.

"Um," Blaine said, "I've got some news, too..."

"Yeah?" Kurt encouraged.

"I'm running for student body president," Blaine said, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh my god, you're definitely going to win," Kurt told him. "Everyone loves you."

"I don't know about that," Blaine countered. "But the election's on Friday – I guess Principal Figgins decided he wanted a very, very short campaign this year – and Sam's my running mate."

"Sam's what?" Kurt asked, confused.

"Another new rule," Blaine explained. "Running mates."

"And you picked _Sam_?" Kurt asked. "What about Tina? Or Artie?"

"Artie's running with Brittany," Blaine said. "And... I don't know. It just felt right."

"I think you'll get along with Sam pretty well, actually," Kurt allowed. "And I still say you're going to win."

"Well, thanks," Blaine said, his voice light. "I'm going to put that on my campaign material. 'Endorsed by a real life Vogue dot com intern'."

They both laughed, and it tapered off into comfortable silence.

"Do you start tomorrow?" Blaine broke the brief silence.

"Yes!" Kurt confirmed. "Tomorrow morning I will get up, get dressed, and join the New York City commute to work."

"That's just... _amazing_, Kurt," Blaine said. "Really."

The door to the apartment slid open, and Rachel entered with a huge cake in her arms.

"Rachel!" Kurt scolded.

"I wanted them to write on it!" she argued. "And it'll stay good in the fridge..."

"Yeah, if we don't emotionally eat it all, first!" Kurt rolled his eyes, but he was secretly delighted.

"I'll let you go," Blaine said in his ear.

"Oh!" Kurt remembered that he was still on the phone. "Sorry. Rachel's back."

"Go celebrate," Blaine said. "I'm sorry I'm not there to celebrate with you! I love you."

"I love you," Kurt echoed. "And, Blaine?"

"Yes?" Blaine requested.

"Thank you so much for pushing me to come here."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt's first day of work at Vogue dot com was the busiest day Kurt had experienced since he graduated from high school. When he arrived, one of Isabelle's assistants showed him to his desk. He was given an earpiece. He answered calls. He called to confirm orders of clothing from some of the biggest fashion labels in New York. He sorted mail and followed another intern around while she delivered the day's mail so he could start to learn who everyone was and where their offices were. He was given his ID card and all the codes to access the various clothing vaults. Kurt could barely contain himself when one of the other interns took him inside of one of the locked rooms and showed him how the racks of clothing were organized.

He only saw Isabelle briefly in the morning right when he arrived because she was hurrying out the door for a day of meetings with various designers. But, as he scrolled through his phone and tried not to fall asleep on the train back to Bushwick after work, he discovered a short email from his new boss.

"Everyone had lovely things to say about you this evening," she wrote. "Congratulations on surviving day one!"

The next morning when his alarm went off, that positive email was the only thing that got him out of bed. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. As he turned off his alarm, he noticed that he had missed a call from Blaine the night before. Two calls, actually. When Blaine hadn't been able to reach him, he had left a voicemail expressing his concern and hoping that Kurt had enjoyed his first day at his internship. And he had sent a text: _Sorry I missed you. Love you._

_Sorry!_ Kurt texted him once he was settled into a seat on the train to Manhattan. _Was so tired last night that I don't even remember setting my alarm. Day one was great! Will call later. Love you too._

Day two was better than day one. He was sent out to get coffee when he arrived, and he was grateful that he had worked in a coffee shop so he could order everything without confusing the barista. When he got back, Isabelle and the rest of the team were in a meeting in the conference room. Kurt snuck in and started distributing coffees, listening as the group tried to decide what the website's focus should be this month.

It was much more awkward than Kurt anticipated. Everyone seemed bored and uninspired, and, although Isabelle tried to keep the conversation going, things eventually fell flat. When Isabelle glanced up and briefly met Kurt's gaze, he could tell that she wanted to get out of there as much as he did.

"Okay, why don't we do this?" she suggested. "Let's, uh, we're gonna take a little break and then we will... we'll revisit the idea of leather. Kurt, can I see you in my office?"

Kurt hurried after her, a little worried that maybe he had made it too obvious that he was trying to absorb everything that everyone was saying.

"So," Isabelle asked as they reached her office, "what did you think of the ideas in there?"

"Fascinating," Kurt lied, glad that he wasn't in trouble.

Isabelle turned to face him with an expression that said "tell the truth".

"I hated them," Kurt confessed. "Look, I know I'm just an intern, but I feel like 'unexpected leather' should be in the back pages of _The Village Voice_."

"No, I know, I agree," Isabelle said, "but Man–"

She cut herself off and hurried to close the door.

"Mandy, you know, the receptionist?" Isabelle explained once the door was closed. "Every time I walk by her, she suggests that I do an article on trends in animal hide. And then her cat died. Did you know her cat died? So then what am I going to say? No? So now I'm stuck with leather."

"No, you're not," Kurt reassured her. "There are a million different ideas. We could do a music video that pays tribute to the most cutting-edge fashion... right?"

He wasn't sure where that idea had come from, but, now that it had escaped his lips, he liked the way it sounded.

"Well, I told Chase Madison that I would do his piece on Spanx for cankles. 'Spankles'," Isabelle explained unhappily. "Oh, god. I'm an artist, not a manager! I can't say no to anybody; I can't bear it. You know, I'm used to knocking on doors, not bolting them shut."

Kurt tipped his head in agreement.

"Back in the day, if I had an idea, a crazy idea," Isabelle continued, "I knew if it was good based on my instinct. And now, crazy ideas just seem _crazy_ to me. Like, you know... high heeled goulashes or equestrian underwear. What? And I can't... I can't land anything."

"I just feel like I lucked into a job I don't deserve," Isabelle admitted as she sank into her desk chair, "and I– honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing. My collection was a failure; I can't fail at this. _And_ I just rented a one bedroom apartment in Midtown so I could walk to work. But now, I'm not going to have a job to walk to or an apartment to walk from. I'm going to be homeless."

Kurt knew a mini breakdown when he saw one. He needed to say something.

"Hey, hey," he said, grabbing a chair to sit down, "you are _not_ going to be homeless, alright? You can always come stay with me and my roommate in Bushwick," he teased.

"Oh, god," Isabelle whined, dropping her head into one of her hands. "Kurt, thank you, you're lovely. I'm sorry I'm dumping all of this on you on your second day."

"It's fine," Kurt countered. "This is pretty much the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, so dump away!" he waved his hand in the air to enhance the sentiment, and Isabelle laughed.

"Not the most amazing thing that will ever happen to you, though, I bet," she suggested.

Kurt smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Short of getting into NYADA and booking a Broadway show, he didn't know what could possibly happen to top _this_.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After work, Kurt met up with Rachel so they could ride the train home together.

"Yeah, I swear, it was like a deleted scene from _The Exorcist_ that was cut because it was _actually_ too scary," Rachel complained as they walked toward their apartment. She had been forced to deal with two particularly unkind dancers between classes earlier in the day.

"How chilling," Kurt acknowledged.

"And then I tried!" Rachel said. "I tried to be, like, nice and, you know, smile... but then the black swan said to me: 'I didn't know Lena Dunham was joining us today'. And I asked her if I had done something to offend her, to which the other one said that my _outfit_ offended her! I mean, really," Rachel rolled her eyes.

She was still talking about it as they were sitting down – still on the floor, because they hadn't found a suitable table yet – to eat their take-out dinner.

"And, you know," Rachel said from her seat on the ground, "part of why I was so excited to come to New York was because I thought it would be a chance for me to start over. Reinvent myself. I had no idea it was going to be so exactly the same."

"You know why you feel exactly the same?" Kurt asked as he walked over to sit down with her. "Because you're still dressing exactly the same. We're not in Ohio anymore, Rachel. And, even then, it's not like we were exactly on trend. I hate to say this, but life is like high school. Styles and clothes determine the pecking order."

"Well, I don't know what you expect me to do," Rachel said. "It's not like I can afford an entire new wardrobe."

An idea hit Kurt so fast that he forgot all about his food. "Who says you'll have to pay for it?" he suggested as the idea expanded in his mind.

Rachel looked dubious.

"Put down your chopsticks and follow me," Kurt ordered. "I've got an idea."

"It's almost midnight; what are you talking about?" Rachel said as Kurt leapt to his feet and hurried to grab his coat.

"I'm about to change your life," Kurt explained, giddy as he thought about what they were going to do. "And maybe mine, too."

They had to take a taxi because it was so late at night, and Kurt silenced Rachel's protest about the cost by telling her his plan.

They were going to make a video. A music video of Rachel getting a makeover.

"But how is this going to help me get a new look?" Rachel wondered as they approached the building and Kurt dug through his bag for cash to pay the taxi driver.

"There are sample clothes everywhere," Kurt explained. "And, after they've been used once or sometimes never, they get put away and forgotten. Isabelle mentioned this morning that she might just give a bunch of it away..."

"This is the best day of my _life_!" Rachel buried her face in her hands in delight.

Kurt was glad to see that most of the lights were off when they arrived. Everyone had gone home for the night. There was no policy about how late was too late to be in the office – and he had an ID card, so they weren't exactly breaking in – but he wasn't sure if what he wanted to do would be overstepping his new privileges. He wanted to film the music video and _then_ deal with any possible consequences of using the clothing vault without permission.

"God, this is amazing!" Rachel squeaked as they walked past the Vogue dot com logo by the reception desk. "Take my picture! No, no, quickly!"

"That's nothing," Kurt whispered at her as he hurried toward the door to Vogue dot com's biggest clothing vault, "check this out!"

"Wait, I'm scared; don't leave me!" Rachel hissed, rushing after him as Kurt scanned his ID card and entered the unlock code.

"Oh my god," Rachel gasped as they pushed open the double doors and stepped into the room full of clothes. "I can't even breathe!"

"They call this the couture vault," Kurt explained. "It supposedly can survive a nuclear blast. Okay, I'll set up the camera..."

"Freeze!"

Kurt and Rachel spun around to find Isabelle and two security guards standing in the doorway.

"Kurt," Isabelle gasped, surprised and relieved.

"I– I thought you were going to be at dinner with Steve Buscemi and Yoko Ohno," Kurt confessed.

"Well, they canceled again," Isabelle informed them. "What are you doing here? And who's that?" she pointed at Rachel.

"Oh, I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel said immediately. "I'm Kurt's roommate. He–"

"We were gonna do a music video for the website," Kurt explained quickly.

"– he adores you," Rachel said.

"Rachel was going to get a makeover and she's gonna model some clothes and–" Kurt elaborated.

"Wait, stop!" Isabelle said quickly, putting her hand out to ask Kurt to stop talking. "Stop, stop, stop."

Kurt braced himself for whatever punishment she was going to lay on him.

"You had me at 'makeover'," Isabelle smiled.

Kurt thought he might fall over with surprise. She was going to let them do it?

"Thanks, gentlemen," Isabelle dismissed the security guards. "False alarm."

As the uniformed men walked away, Isabelle stepped through the doorway and closed the doors behind her.

"Okay," she said as she turned toward Kurt and Rachel, "tell me your plan."

Kurt explained his idea and, with Isabelle's help, they went to work. Rachel had a blast trying on every beautiful gown she could get her hands on, Kurt managed to end up wearing an outfit that cost more than a month's rent on their apartment, and Isabelle matched their enthusiasm as they filmed and watched the footage and filmed again and again until they were satisfied that they had enough to edit together into something worth watching.

And, true to Kurt's prediction, Isabelle gave Rachel an entire rack's worth of clothing to thank her for helping them create the video.

"Thank you, oh! Oh my– thank you _so much_!" Rachel gasped as Isabelle helped them load the clothes into a taxi for the ride back to Bushwick.

"No," Isabelle said to Rachel, "thank _you_ for coming. I haven't had this much fun at work... well, in a really long time. And Kurt?" she turned and gave him a quick hug. "I can't wait to see what you do with this! Consider this moment your permission to edit the video at work tomorrow."

They exchanged goodbyes, and Kurt and Rachel chatted excitedly all the way back to their apartment. They laughed uncontrollably as they hauled all of Rachel's new clothes up the stairs and through the door into their apartment, and it was only when Kurt leaned back against the closed door and tried to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming that he noticed the time.

3:46am.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

By Thursday morning, Blaine was starting to get worried about Kurt. And, if he was honest with himself, a little annoyed. Kurt had essentially ignored him since his first day at his new internship. He only texted Blaine in reply to a text _from_ Blaine and, even then, it was always short and vague and all about Kurt.

Blaine was grateful that he had the student council election to distract him.

"If I'm going to be completely honest," Blaine said to Sam as they walked down the hallway together before school, "I'm a little worried that my picking you as my running mate is going to seem like a desperate grab for the straight vote if you don't really look like a serious candidate, you know?"

"What'd'ya mean, Pilgrim?" Sam asked in strange voice.

"Was that John Wayne?" Blaine guessed.

"Yeah, I panicked," Sam admitted.

"Okay, listen... when's your next free period?" Blaine asked, stepping in front of Sam so he would stop walking. "I need you to meet me in the costume shop."

"Uh, yeah, maybe during lunch?" Sam suggested.

"Perfect," Blaine agreed.

So, instead of eating, Blaine found himself in the costume shop with Sam during their lunch break. He needed to find Sam something to wear that would make him look like a leader. And he needed to prepare Sam for the debate.

"Test scores at McKinley have gone down every year for the past decade," Blaine read off a note card as he searched for something for Sam to wear. "What would you do to fix the problem?"

"Stop giving tests," Sam answered. "They're hard and there's way too many of them."

"_Sam_," Blaine scolded. "You can't just..."

"Dude, I'm not gonna lie," Sam countered.

"You– it's..." Blaine shook his head. "Okay, fine. Let's find you something classy to wear, at least."

They found an outfit that they agreed on in less time than Blaine had anticipated. A simple shirt and tie and blazer.

"Excellent," Blaine complimented as Sam slipped the blazer off so Blaine could hang it up to save for the debate. "You look great."

Sam slid the shirt and tie off and handed them to Blaine. "I should go on stage like this," Sam said as he studied his body in the mirror. "Secure the 'sexy' vote."

He flexed his arms and Blaine tried not to stare. "Uh, I– you– we're going for something a... a little more, uh, professional," Blaine stammered.

"Too bad," Sam sighed, reaching for his regular shirt.

"Too bad," Blaine agreed before he could stop himself, watching the muscles in Sam's back as he put his shirt back on.

"What?" Sam asked as his head emerged through his shirt.

"Nothing," Blaine said quickly, turning away to hang up Sam's shirt and tie. "That's it, thanks Sam!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That evening, Blaine was happy to remember that he and Kurt had a pre-arranged Skype date. Kurt hadn't texted or called to cancel, so Blaine hurried to get into his pajamas and settle down on the floor at the end of his bed with his laptop to wait for Kurt to come online.

Right on time, Kurt's name buzzed to life and Blaine was delighted to see Kurt's face filling his computer screen.

"Hi!" he waved.

"Hey!" Kurt waved back. "It's so good to see you!"

"You, too," Blaine agreed seriously. "I've missed you."

"Sorry about that," Kurt said. "The internship has been insane! But insane in a great way. Get your phone; I want to show you something!"

Blaine reached over and grabbed his phone and saw that Kurt had sent him a video.

"Watch it!" Kurt urged. "And I want to know your real opinions, so don't hold back!"

It was a music video – starring Rachel – about a girl getting a makeover. By the time Blaine was done watching, he was very impressed.

"Kurt, did you make this?" he questioned as the video ended.

"Last night," Kurt confirmed. "Or, well, _super_ early this morning, really. And I spent all day editing it."

"It's... wow, Kurt," Blaine gushed.

"And that was just the rough cut," Kurt reminded him.

"No, it's _genius_," Blaine stressed. "And Rachel looks so gorgeous. The whole thing looks so, like, professional and like a _real_ fashion video that you'd see on TV or something. So, what's the next step?"

"Well, ideally, the dream would be that Isabelle would see it and love it and then put it on Vogue dot com," Kurt explained. "But, I mean, she's already committed to so many other concepts that I dunno..."

"No, Kurt, of course she's going to choose yours," Blaine interrupted. "She's gonna pick yours."

"And then," Kurt continued the story, carrying his laptop around his apartment, "after we made over Rachel, Isabelle took us to this place called Grey's Papaya and we had guava juice and hot dogs. It was _amazing_."

"You're hanging out with fashion goddess Isabelle Wright," Blaine commented as Kurt sprawled out on his bed. He felt incredibly insignificant. "And I'm running for student body president with a former stripper."

"Oh my gosh, I forgot about that!" Kurt said. "How's it going?"

"It's going okay," Blaine said. "But I did want to ask you what bow tie you thought I should wear for tomorrow's debate," he reached behind him to the bench at the end of his bed where he had piled the bow ties he liked best. "I have narrowed it down to five, but, mainly, I have these two..."

"Oh, bow ties are your signature," Kurt said. "Whatever you choose, you're going to look great in!"

"Hi, Blaine!" Rachel shouted from somewhere in the apartment. "We miss you!"

"Oh, Rachel says hi," Kurt told him.

"Oh, hi, Rachel..." Blaine said, but Kurt didn't pause long enough to really hear him.

"By the way," Kurt said, "one more question about the video. That scene where she plays the East Village 'it' girl... did you think that was too much?"

"No, it's... I dunno," Blaine said, having a hard time finding any enthusiasm. Kurt was so into what was going on in New York that he didn't even want to help Blaine pick out a bow tie for the debate the next day.

"Okay, good," Kurt agreed. "Good, because I didn't either, but she was a little skeptical. But I said she was very Chloe Sevigny chic, right?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed halfheartedly as he set the bowties on the floor beside him. "Yeah."

"So _then_, oh my god," Kurt continued, "I found this sweater in the vault that was to _die_ for!"

He continued to babble about all the clothes in the vault and about how good the whole experience had been for him and for Rachel and about Isabelle Wright and New York as a whole, and Blaine felt like the least important person in the world. It was like a repeat of the previous year when Kurt was obsessed with his NYADA audition, except Kurt was now hundreds of miles away living a life of designer clothes and guava juice and hot dog dinners.

It was like Blaine existed as someone to listen to Kurt's stories. He nodded and hummed appreciatively as Kurt chatted away, animated and excited, and tried to fight the resentment that was rapidly settling into his chest.

"Well, uh," he interrupted eventually, unable to take any more, "I, um, I should, you know, probably get some sleep. Big debate and the election tomorrow..."

"Oh!" Kurt said, disappointed. "Yeah, of course."

"But," Blaine added, unable to say goodnight with Kurt looking so let down, "I'm so happy for you. That video is really a masterpiece, Kurt."

"Why, thank you," Kurt preened, but then his face softened. "I miss you," Kurt said.

"I miss you," Blaine agreed softly. "Three weeks, right?"

Kurt's smile lit up his entire face. "Yes," he agreed happily. "Three weeks!"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Friday morning, Kurt was walking back to his desk after delivering a message when Isabelle leaned out from inside the conference room and spoke to him.

"Kurt, can I see you for a minute?" she asked.

He followed her into the large room and was surprised when she turned to face him and said: "You might want to sit down for this."

"I saw your video," Isabelle said as Kurt sank into a chair at the conference table. "And I forwarded it to Anna."

Kurt's stomach felt like it was trying to compress itself into a tiny sphere. He pulled his earpiece out of his ear and had to ask.

"Am I fired?"

Isabelle pushed her iPad toward him, and Kurt leaned forward to read the email on the screen.

_Great - - Anna_

"That is the first time that I have heard 'great' from Anna!" Isabelle said happily. "I am gonna print that and frame it!"

Kurt felt like all of his breath tried to leave his body at the same time. "Does... does this mean they're gonna put the video on the website?" Kurt managed to ask.

"Sort of," Isabelle explained. "We're going to re-shoot the whole thing in Bali with Karolina Kurkova, but you are getting credit for the idea."

Kurt could hardly believe what was happening. He was going to be on Vogue dot com. His name. Attached to a fashion video starring Karolina Kurkova.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled, bouncing slightly in his seat. "Thank you so much!"

"No, thank you," Isabelle said.

"And thank you so much for helping out with Rachel," Kurt added, already imagining the screaming they were going to do together in the apartment later that evening. "She went home that night and threw away her reindeer sweater, which is a huge deal for her. She already seems so much more confident, you know? It's so funny how a new image can change everything."

"I sure hope you never lose that," Isabelle said, a fond look on her face.

"What?" Kurt asked, suddenly a little self-conscious.

"Oh, just your unbridled, wide-eyed Lima, Ohio optimism," Isabelle explained. "You know, I had an instinct about you, Kurt Hummel. And, so far, it's proven to be correct. I feel like we're real kindred spirits, don't you?"

"I agree," Kurt said. "And can I please just say that I think you are the best dressed fairy godmother a boy like me could ever have."

He felt like he was going to float away through the ceiling and into the clouds, fueled only by his happiness. This was everything he wanted. Acceptance. Approval. Kindness.

"Well, then," Isabelle said, leaning forward, "can your fairy godmother give you a little bit of advice?"

Kurt tipped his head, curious.

"You have _quite_ the aptitude for fashion," Isabelle told him. "And I know it's your dream to go to NYADA, but sometimes dreams can change and I really would not be surprised if, some day, every A-lister in this town was fighting for one of your designs."

Before Kurt's brain could recover enough to form words, someone interrupted.

"So, which leather pitch are we running with?" she asked from the doorway.

"Oh, actually, you know what?" Isabelle said. "We're gonna toss the whole thing and start from scratch. We're going to meet here in two hours."

"Oh!" Isabelle stopped the woman before she could leave, "And Kurt will be joining us."

"I'm famished," Isabelle smiled at Kurt, gently smacking his arm as she stood up and walked toward the door like she didn't realize that she had just promoted Kurt from coffee and office supplies to the creative team. She suggested lunch at a restaurant Kurt didn't recognize, and he grabbed his things and hurried after her.

"So," Isabelle said as she leaned back into her seat in the back of the taxi that was carrying them toward lunch, "tell me more about you, Kurt. How's Ohio? Gosh, it's been forever since I've been back there."

"Ohio is... fine," Kurt allowed. "Uh, I have a dad – he's in Congress, actually. Burt Hummel from Ohio's fourth district – and a lovely step-mom named Carole. My mom died when I was little. And, oh, a step-brother who's my age. His name's Finn."

"Your dad's in Congress!" Isabelle approved. "Wow! You're quite the family, then, right?" she winked.

"I guess," Kurt laughed. "He'd probably agree with you, anyway."

Isabelle nodded. "And... a significant other?" she pressed gently.

"Yes," Kurt smiled fondly as he thought of Blaine. "His name's Blaine. He's..." Kurt tried to think of how he wanted to describe Blaine. Amazing. Kind. Talented. Sexy. "...the best. He would _die_ if he knew I was telling you about him."

"Well," Isabelle grinned, "there's got to be a photo of him somewhere in that phone of yours, right? Let's see him."

It still felt so insane to be having these conversations with _Isabelle Wright_. A world-renowned designer and manager at Vogue dot com was interested in things going on in Kurt's life. Kurt wished he could go back in time and tell himself as a high school freshman that this would happen. He wouldn't believe himself.

Kurt pulled out his phone and found his favorite recent photo of him and Blaine together. Tina had taken it the week before Kurt left for New York – they were standing in front of a row of lockers at McKinley and Blaine had his head tipped over onto Kurt's shoulder.

"Very handsome," Isabelle approved. "Love the bow tie."

"It's kind of his thing," Kurt smiled, feeling a pang of homesickness. There was going to be a day, in the not _too_ distant future, when he could run home into _Blaine's_ arms instead of Rachel's.

Isabelle seemed to notice his change in mood as she passed his phone back to him. "He's still in Ohio, I gather?"

"Yeah," Kurt said softly, glancing at the photo briefly before putting the phone away. "But he's going to come to New York in a year."

"Well," Isabelle said brightly, "when he gets here, I want to meet him."

Kurt smiled at her and nodded. Blaine was coming to visit in three weeks. Plenty of time to come up with a surprise way to introduce him to Isabelle.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The debate happened during the first class of the day. Students were allowed to come to the debate in the auditorium instead of attending class, but the turnout was terrible. Blaine tried not to think about it too much as he made sure Sam had the proper outfit on and then sat down in front of a mirror to make sure he looked presentable.

Blaine was tying the bow tie he had chosen for the event – red, white, and blue for subtle patriotism – when Sam hurried over.

"Hey, dude," Sam said as he approached, "now that you made me over, can I give you some advice?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. "Sure."

"Lose the bow tie," Sam suggested.

"What?" Blaine protested, stilling his hands before he finished tying the bow tie so he could concentrate on what Sam was saying.

"Yeah, trust me," Sam said. "It makes you look uptight and a little like a young Orville Redenbacher. Just take it off."

"Okay," Blaine obeyed, and they both looked at Blaine's reflection in the mirror for a moment. Sam motioned at Blaine with his hand, and Blaine had to admit that, maybe, Sam knew what he was talking about. He loved bow ties, but maybe the students of McKinley weren't all so open to the idea.

"You know what?" Blaine allowed. "You're actually right."

Sam walked away, and Blaine felt a swell of gratitude that Sam cared enough to say something. "Thank you," he said, even though Sam couldn't hear him.

The vice presidential debate was first, so Blaine stood offstage and watched. Artie spent significantly longer than the allowed time for answers talking about why people should care about student government. When he finally finished, Sue asked Sam if there was anything he would like to say on the subject.

"I wasn't really listening..." Sam admitted. "Whatever Artie said, I agree with that."

"What're you doing?" Blaine mouthed desperately when Sam glanced his way.

Sue's next question didn't help. "Sam Evans, rumor has it you were a stripper. Aren't you ashamed?"

Sam drew in a deep breath. "No," he said, "I'm not."

For a moment, Blaine felt a spark of hope, but then Sam walked around the podium to stand near the edge of the stage.

"In fact..." Sam said as he removed his tie, and Blaine debated whether or not he should run out onto the stage and drag Sam away. He resisted, and Sam ripped his shirt off.

Blaine let his head fall forward in defeat as the crowd went crazy. The debate was a disaster.

It took Sue five minutes to calm the crowd and convince Sam to go put his shirt back on.

"What was _that_?" Blaine scolded as Sam joined him offstage.

"I'm not ashamed!" Sam snapped. "And don't give me crap about it, okay? I know you're not into it."

"Wha –?" Blaine started to ask, but Sue's voice echoed through the auditorium.

"If the two presidential candidates aren't at their respective podiums in fifteen seconds," Sue announced, "we're done here."

Blaine glared at Sam, who had his back turned toward Blaine, before he hurried to his podium on the stage.

"Would either of you like to say any opening remarks?" Sue asked.

"No," Brittany said.

"Yes, please," Blaine said.

Sue just waved a hand to tell Blaine to go ahead.

"Students at this school have every right to be angry," Blaine told the crowd. "Last year's student council, led by my opponent, was the most ineffectual in a generation. Britney S. Pierce, in her last term, accomplished absolutely nothing except plan a dinosaur-themed prom and banned the use of hair gel."

Sam emerged from offstage, fully clothed, to sit beside Blaine.

There was nothing else on his note card for opening remarks, but Blaine felt like he needed to say more. "Um, ladies and gentlemen," he said, putting his note cards away, "telling anyone what they can or cannot put into their hair is disgusting. It's the first step toward tyranny, my friends. Next thing you know, they'll start burning books and then they'll probably start burning people too."

"That's a lie," Brittany said.

"This tyranny," Blaine continued pounding on the podium to reinforce his passion, "all ends today, McKinley! I want to offer you a change. And I am that change. Let's make history, Titans, and vote Anderson-Evans. Thank you."

Sue asked Brittany for a response, and Blaine thanked the universe as Brittany declared that, if re-elected, she would outlaw summer break and weekends.

"You know what?" Sue said when Brittany finished. "I think we're done here."

"But –" Blaine protested.

Sue made a chopping motion with one arm, and someone muted Blaine's microphone.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The election happened a few hours later, during lunch. Blaine was pleasantly surprised by the turnout; with such a short campaign, which had consisted of a few posters and the morning's strange debate, Blaine had worried that nobody would care enough to vote at all. But, as they passed through the cafeteria doors, most of the students grabbed a ballot and checked one of the names before tossing it into the collection box.

Sue and Ms. Pillsbury tallied the ballots that afternoon, and Blaine was trying to concentrate in Mr. Schu's history class when the intercom hummed to life.

"Attention, students!" Sue announced. "Your record-level election votes have been tallied, and we have a winner. Becky, can I get a xylophone flourish?"

Silence.

"No, not feeling it?" Sue said. "Okay. This year's student council president is... Blaine Anderson."

Blaine was so relieved to hear his name that he had to close his eyes and just absorb the news for a second. He could hear his classmates applauding.

"Party at Breadstix tonight!" Sugar shouted as Blaine opened his eyes.

"Alright, alright," Mr. Schu said. "Everyone calm down. Blaine, congratulations! But let's focus, okay?"

Nobody paid much attention for the rest of the class. When the bell rang, everyone jumped up and Blaine found himself surrounded by people who wanted to high five him and shake his hand and congratulate him. It was overwhelming, and Blaine was glad when he finally made it to his car.

When he got home, he checked his phone to find a text message from Sugar.

_Party at Breadstix! 7pm!_

Blaine smiled and texted her back to let her know that he would be there. And then he texted Kurt.

_Call me when you can!_

He showered and changed his clothes and left a note for his parents that he would be out late before driving back to Lima for the party.

"Hey, man!" Sam saw him and hurried over as Blaine walked through the door into the restaurant. "Congrats!"

They shook hands, and Blaine wasn't sure why he wasn't feeling particularly enthusiastic about their win. It felt good, but not as good as Blaine _wanted_ it to feel. "Congrats," he echoed, forcing a smile.

By the time everyone arrived, Blaine felt slightly better. Someone brought a big banner – "Congratulations, BLAM! Let freedom SING!" –and Sugar insisted that Sam and Blaine stand at the front of the room so confetti could rain down on them like real politicians celebrating a victory. Blaine laughed and high fived Sam as the bits of paper fell around them and everyone cheered.

"Make some noise!" Sugar shouted as Blaine stepped off the stage. "We know him!"

"Congratulations!" Marley beamed as she walked up and grabbed him for a hug.

"Thank you," he smiled.

"Good job!" Marley added before she walked away.

"Thank you, thank you," Blaine repeated.

"Congratulations, Mr. President," Artie said as he rolled up to Blaine. They shook hands.

"Thank you, Artie" Blaine replied.

"Losing the bow tie... that was your game changer," Artie commented. "Kudos."

"No hard feelings?" Blaine asked, hoping that he hadn't alienated anyone with his win. "Maybe I can find a place for you in my administration!"

"No thanks," Artie said. "I got what I needed. Sugar asked me out on a date. She invited me horseback riding... I'm just hoping it doesn't involve being towed."

Blaine smiled. Sugar and Artie seemed like a strange pair, but he was happy for them.

"You talk to Kurt?" Artie added.

No.

"Uh, yeah!" Blaine lied. "Yeah, he was super proud of me and he's really excited. Uh, he's already planning a whole inaugural ball."

It was everything that Blaine had secretly hoped would happen. But he hadn't even talked to Kurt yet, by phone or via text message.

"Well," Artie nodded, "congratulations."

"Thanks," Blaine smiled and patted Artie's shoulder as he rolled by.

Blaine was frustrated that he wasn't _excited_ about winning the election, but none of what was happening felt important. Everyone around him was friendly, but were they his friends? He knew most of them from school, but they didn't hang out. He was their student body president, but did it really matter?

He had always had Kurt there by his side. Any outing with New Directions had always been Kurt's idea. Most of Blaine's interaction with everyone in Lima had, until a few weeks ago, been because of Kurt.

He was only in Lima because of Kurt.

Fighting a sudden rush of loneliness, Blaine pulled out his phone and dialed Kurt's number.

It rang and rang and rang, and Blaine knew that Kurt wasn't going to pick up. As the final ring faded away and Kurt's voicemail message was about to start, Blaine ended the call. He didn't want to hear Kurt cheerfully asking him to leave a message.

"There's the man of the hour!" Sam approached from behind, clasping Blaine on the shoulder as Blaine put his phone back in his pocket. "You alright?"

"You know," Blaine confessed as Sam sat down in a booth, "it didn't hit me until right now. I came to McKinley for Kurt. That's it."

It all seemed perfectly clear as he stood in the middle of Breadstix and considered all the moments he and Kurt had shared in this room. They had sung together with the Warblers on their first Valentine's Day as friends. Kurt had asked him to prom. Blaine had surprised Kurt on their first Valentine's Day together as boyfriends.

He had only come to Breadstix without Kurt one time. When Cooper came to visit and they went out to lunch together on a school day.

Blaine had convinced himself, both when it happened and every time he had thought about it since, that he had transferred for more than just Kurt. That it was also because he got a second shot at facing the demons of public school. And that it would be fun to be in New Directions where he could be _Blaine_ rather than Blaine Warbler.

But he would never have left Dalton if he had never known Kurt.

"And now he's gone," Blaine continued as he sat down across from Sam. "And, even with glee club, it just... I feel really, really _alone_."

Blaine wasn't sure why he was confessing this to Sam. Sam was nice enough, but they didn't know each other particularly well.

"You're kinda killing my party buzz, bro," Sam said.

"I'm sorry," Blaine apologized. "It's just that I did all this," Blaine waved his hand at the party around them, but meant for the motion to signify much more, "for him. I did all this for him! And now he's not here. And so it just kinda feels like... none of it matters."

It kinda felt like _nothing_ mattered.

"Of course it matters," Sam argued. "You're McKinley's first gay guy president."

"Nobody cares about that," Blaine retorted.

Kurt would've cared.

"Look," Sam said, "before you, Kurt was the first gay kid I met. And don't get me wrong, he's great, but I just don't really get his Bravo jokes or the fashion thing or Broadway."

Blaine didn't want to talk about Kurt, but he didn't want to stop Sam, either.

"With you and me, it's different, you know?" Sam told him. "Never had a... a gay bro before."

Blaine had to smile at that. Sam knew enough about him to know that they had things in common. Sam had noticed Blaine's bow tie and had thought enough of Blaine to suggest that he go without it to look more presidential.

"We'll be like Wolverine and Cyclops," Sam suggested. "You know? We'll show people how we're cool with each other, you know, and, if you ask me, that's what matters."

"Thanks, man," Blaine said as he stood up, feeling marginally better. "You're right. But, just so we're clear..."

"I'm Wolverine," they both said in unison.

"I said it first," Sam teased.

Blaine smiled and turned away, only to run directly into Brittany.

"Congratulations, Blaine Warbler," she said.

"Thank you, Britt," Blaine said before walking past her and straight out the back door – appropriately, Blaine thought, it was labeled as an emergency exit, but he knew it didn't have an alarm – into the fresh nighttime air.

Sam was nice. Marley was nice. Tina was nice. Artie was nice. They were all, generally, nice to him and accepting of him as a leader. But they didn't feel like _friends_.

"I don't have any friends," Blaine mused to himself as he walked to his car.

He felt like he didn't belong anywhere. He no longer felt connected to Dalton – not the Dalton that existed now – and he didn't feel connected to McKinley. Even as student body president and captain of New Directions, he felt like he was a new student trying to navigate an unfamiliar school.

He was trying to learn to navigate McKinley without Kurt. It felt impossible. Especially when it seemed like he was the last thing on Kurt's mind when Kurt was almost always the first thing on Blaine's mind.

As he climbed into his car, Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket and was surprised to see that he had missed a text from Kurt.

_Sorry I missed your call. Out with Isabelle tonight. How'd the election go? I hope you were calling to tell me that I need to start calling you Mr. President!_

_I miss you so, so much_, Blaine typed into his phone.

Then he erased the sentence and sent, instead: _We won! :)_

Kurt's response was almost immediate. _CONGRATULATIONS!_

Blaine smiled. He was worrying for nothing. Kurt was just busy adjusting to his new life. It didn't mean he didn't care.

_Oh my god, you're the first gay president of McKinley_, Kurt added, and Blaine let his head fall back on the headrest of his car and closed his eyes until the phone vibrated again.

_Of course you are_, Kurt said. _You're the smartest, nicest person I know._

_Thank you_, Blaine replied.

_Oh, and Isabelle says congratulations, too!_ Kurt sent back.

Blaine dragged his free hand down his face. Kurt had just told Isabelle Wright about him winning the student body president election.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you!_ he replied.

_Gotta go!_ Kurt returned. _Congrats again! I'm proud of you. Goodnight!_

_I love you_, Blaine replied, even though he knew Kurt had stuffed his phone into his pocket as soon as he sent the message.

He listened to a news program on the radio as he drove home – it was still difficult for him to listen to music on the radio without thinking of Kurt as every song came on – and he thought he was feeling better until he was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and definitely not sleeping.

Everything that he had feared was coming true. Kurt had gone off to a fabulous new life, full of excitement and glamour, and Blaine was trying to make things like student council and glee club feel important enough to fill the emotional void that Kurt's absence had caused. He was alone and Kurt didn't seem to care. Or even notice.

It bothered Blaine that he was starting to feel bitter about the way his life and Kurt's life were separating. Didn't he _want_ Kurt to be doing everything that he was doing in New York? They had known that a year apart would be difficult, and Blaine hated himself for feeling so needy. Of course Kurt wasn't going to call him every day. What was there to talk about, anyway? The most exciting thing going on in Blaine's life was the student council election, and that didn't even excite _Blaine_, so why would Kurt want to hear about it?

Blaine rubbed his eyes with his palms and rolled over onto his side. In the darkness, he could just make out Kurt's face in a photograph on his dresser.

Regardless of how he _should_ feel about it, the fact was that Blaine felt hurt and resentful about the way Kurt was acting like things were fine. And he didn't know what he should do.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was out extremely late with Isabelle and some of the other people from Vogue dot com. They went to dinner and then out for drinks – Kurt had a few non-alcoholic drinks that the bartender suggested – and karaoke. Much to Kurt's initial embarrassment, Isabelle roped him into a duet of Kelly Clarkson's _Breakaway_ before the end of the night. Kurt had only agreed because she was his boss, but he was glad that he had done it when it was over. It was fun to sing again in a place that wasn't his empty apartment. And his co-workers had loved it.

Isabelle insisted on paying for a cab to take him back to his and Rachel's apartment in Bushwick because it was so late, and Kurt got his phone out while the taxi carried him toward home.

_Sorry I missed your last text!_ he sent to Blaine. _I love you too. Just had a crazy night. Was forced to sing karaoke and no, thank god, there is no video evidence._

When he finally arrived at the door to the apartment, Kurt realized that he was really, really tired. A hot shower and his soft, warm bed were so close...

As he slid the door closed behind him, he noticed a bag on the floor by the couch. And some men's shoes.

For a brief moment, he wondered if Rachel and Brody's dinner date had turned into something more and planned a few harsh words for his roommate about allowing strangers to sleep in their apartment without his consent or knowledge.

But then he realized that he recognized the shoes.

Finn.

Finn was here. In their apartment. In bed with Rachel, clearly, because the couch was empty and he knew that Rachel would never let anyone – even Finn – sleep in Kurt's bed without Kurt's permission.

When had Finn arrived? Why hadn't he called first? Kurt didn't know what to make of his step-brother's sudden appearance.

Kurt had the fastest shower of his life so he could hurry to bed and turn on his white noise machine. He knew there weren't walls in the apartment, but he had hoped for a little more time before he had to worry about Rachel having sex with anyone – especially his step-brother – with him in the apartment. He made a mental note to make absolutely sure that Rachel was never in the apartment when he and Blaine were intimate. It would be too awkward.

_Three weeks!_ He texted Blaine before he climbed under his blankets and thought about all the things he needed to plan for Blaine's visit until he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I actually like this episode even more now after the whole season has played out... it really set the stage for Blaine and Sam's friendship and for Blaine's actions (well, as much as you can set up for something as out of character as what Blaine's about to do) in the next episode. But it's just really <strong>_**sad**_** for Blaine, gosh. Poor guy! I think, at **_**this**_** point, things are still very in character for both Kurt and Blaine. Kurt tends to get engrossed in whatever **_**thing**_** he's doing and he can be neglectful of other things, even people he loves, as a result. Even though he still loves them just as much. And Blaine is very tenderhearted and takes rejection very personally and wants to belong but isn't entirely sure how despite the fact that he is so charismatic and sweet.**_

_**Also, do you realize that Kurt predicted this whole situation on the day that Blaine transferred to McKinley? "You didn't do this for me, did you? Because if you did this for me, I mean, it'd be very romantic for one, but, I mean, it could lead to resentment, which could lead to anger, which could lead to a horrible, horrible, nasty breakup."**_

_**Excellent continuity, right? But OUCH.**_

_**Up next... 4x04: The Break Up.**_


	43. 4x04: The Break Up

_**THIS EPISODE. I actually really like it in terms of how it was filmed and the songs they used and the incredible acting all around. But emotionally? Ouch.**_

_**Alright, let's talk about the cheating before we start. In my opinion, Blaine cheating was incredibly out of character. This is a young man who publicly shamed Kurt for cheating in season three when Kurt was sending and receiving flirty text messages. This is Blaine who cried and begged Kurt talk to him if he was unhappy. He was **_**so**_** devastated when Kurt was texting Chandler that I have a **_**really**_** hard time imagining Blaine cheating on Kurt – **_**especially**_** going out and having sex with a stranger – less than a year later. Or ever.**_

_**I think it's pretty clear that one of them cheating was the only way the writers could imagine Kurt and Blaine breaking up for an extended period of time. They've been able to talk their way through challenges to their relationship up to this point, so something really gut-wrenching had to happen so that they wouldn't work it out after two or three episodes.**_

_**That said, despite the fact that the ACTUAL cheating was outrageous, I think the rest of what's happening in this episode is actually very in-character for Blaine. He's feeling alone and unwanted, and he's trying to deal with the resentment he's feeling about the whole situation. Add to all of that Blaine's tendency to be hard on himself about things and you've got the perfect storm for him to do something stupid. Sadly, the stupid thing was also a terrible thing, and I think that's a shame. I guess it is realistic just in the sense that, sometimes, people break their own moral codes. And then have to deal with the consequences.**_

_**Anyway, here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was exhausted, but he had been getting up so early every day for his internship that he was wide awake before nine the morning after he came home and realized that Finn had come to New York. Finn and Rachel, he discovered as he crept through the apartment to the bathroom, were still asleep. Or, at least, still quiet in Rachel's section of the apartment.

Kurt got dressed and ate a small bowl of cereal before taking advantage of the alone time to go through his email and to see what everyone was talking about on Facebook. Then, he got all of his sheet music out so he could start thinking about what song he should use as his audition piece for NYADA.

He had done something upbeat and outrageous for his first audition, so he wondered if he should try something softer this time. Maybe he should sing something that wasn't from a musical?

Kurt thumbed through his binder of music again and again. Nothing caught his eye. He was going to have to find a store nearby that sold sheet music so he could search for something that inspired him.

_I'm trying to think of a non-Broadway song to sing for NYADA,_ he texted Blaine, _but I'm completely uninspired. Help?_

_Let It Be? _Blaine replied a few minutes later.

_Probably more your style than mine,_ Kurt worried.

_That might be good, though, right?_ Blaine returned. _Do something unexpected._

Kurt considered it. He could sing something that would allow him to accompany himself on the piano. He wasn't as proficient a piano player as Blaine, but, with enough practice, he would be able to learn one song. It would demonstrate that he had musical talent outside of singing. And, maybe, channeling Blaine in his audition would help him feel connected to whatever song he chose.

_Okay, maybe_, Kurt allowed. _But I'm not feeling The Beatles._

_WHAM!_ Blaine texted.

Kurt rolled his eyes at the attempt to get him to sing something by one of Blaine's favorite bands.

_I don't know,_ Kurt sent back.

_I know_, Blaine confirmed. _But seriously, you could find an acoustic version of Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go?_

_I don't want to like this idea_, Kurt whined.

_But you do_, Blaine replied.

_Shut up_, Kurt texted him back.

Blaine responded with a winking emoticon and an emoticon that Kurt assumed was supposed to be making a kissing face, and Kurt shook his head as he typed his reply.

_I'll think about it._

Kurt decided to make himself lunch before he went out in search of sheet music. He was putting the finishing touches on a croque-madame when Rachel emerged from her room.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Somebody slept late," Kurt commented. "It's lunchtime. Do you want a croque-madame?"

"We didn't go to bed 'til late," Rachel declined. Based on the look on her face, Kurt thought she probably wasn't hungry for other reasons, too.

"Thank god for ear plugs," Kurt teased. "I love you both, but I don't want to hear any of that!"

He expected Rachel to laugh or possibly roll her eyes. But, instead, she glanced around before leaning forward so he could hear her hushed words. "We didn't _do_ anything," she explained. "He didn't even talk to me... we just, like, laid there."

At that moment, Finn walked around the corner from Rachel's room, and Kurt knew it was time to leave. Things were clearly awkward between his best friend and his step-brother, and Kurt was not interested in making things even _more_ awkward by sticking around to listen to the conversation that he could sense was about to happen.

Kurt picked up his breakfast. "I'm gonna take this down to the park and watch drug deals go down," he said lightly.

He kept his eyes on Finn. It was the first time he had seen his step-brother in months.

"It's good to see you again, Finn," Kurt said as he walked past.

"You too, little brother," Finn smiled.

After making sure that he had his wallet and phone in his pockets, Kurt pulled open the door to the apartment, slipped out into the hallway, and set off to eat his lunch in the park and to find a store that sold the sheet music to the acoustic version of _Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go_.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

At lunch on Monday, Blaine and Brittany were alone at a table in the cafeteria while some of the other students got their food. Brittany didn't hold a grudge about Blaine beating her in the election the week before, much to Blaine's relief, so it was comfortable sitting with her as they watched Marley and Jake chatting at a table across the room.

"Aww," Brittany said dreamily, "young love."

"Do you remember when you first started dating Santana and I started dating Kurt?" Blaine asked. "Back before everyone was so busy and so... far away? Things were so much simpler. We had so much more hope and innocence. Every day was just like Valentine's Day."

He missed it so much.

"We're still young," Brittany said. "Shouldn't we still be experiencing those things?"

_Yes_, Blaine thought to himself. But he didn't say so.

Kurt had texted him over the weekend to ask about his second NYADA audition, and Blaine had been hopeful that it would be something for them to talk about in the coming weeks. But, after the initial conversation about which song to sing and a brief exchange of texts confirming that he had found the appropriate sheet music, Kurt had not contacted Blaine at all.

It was hard for Blaine to justify why Kurt wouldn't call him all weekend.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine's phone vibrated as he was walking down the hallway and he was surprised to see Kurt's name on the screen.

"Hey stranger," Blaine answered happily.

"Hey," Kurt returned the greeting. "Um... crap, can you hold on one second?"

Blaine knew it wasn't really a question so much as a kind way to tell him to wait, so he waited.

"Isabelle Wright's office, how can I help you?" Kurt said after a short pause.

"Um, it's me, Kurt," Blaine informed him.

"Oh god," Kurt whined. "I'm so sorry. Look, I've taken over Isabelle's phones for the week and they just won't stop ringing."

"It's– it's okay," Blaine said. "If you want to call me back later, we can talk then–"

"I can't," Kurt interrupted. "Isabelle says we have to get the column up on the website by midnight tonight." Kurt sighed unhappily. "Look, I know this is frustrating. It's frustrating for me, too. And I don't want to miss our phone dates, but... you know, this– this could be a career for me."

"I get that," Blaine said, "I really do. I get it. It's just... I... really miss you. A lot, okay? I miss talking to you and I miss hugging you and I miss messing around with you..."

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "But you're coming in two weeks, right?"

"I know," Blaine acknowledged. That wasn't the point. "But... what am I supposed to do until then? Just hold my breath?"

There was a moment of silence on Kurt's end of the phone, and Blaine knew that Kurt was distracted.

"Shoot," Kurt said, confirming Blaine's thoughts. "Joan Didion's calling. She always has the best gossip."

Blaine rolled his eyes. He knew it was out of Kurt's control, but, when grouped with how much Kurt had been blowing him off, it annoyed Blaine that this woman was going to cut their conversation short.

"Um," Kurt said distractedly, "alright, I will call or text you on a break, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "I love you!"

But Kurt had ended the call before Blaine could finish his final few words. Blaine glanced at his phone's screen before switching it off in defeat.

With every hour that went by without Kurt calling him back, Blaine felt more and more hurt and angry. And, after he tried calling Kurt between his final two classes and Kurt didn't answer, Blaine hit a breaking point.

He was tired of being treated like he existed to be Kurt's boyfriend when it was convenient for Kurt. He knew that Kurt wasn't ignoring him to hurt him, but it didn't matter. Kurt _knew_ that Blaine was worried about being left behind. That he was worried about Kurt going off to New York and forgetting about him. Kurt _knew_. They had talked about it.

So, Blaine thought to himself as he ended the attempt to call Kurt at work, Kurt's lack of time for Blaine was deliberate. Kurt was choosing to spend his time doing exciting New York things rather than putting forth effort to make sure that Blaine was okay.

Blaine wasn't okay.

And he was done lying to himself. Kurt wasn't making time for him because Blaine wasn't Kurt's priority. He was just the high school boyfriend left behind in Ohio. He had been naïve to think that everything would be fine between them after Kurt left.

Blaine's last class of the day was dismissed early after his teacher was called away for an emergency, so Blaine went to the choir room to wait for glee rehearsal. To pass the time, he scrolled through Facebook on his phone.

He poked a guy who had randomly friended him a few weeks before – they had been poking each other back and forth since – and scrolled through his feed for a few minutes. The Warblers were in full prep mode for Sectionals. Blaine felt lonelier than ever as he remembered the fun he and the Warblers used to have rehearsing their songs in rooms all over Dalton. They were probably progressing toward a solid set list and New Directions hadn't even managed to find enough contenders to even choose _one_ for Sectionals.

A little red number at the top of the screen signaled to Blaine that he had a message. He opened it and found a sentence from Eli C, the boy he had been poking back and forth since they had randomly become Facebook friends a few weeks earlier.

"What's up, sexy?" the message said.

Blaine was surprised and flattered, but, before he could think about responding, Eli sent another message.

"You want to come over?"

Blaine's anger about the situation with Kurt pushed his hesitation away, and he decided to go for it. Why not? Kurt didn't care about him. Kurt didn't think he was sexy. At least not as sexy as life in New York.

He asked Eli for his address before he stood up and walked out of the choir room. They probably wouldn't do anything productive in glee that afternoon, anyway, Blaine thought. Just more fighting over what they should sing and who should sing it. It all felt so petty.

Eli's address was in Columbus. So, Blaine stopped by home first to change and drop off his bag. Then, he drove to the address Eli had given him.

It was a hotel. What Blaine had assumed was an apartment number was a room number.

Part of Blaine's mind screamed at him not to go in. But the part of Blaine that was desperately starved for positive attention filled Blaine with recklessness and he got out of his car.

Eli was tall and thin and, Blaine guessed, a few years older than Blaine. After welcoming Blaine into the room, he walked over to the small refrigerator.

"You want a drink?" Eli asked, pulling a bottle of beer from the fridge.

"Uh..." Blaine hesitated, but Eli was already opening the bottle for him. "... sure."

They sat down on the room's small couch, and Blaine took a tiny sip of his drink. It was a brand he had never tried before, but it tasted okay. Eli started a conversation about sports, and Blaine didn't realize that he had emptied the bottle in his hands until Eli reached out and took it from him. It felt great to just _talk_ to someone. Eli got up and walked to the sink to deposit his and Blaine's empty bottles, and Blaine took a deep breath and looked around the room.

He could tell that the alcohol had loosened him up, but he wasn't severely intoxicated. He just felt relaxed. More relaxed than he had felt in weeks.

As Eli returned to the room and handed him a second drink, Blaine's phone vibrated in his pocket. He set the drink down so he could find his phone, hoping to see Kurt's name on the screen.

It was Cooper. A text message asking if Blaine knew the best way to attach a cape to a vest.

Blaine felt a surge of frustration and loneliness as he turned his phone off without replying. Of course it wasn't Kurt. Kurt was busy. Too busy for Blaine. Maybe they weren't perfect for each other, after all.

"Bad news?" Eli asked.

When Blaine glanced up at the other boy, he was much closer than Blaine remembered.

"No," Blaine replied, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "Just a silly question from my brother."

Eli leaned forward, confident and direct, and Blaine knew he was about to be kissed. He felt a surge of adrenaline at the prospect of doing something so forbidden. Like the rush of lying to someone's face or breaking the law. It was the most intense sensation he had felt in weeks.

Blaine didn't resist.

But Eli didn't kiss him. Instead, he ghosted his breath across the corner of Blaine's lips and continued a path across Blaine's cheek toward his ear. Blaine shivered, and, when Eli grabbed the bottom of Blaine's shirt, tugging it up, Blaine didn't stop him.

The sex was unlike anything Blaine had ever experienced – it was all physical. No kisses or gentle touches or loving words. It was all physical pleasure, fast and rough, and Blaine let himself surrender to the mindless physicality of it to forget everything that was tormenting him.

But, as Eli climbed off the bed after the fact, guilt crashed through Blaine so violently that he had to sit up and concentrate on breathing.

He had just cheated. He had _cheated_. On Kurt.

He had never hated anyone so much as he hated himself in that moment. How could he have ever thought that Kurt wasn't the one for him? Kurt was _everything_.

As he thought about his boyfriend and the love they had together, Blaine scrambled off the bed and grabbed his clothes. He pulled on his pants and sat down on the side of the bed to put his shirt back on. He was dragging his hands through his messy hair, more distressed than he could ever remember feeling, when Eli returned from the bathroom.

"You okay?" Eli asked.

"No," Blaine said.

"Is it because I don't look at all like my profile picture?" Eli teased.

Blaine was so disgusted with himself that he could barely hear the other boy.

"I'm sorry, I– I have to go," he said. He stood up from the bed and hurried out of the room without another word. He knew that he was acting like a crazy person, but he didn't care. Maybe he _was_ crazy. He felt crazy.

As his car roared to life, Blaine wiped furiously at the tears in his eyes before starting the drive home. He felt simultaneously numb and so full of self-loathing that he could barely function. The loneliness that he had been feeling ever since Kurt had gone to New York seemed more tangible than ever as the silence of being alone in his car settled over him like a suffocating blanket.

He had allowed himself to have sex with a boy who wasn't his boyfriend. He was a terrible person.

As he stared out the windshield and tried to hold himself together so that he wouldn't crash and kill himself and cause everyone more pain than he already had, Blaine's phone vibrated in his pocket. Thoughts of Quinn and her accident the year before flashed through his mind, and he decided to ignore it until he got home.

Unfortunately, his parents were still awake and chatting over a snack in the kitchen when he walked in the door. There was no avoiding them.

"Blaine!" his mother said immediately as she got a good look at him. "Honey, are you okay?"

"I feel terrible," Blaine moaned. It wasn't a lie. Just not the entire truth.

His mom got up from her seat and walked over to feel his forehead. Satisfied with his lack of fever, she wrapped him into a hug.

Blaine burst into tears.

"I miss Kurt," he sobbed into his mother's shoulder.

"Aww, I know," she said gently, rubbing his back as he cried. "I know you do."

"You're going to New York for a visit soon, right?" his father offered from his seat.

The sudden reminder that he was planning to go to New York to visit Kurt in two weeks hit Blaine so hard that he suddenly felt like he was going to vomit.

"I'll be upstairs..." he pulled out of his mother's grip and ran away, up the stairs to the bathroom as his mother shouted after him that she would come check on him soon. He stood in front of the toilet for a moment, arguing with his body over whether or not he wanted to throw up, but the feeling slowly subsided.

He didn't even bother going to his room to get his pajamas, choosing instead to throw his clothes in a pile on the floor so he could take a long, hot shower. He scrubbed his skin as hard as he could, trying to remove the memory of how it felt to have sex with a random stranger.

It didn't help him feel any better.

As he was drying off, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Blaine?" his mom called through the closed door, "How are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm okay, Mom," Blaine replied, wrapping his towel around his waist and reaching down to grab his dirty clothes off the floor.

He opened the bathroom door to find his mother standing in the hallway. She was worried.

"I'm okay," Blaine repeated. He knew that hiding his emotions wasn't his strong suit, but he hoped that he could convince her enough to put her mind at ease.

His mom nodded, not completely convinced. Blaine moved to walk around her, but she put an arm out and pulled him into another hug.

"I love you, Blaine," she said as she released him.

"Love you, too, Mom," Blaine choked out through a fresh wave of tears. "Goodnight."

He hurried to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Everything in his bedroom reminded him of Kurt. All the time they had spent together in this room. They had been intimate for the first time in Blaine's bedroom.

Trying not to think about any of that and failing miserably, Blaine put on his pajamas and dug his phone out of his jeans' pocket before dumping his dirty clothes on the floor by his closet. He was never going to wear that outfit again. He crawled into bed and leaned back against his headboard, powering on his phone as he realized that he hadn't replied to Cooper earlier in the evening.

But, this time, the new text message was from Kurt.

_Sorry about earlier today. Still at work. How was the rest of your day?_

Blaine stared at the words on the screen. What could he say? Everything had changed now. Kurt was going to hate him. _Everyone_ was going to hate him. He hated himself.

_I miss you so much_, he replied. _I love you so much._

The response came back almost immediately.

_Hey! Glad you're still awake. I love you too! I can't wait until you're here and we can just talk without phones._

Blaine was trying to decide what he could possibly say – fighting the urge to confess what he had just done – when Kurt sent another message.

_Ah, gotta go! Back to work. Have a great evening! Love you._

_I love you, Kurt._ Blaine replied.

Blaine leaned his head back on his headboard and closed his eyes, clutching the phone in his hands. It felt as if there was nothing in the world except what he had just done. Nothing was ever going to be okay again.

He had to tell Kurt. And he couldn't wait two weeks.

Blaine tossed his phone on his bedside table and jumped out of bed. He needed to tell Kurt in person. He needed to be there in person so he could confess and beg Kurt's forgiveness and tell Kurt how desperately he loved him.

He bought a ticket for the next afternoon. If he left immediately after school he could catch his flight and be in New York by the early evening.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As Kurt got home from work, extremely late, as usual, he was happy to find Finn and Rachel cuddled up on the couch together watching television.

"Something smells delicious," Kurt commented happily, turning immediately toward the kitchen.

"It's a pizza," Finn informed him.

It was a little cold after sitting out for so long, but Kurt thought it was delicious. He was so hungry.

"So," Kurt asked as he joined Rachel and Finn in the living room section of their apartment, "how's NYADA?"

"Fabulous," Rachel gushed.

"Totally," Finn agreed.

"Mmm," Kurt acknowledged through a mouthful of pizza. "I've gotta record my audition soon. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow afternoon. Isabelle's letting everyone go home early tomorrow since we've been out so late for so many nights in a row. Do you think I could use one of the pianos at NYADA?"

"I'm sure, yeah," Rachel said. "I'll meet you there. Just text me when you're leaving work?"

"Perfect," Kurt agreed.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day passed in a blur for Blaine. All he could think about was his suitcase sitting in his car and the airplane waiting to take him to New York. To Kurt. He even ate lunch hiding in a bathroom stall so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. He didn't think he could pretend to be fine well enough to fool all of them, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to tip Kurt off that something was going on.

Sam had texted him the night before, asking why he missed glee rehearsal. Blaine had told him he wasn't feeling well. He hoped that his classmates would make the same assumption when he missed rehearsal for the second day in a row.

It wasn't until he was in the air that the nervousness about _New York_ started to seep into Blaine's mind. He had never been to New York City before. He didn't know how to use the subway. Did taxis in New York take credit cards?

And then the worry about just showing up on Kurt and Rachel's doorstep piled on. What if they weren't home when he arrived? What if they had people over and he interrupted?

Blaine's only moment of relief came as they were landing and he looked out the window (over the person in the window seat next to him) and caught a glimpse of the skyscrapers of New York City. He could do this. Kurt was here. This was where he wanted to be.

But not like this.

Blaine took a taxi to Kurt and Rachel's apartment, barely noticing the cost over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears as he stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of Kurt's building. As the taxi drove away, Blaine glanced around and realized that he should have brought something. A housewarming gift or something nice for Kurt.

He wandered down the block, careful to remember where Kurt's building was, and stumbled across a small florist. He bought a huge bouquet of red roses and wished that it wasn't dark already as he hurried back to the building where Kurt and Rachel lived. It felt so _late_.

When Blaine reached the top of the stairs and walked quietly to the door of Kurt and Rachel's apartment, he paused. He could hear voices coming from inside – someone was home – but he couldn't tell who it was. Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to do this. He had to be honest and accept the consequences of his betrayal.

He clutched the bouquet of flowers in one hand and reached out with his other hand to knock on the door.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was pleased with his second NYADA audition. He and Rachel had set up the camera and a microphone in one of NYADA's piano rooms, and Kurt had sung the song through two times so that they could pick which performance they liked best. He had planned to sit down with his computer and get the file of the best performance ready to add to his application, but they had arrived home too late. They had plans to go out to dinner, so Kurt had to get ready.

"Oh, Kurt, you look _great_!" Rachel squealed when walked around the bookcase that separated his room from the living room to see what Rachel thought of his outfit. She clapped her hands a few times to reinforce her excitement.

Kurt twirled around, happy to show off his outfit, before walking back into his room so he could use the full-length mirror to make sure his outfit was perfect.

Finn and Rachel started a conversation about the apartment – it was mostly Rachel telling Finn stories about how they had managed to get some of the large furniture up the stairs – and Kurt studied his appearance in the mirror as he listened to them talking.

As he congratulated himself on finding a shirt with a red collar that perfectly matched his red pants, Kurt thought of Blaine. Blaine loved brightly colored pants. Kurt had bought him a pair of bright red pants the summer before Blaine had transferred to McKinley, and Blaine wore them all the time.

Kurt sighed, feeling both energized and a little lonely. This was Finn's first night out with them in New York. It was exciting, but Kurt wished that Blaine could be there, too. Kurt spent more hours than he would ever admit to anyone lying in bed at night imagining what life would be like in a year when Blaine would be New York and they would be together all the time. Maybe Finn would decide to stick around, too, and the four of them could live together and everything would be perfect.

"Why are you all dressed up, anyway?"

Finn's voice brought Kurt back to the present, and he turned to look at his step-brother through one of the bookshelf's open squares.

"Because we're going out, of course," Kurt replied, shooting a judgmental look at the other boy.

Finn glanced at Rachel and then back at Kurt.

"Are we going somewhere fancy?" he asked.

"You can't wear that," Kurt dodged the question, motioning with his hand at what Finn was wearing.

"Well, what should I wear?" Finn asked.

"A suit is always appropriate," Kurt suggested.

"Dude, I'm not wearing a suit for a night out on the town!" Finn protested lightheartedly. "I didn't even bring a suit!"

"Finn," Kurt scolded as he used a lint roller on his black shirt, "you can't wear dad jeans and a rugby shirt to Callbacks."

"What's Callbacks?" Finn asked.

"This amazing bar that all the NYADA students go to," Rachel explained. "Friday nights are the best because everybody gets up and sings. And it's where we're going tonight! And it's gonna be great!"

She clapped her hands excitedly as Kurt abandoned the mirror and walked over to where Finn and Rachel were sitting.

"So, I have to dress up to go to a karaoke bar?" Finn asked skeptically.

"Come on, Finn," Kurt argued gently. "We'll let you sing _Don't Stop Believin'_... or something equally uplifting."

To Kurt's surprise, Finn didn't look excited about that idea. "I don't know," Finn whined. "I'm so out of practice. I haven't even sang in the shower since Nationals."

Finn leaned his head back on the couch to stare at the ceiling and Kurt met Rachel's concerned gaze. Kurt was opening his mouth to reassure Finn that he wouldn't have to sing unless he wanted to when there was a knock at the door.

He and Rachel exchanged a confused glance. They weren't expecting anyone.

As Kurt hurried over to the door, he hoped that it wasn't Brody. Mostly for Brody's sake. He dragged the heavy door open and barely had time to be puzzled by the huge bouquet of red roses that greeted him before they were quickly whisked to the side.

Blaine was standing in the doorway.

"Surprise!" Blaine announced.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed as joy flooded through him. "What–?" He moved forward almost involuntarily, reaching out to wrap Blaine in a hug.

"Hi," Blaine said as they hugged, and Kurt felt as if something he hadn't even known he had lost had suddenly been returned to him.

Blaine was in New York.

They were in New York _together_.

"This is amazing!" Kurt gushed as he pulled away and Blaine handed him the roses. "But I wasn't expecting you for another two weeks!"

"I know," Blaine said, "I just couldn't wait any longer. I– I missed you too much."

Kurt ached with happiness.

"I missed you too," he said. "So good to see you!"

Blaine stepped forward for a kiss, and it was like they had never been apart. Kurt realized that he had underestimated how much missing Blaine had taken a toll on him. He felt _complete_ with Blaine standing there in front of him.

"Blaine!" Rachel cried, interrupting and dragging Blaine into a hug, "I can't believe you're here! I missed you so much!"

"Hey!" Blaine said, and Kurt knew that Blaine had missed her, too.

Suddenly, Blaine noticed Finn, and his eyes widened.

"Finn!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Wh– what are you doing here?"

Finn reached out for a handshake. "I'm not really sure at the moment," he admitted, "but good to see you!"

"Guys, this is fantastic!" Rachel squeaked excitedly. "We're all together... here! Just like the good old days!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

They all looked at each other for a moment, and Blaine was torn. This was such a _happy_ moment, but he had not come for a happy reason.

And Finn was here, too. That was unexpected, and Blaine tried not to focus on the fact that Kurt hadn't even told him that Finn had come to New York.

They were all going to hate him.

"Come in!" Kurt said excitedly, grabbing one of Blaine's hands and dragging him into the apartment. "Get his bag, Finn," Kurt added as they rushed away from Finn and Rachel.

Blaine was overwhelmed as Kurt led him all over the apartment, chatting happily about the décor and the way they had adapted to the room with no walls.

"... and I had to call my dad so he could walk me through it, but I managed to hang up these divider curtains all by myself one day while Rachel was in class!" Kurt said, showing Blaine the curtains that created his makeshift bedroom. "I would've preferred a solid divider, but for now this–"

Kurt did a double-take as his gaze swept over Blaine's face.

"Are you...?" Kurt's attention was suddenly focused entirely on Blaine.

"It's _perfect_," Blaine said, reaching up with his free hand to wipe at his eyes. He wished that he hadn't been so _stupid_. He should be feeling the kind of blind, overwhelming joy that he had always known he would feel when he got to visit to _Kurt's apartment_ for the first time. But remorse was gnawing away at him so violently that the joy was muted. No matter what happened between them, this moment would always been marred with the pain of what Blaine had done.

"I've missed you so much," Kurt misunderstood his tears.

Blaine pulled his hand out of Kurt's grip so he could reach up and cup Kurt's face in his hands.

"Me too," he said, pulling Kurt forward for a gentle kiss.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist and kissed him back, twisting them around so Blaine could press him against the wall. Their kisses increased in intensity until Blaine felt Kurt's lips turn up into a smile and Kurt's hands released his waist to shove gently on Blaine's chest.

"We should stop," Kurt giggled.

Blaine's stomach swooped like as if they were back at Dalton, newly in love and stealing kisses in empty study rooms between classes. Kurt loved him. Kurt wanted him. Why had he doubted? He crushed their lips together once more before stepping back.

"But only because I don't want to mess up my outfit before we go out," Kurt amended, reaching out to brush his thumb across Blaine's lips.

Blaine could feel his secret bubbling to the surface. This was the perfect time. Finn and Rachel were chatting and laughing together in the main part of the apartment, out of sight and earshot. Kurt was in a good mood.

"Kurt, I –"

"Blaine!" Rachel shrieked through her laughter. "_Kurt!_"

Kurt pecked one final kiss on Blaine's lips before turning and leading the way out into the main part of the apartment.

A bottle of shampoo had exploded inside Finn's bag and was now all over his clothes. Kurt groaned and knelt down to look at the mess.

"Well," Finn said happily, gesturing at himself, "I guess I get to wear this to the karaoke bar!"

"None of this would've been any better," Kurt mumbled.

"We unpacked a few of your shirts earlier, remember?" Rachel reminded Finn. "I think there's a nice black one. You can wear that."

Kurt directed Finn to gather his clothes so they could rinse off the shampoo in the sink and hang everything up to dry in the bathroom while they were out, and suddenly Blaine found himself alone with Rachel.

"Come here," she said happily, motioning to the couch where she was sitting. As soon as he settled onto the couch beside her, Rachel reached out and grabbed one of his hands.

"He's _so_ glad to see you," she gushed. "_I'm_ so glad to see you! It really feels like home with you and Finn here."

Blaine tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but only succeeded in making it worse. He nodded.

"Are you going to audition for NYADA?" Rachel asked excitedly. "You're an amazing performer, Blaine. I think they'd take you in a heartbeat."

"I don't know," Blaine admitted. He had planned to apply to NYADA, but that was before he had slept with a complete stranger in a fit of resentment. If Kurt didn't want him around, Blaine didn't want to be at NYADA. He would probably run into Kurt and Rachel all the time and it would be unbearably awkward.

"Well," Rachel encouraged, "I think you should."

"Maybe," Blaine agreed.

"Also," Rachel added, lowering her voice and leaning in closer, "I'm planning to take Finn for a long, romantic walk along the river after Callbacks, so..."

Blaine just stared at her, unable to think of anything to say.

"All set!" Finn announced as he and Kurt returned, saving Blaine from having to speak. "My clothes are going to smell amazing."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but when his gaze fell on Blaine he smiled.

Rachel and Finn disappeared into Rachel's room to get dressed, and Kurt fell onto the couch beside Blaine.

"How long are you staying?" Kurt asked, his eyes full of delight.

"I fly out on Sunday night," Blaine explained. "Late."

Kurt hummed his approval, and he looked so happy that Blaine couldn't tell him. Not yet. Instead, he opened his arms and Kurt immediately climbed over so they could cuddle together on the couch until Rachel and Finn were ready.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As they exited their building onto the sidewalk outside Kurt and Rachel's apartment, Finn was talking to Blaine about New Directions, so Kurt offered his arm to Rachel and they walked together behind Blaine and Finn.

They didn't say anything, but they kept glancing at each other and squeezing each other's arms and nudging each other's shoulders.

This was real life. Together with their boyfriends in New York City.

They took the train into Manhattan and Kurt held Blaine's hand as if his life depended on it. Blaine seemed overwhelmed – not talking much and occasionally squeezing Kurt's hand and looking at him with a weird expression on his face – so Kurt tried to distract him by telling him things about the city and about what they should see while Blaine was visiting.

"... and I hope you know that we are _definitely_ going out to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow," Kurt finished. "Rachel has tried to weaken my resolve, but I have been strong and waited for you."

Blaine pulled their intertwined hands up so he could kiss the back of Kurt's hand, and Kurt smiled and scooted even closer so he could lean on Blaine's shoulder.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, trying not to fall asleep on the gently rocking train. It helped to listen to Rachel and Finn – Rachel was trying to convince Finn to sing with her later in the evening and Finn was not interested – but Kurt lost the battle with his heavy eyelids a few times before they reached their destination.

When they finally climbed the stairs out of the station onto the streets of Manhattan, Kurt was happy to note that Blaine perked up a bit. He tilted his head skyward and gaped at the skyscrapers, and Kurt reached out to grab his hand again.

Blaine briefly met his gaze, and Kurt felt the significance of the moment. They could hold hands all the way to the bar and all night long in the bar and all the way back to the apartment. Blaine stepped close to press a sweet kiss to Kurt's lips as they walked, and Kurt's stomach fluttered with anticipation.

"Come on!" he grinned as Blaine leaned away from the kiss. He pulled Blaine down the street to catch up with Finn and Rachel.

"So," Kurt asked as they slowed down to walk behind their friends, "what do you think?"

"What?" Blaine asked, distracted.

"What do you think?" Kurt repeated. "Of all this." He motioned with his free hand at the city around them.

"It's... New York," Blaine managed.

"The shock will wear off soon enough," Kurt reassured him. "By the time you come here to live it'll already feel like home!"

Blaine made a noise that was more a quick rush of air than an actual laugh, but Kurt was distracted when he realized that they were already to Callbacks. The walk had never seemed so short before.

"Okay," Rachel sang as Finn pulled open the door and held it for all of them, "here we are!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As they walked into Callbacks, Blaine felt like he was watching everything happening from outside his body. Kurt pulled him over to the bar so they could order drinks. As Kurt teased that Blaine's definitely needed to be non-alcoholic, Blaine could hardly keep himself from blurting out his confession right there. He never wanted to drink alcohol again.

They sat down at a table near the window and Blaine looked around at the crowd of people, trying to figure out what to do.

"You okay?" Kurt asked. "You seem a little..." he made a grumpy face.

Blaine was surprised that he hadn't either thrown up or just blurted out the truth yet, but he knew the time wasn't right. He couldn't tell Kurt in the middle of a crowded bar.

"I'm great!" Blaine managed. "It was just a... it was a rough flight. I had the middle seat because I booked the tickets so last minute."

The middle seat wasn't a lie, but the rest was. It had been one of the easiest plane rides of Blaine's life in terms of the smoothness of the flight. And he certainly wasn't great.

"Well I, for one, am glad you did," Kurt said, leaning over slightly to put his hand on Blaine's shoulder. "It's our first night out in New York! We'll never forget this."

As Kurt held out his cup and they clinked their glasses together, Blaine tried not to let his sorrow show on his face. He was going to ruin the absolute best part of his life. He had _already_ ruined it, and this was just the final few desperate strokes before they were all going to drown. He couldn't think of anything but the confession he needed to make as soon as possible. The longer he waited, the worse it was going to be.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After he set his drink down on the table, Kurt noticed that Finn and Rachel were talking to Brody by the bar. He nudged Blaine with his elbow.

"That's Brody," he hissed.

Blaine hummed appreciatively, but didn't comment. Kurt wasn't sure what to make of Blaine's attitude since he had arrived. Something wasn't quite right. But Blaine clearly didn't want to talk about it, so Kurt decided to give him time. Blaine would tell him when he was ready. Maybe it was nothing; maybe Blaine was just tired and he would feel better in the morning.

Kurt frowned as Rachel and Brody walked away from Finn and climbed onto the small platform by the piano that served as a stage. He knew Finn didn't want to sing, but he knew that Finn probably didn't want Rachel singing with Brody, either.

But, as Finn came to sit down with Kurt and Blaine, he didn't say anything. So, Kurt followed his lead.

Rachel and Brody sang _Give Your Heart A Break_, and Kurt was so proud of Rachel as he watched her sing. She had really come into her own in New York.

"Oh my god, you guys, it's so amazing up there!" Rachel gushed as she hurried over to their table after the song. She turned her attention on Kurt. "You _have_ to do your Sweeny Todd mega medley."

"And risk a page six spread?" Kurt quipped. "I don't think so. 'Vogue dot com intern sings without warming up'... not happening."

He didn't want to sing anything here. He wasn't sure he was ready to sing in public again, especially at a place so connected to the school that had rejected him. This wasn't a karaoke bar full of drunk people who could barely hold a tune.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Kurt protested Rachel's urging that he get up and sing, Blaine had an idea.

Blaine's confession was going to hurt Kurt more than Blaine could bear. But maybe, if he could remind Kurt now how much they loved each other – how much Blaine loved Kurt – the fallout would be slightly less devastating.

He had to try.

"I want to sing something," Blaine blurted.

Brody told him to talk to the guy at the piano, and Blaine hopped out of his seat and hurried to the little stage.

"May I?" he asked, motioning to the piano. "I, uh, I know... Brody?"

"Yeah, sure," the guy at the piano nodded, climbing off the piano bench. He smiled before departing into the sea of people in the bar. Blaine sat down at the piano and glanced down at the keys. He played a few notes, hoping that his fingers would cooperate.

"Um... hi, everyone," he said into the microphone. "I, um, I want to sing a song that's very special to me. This is a song that I sang the first time I ever met the love of my life."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt glanced at Rachel as his stomach suddenly felt like it was full of butterflies. This was their song. The song that had changed everything for both of them.

"Um, so, Kurt... this is for you," Blaine said.

The arrangement was different than the one Blaine had sung with the Warblers the day they met. This was slower, more emotional.

"_Before you met me, I was alright. But things were kinda heavy; you brought me to life. Now every February, you'll be my Valentine. Valentine."_

As Blaine sang, Kurt thought about everything that had happened since that day at Dalton. It was second only to the day his mother had died on his list of single moments that had changed his life.

Kurt felt lucky; he had known that it was a special moment as it happened. Most people could only look back on significant moments and realize, with hindsight, how much their lives had been affected by various events and meetings. But Kurt's entire world had been rocked to its core that day when Blaine had grabbed his hand and pulled him down a hallway to witness Blaine singing a girl's song with the Warblers.

Blaine paused, and Kurt knew that he was remembering, too.

"_Let's go all the way tonight. No regrets, just love. We can dance until we die. You and I will be young forever."_

Kurt squirmed in his seat as he thought about the fact that he and Blaine could do whatever they wanted when they got back to the apartment. No parents around to catch them. Just two adults in love and, finally, together in New York.

Blaine paused again, and then he lifted his gaze from the piano to look at Kurt.

"_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream. The way you turn me on. I can't sleep. Let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back."_

The butterflies in Kurt's stomach felt as if they turned to stone as Kurt watched Blaine's face and heard his voice cracking as he sang.

Something wasn't right.

It had been gnawing at Kurt for the past few hours, but Kurt had tried his best to ignore it. Blaine was sad. Really, really sad.

"_My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch. Now baby I believe this is real so take a chance and don't ever look back. Don't ever look... I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans. Be your teenage dream tonight."_

Kurt swallowed thickly as Blaine poured his emotions out through the song. Their song.

Blaine wanted to break up.

Kurt couldn't think of any other reason for this serenade. Blaine wanted to end things, but he didn't want to be a jerk about it. He was trying to let Kurt down gently.

Panic started to creep into Kurt's mind as he watched Blaine sing. He hadn't paid enough attention to Blaine since he had moved to New York. He knew it. He had known it all along. He had allowed himself to be swept up in the excitement of Vogue dot com and living the beginning of his dream and he had neglected the person he loved more than anyone.

But he had thought that things were okay between them. Sure, they missed each other like crazy, but they had talked about that. One year of long distance before a lifetime of being together.

"_Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans. Be your teenage dream tonight."_

Blaine looked up at Kurt again, and Kurt didn't know what to do. He just sat there and tried not to let his internal panic reach his exterior.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Blaine was just exhausted and nervous about being in New York for the first time and wanted to do something overly sweet for Kurt to show him how much he had missed him. Maybe he was just emotional because this was a huge moment for them. Their first night together in New York.

"_You make me feel like a teenage dream. The way you turn me on. I can't sleep. Let's run away and don't ever look back. Don't ever look back."_

No, something was definitely wrong. Blaine was seriously upset. Blaine always said that he was best at acting out his feelings in song, and this song was so _sad_.

But why was he sad if he wanted to break up? Kurt didn't understand.

"_My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch. Now baby I believe this is real. So take a chance and don't ever look back. No. And I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans be your teenage dream tonight."_

Kurt didn't dare glance at Finn and Rachel next to him. He didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

"_I'll let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans. Be your teenage dream... tonight." _

Blaine finished the song and the room applauded his performance, but Kurt was fighting back tears so hard that he barely remembered to clap his hands a few times. Pascal clasped Blaine on the shoulder and Blaine stood up to return to his seat beside Kurt. Kurt couldn't look at him. He didn't want to see the pain in Blaine's eyes up close.

"We should go!" Rachel said, too brightly, as Blaine was about to sit down. "How about a walk?"

Blaine obeyed without a word, and Kurt felt the other boy's fingers brush across his back as he walked past.

Rachel stopped briefly to say goodbye to Brody – Kurt waved at him as he walked past, but couldn't bring himself to stop to speak to anyone – and then they all exited the bar onto the busy sidewalk.

Kurt, Blaine, Finn, and Rachel walked in complete silence until they reached a nearby park. Then, Rachel and Finn picked up their pace a bit and Kurt knew that they were leaving him alone with Blaine.

Why wasn't Blaine saying anything?

They continued to walk in silence, the air thick between them, until Kurt had to say something or risk a meltdown.

"So, that was... moving," Kurt acknowledged. He glanced at Blaine, trying to read his face, but Blaine just nodded slightly. "I guess I'm kind of wondering why that was."

"Well," Blaine said, his voice thick with emotion, "you know, I, uh... I really missed you."

He hesitated long enough that Kurt knew it was a lie. Or, at least, not the entire truth.

"I missed you, too," Kurt replied immediately, grasping one final bit of hope that maybe they could just talk things out and go home to the apartment and have the carefree night Kurt had imagined. "And I'm _really_ glad that you're here. But... you've been so emotional and weirdly sad."

The look on Blaine's face told him that he was right. Something was going on.

"Please stop pretending that there's nothing wrong," Kurt added.

Blaine stopped walking, and Kurt knew that this was a moment in his life. A moment like meeting Blaine at Dalton. His boyfriend was about to break up with him.

"I was with someone," Blaine said miserably.

Every response Kurt had been planning – every argument about why they were perfect for each other – flew out of his mind as Blaine said the _last_ thing Kurt had ever imagined hearing. He felt as if his heart had suddenly turned to stone and wedged itself up into his throat.

Blaine had been _with_ someone?

Every bit of insecurity Kurt had ever felt about himself clawed its way to the surface.

"It was Sebastian, wasn't it?" he asked, not sure why it was the first thing that came to his mind, but unable to think clearly enough to ask anything else.

"No," Blaine replied. "No, it wasn't Sebastian, but it doesn't... it didn't _mean_ anything. It was just a hookup, okay?"

Kurt didn't believe him. How was he ever supposed to believe a word out of Blaine's mouth again? Just a hookup? There was no such thing.

"Who was it?" Kurt pressed as his emotions built up inside of him until he could no longer hold back the tears. He felt obsessed about knowing. _Who_ had Blaine found that he wanted more than Kurt?

Kurt was surprised when the question agitated Blaine.

"It doesn't matter who it was with, Kurt," Blaine scolded. "What matters is that I was by myself. I needed you. I needed you around and you weren't there."

Guilt and rage surged through Kurt as he listened to Blaine's words.

"And I was lonely," Blaine admitted, his voice softening. "And I'm... I'm really sorry."

"And you don't think that I've been lonely?" Kurt snapped, feeling like he was teetering on the edge of losing all control. "You don't think that I've had temptations? But I didn't act on it because I knew what it meant! It meant something horrible and awful and..."

He had to stop. He didn't know how to articulate how completely devastated he felt.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Blaine said miserably. "I really am."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Kurt was suddenly hit with an intense urge to get away. To get away from this situation before he said something hateful or pathetic or insane.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Kurt turned and hurried away, Blaine felt so much grief that he couldn't move. He stood and watched Kurt run away and wondered how things had ever ended up like _this_.

He hadn't apologized properly. Why had he gotten so _angry_? He should have been gentler. But his resentment over being left behind and ignored had reared its head. What was _wrong_ with him?

Kurt disappeared around a corner, and Blaine realized he needed to follow. He knew that Kurt wasn't going to want to talk to him, but Blaine couldn't bear the thought that he was losing his best friend – the love of his life – over this. Plus, Blaine didn't have any idea how to get back to the apartment. He didn't think that Kurt would just abandon him in Manhattan, but he wasn't going to test Kurt's concern for him tonight.

He ran after Kurt, following him until Kurt sat down on the edge of a large fountain. Blaine hurried to sit beside him

"Kurt –"

"I don't want to talk," Kurt snapped. Blaine was vaguely aware that Rachel and Finn were arguing a few feet away.

"Please –" Blaine asked.

"Don't," Kurt said, his voice full of pain. He wouldn't look at Blaine. He looked as broken as Blaine felt.

After a moment of loaded silence, Kurt got up and hurried away again. Blaine watched him go and realized that things were worse than he had imagined. Kurt didn't even want to be in the same space as Blaine anymore.

The train ride back to Bushwick was the most uncomfortable forty five minutes Blaine had ever experienced. They sat on opposite sides of the nearly empty car – Kurt's decision, as Blaine had found his seat first – and Kurt cried almost the entire way. He was quiet about it, but Blaine could tell by the way he was sitting and by the way he kept reaching up to rub at his face. Blaine's body ached with shame, and he spent a large portion of the journey in tears, as well.

He wanted, more than anything, to sit beside Kurt and talk about it and explain himself and beg Kurt's forgiveness, but Blaine knew that Kurt wasn't ready. And Blaine didn't want to force the conversation in the middle of a public train car where Kurt couldn't get away if he wanted to. Kurt would feel trapped.

Rachel and Finn weren't talking either. They started out sitting near each other, but, eventually, Rachel got up and went to sit beside Kurt. He put his head on her shoulder, and nobody said another word for the rest of the journey.

As they walked through the doorway into the apartment, Blaine realized that he wasn't sure if he was still welcome to stay the night. Kurt wouldn't even look at him or acknowledge his presence.

Blaine moved quietly to his small suitcase, his chest constricting painfully as he remembered that Kurt had given it to him on Valentine's Day so he would have a perfect little bag to bring to New York on weekends, and bent down to pick it up. He needed to go. He didn't want to make Kurt have to kick him out.

As he stood up, Blaine glanced around the apartment. Finn and Rachel had disappeared into Rachel's makeshift room, and Blaine wasn't sure where Kurt was.

"Stay."

Blaine jumped as Kurt's voice startled him from behind. He turned to see Kurt standing by the door.

"I –" Blaine started, but Kurt cut him off with a shake of his head.

"I don't want to talk," Kurt said, his voice trembling and his eyes puffy and red from crying. "But I want you safe."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt couldn't bear the thought of Blaine, alone and upset, on the streets of New York all night. Even if he could find a hotel, Kurt wouldn't know where he was and the last thing Kurt wanted was for something to happen to Blaine because Kurt couldn't act like a mature adult.

And, even though he felt as if Blaine had just shredded his heart into a million pieces, Kurt still loved him. He couldn't throw Blaine out into the darkness. He would regret it later.

"So..." Kurt gestured with his hand toward his bed. It was definitely big enough for both of them.

Blaine nodded, his eyes full of sorrow.

"Kurt –" Blaine said.

Kurt wasn't ready to talk. He wasn't sure if he would _ever_ be ready to talk. So, he turned and walked back into his room. He heard Blaine grabbing his bathroom bag and pajamas, and the bathroom door closed behind him. Kurt grabbed his pajamas and changed in his room before sitting down on his bed in front of his mirror.

Was he ever going to feel happy again? It didn't feel possible. Everything was tinted with the pain of Blaine sleeping with someone else.

He climbed into bed and turned his back to where Blaine would be sleeping. He didn't want to see Blaine in his pajamas with his fresh toothpaste breath and his hair probably still gelled because he wasn't going to shower until the morning.

This was not the way Kurt had imagined their first night in New York would go.

This was not the way Kurt had imagined his _life_ would go.

He was supposed to be at NYADA. Blaine was supposed to be ruling the school back in Ohio. They were supposed to be so in love that the distance felt like nothing at all.

Instead, he was a fashion intern with an uncertain future. Blaine was miserable and had cheated on him. They were broken.

Kurt heard the gentle movement of the curtain as Blaine came into the room and felt the bed sag as Blaine climbed into bed.

Then, silence.

Kurt couldn't sleep.

He was exhausted after the emotional turmoil of the evening, but his brain wouldn't stop churning. All he could think about was the other guy. Whoever he was. No matter how hard he tried to think of other things – even other things related to Blaine's confession – all Kurt could think about with Blaine lying beside him was _them_. Blaine and the nameless boy.

With a little shutter of disgust, Kurt climbed out of bed and snuck into the main part of the apartment. If he wasn't going to sleep, he could at least spare himself the suffering of feeling the bed move every time Blaine shifted and listening to Blaine breathing beside him.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Kurt got out of bed and walked away, Blaine stayed as still and quiet as possible. He hoped that Kurt was just going to the bathroom or to get some water, but, as the minutes ticked by and Kurt didn't return, Blaine knew Kurt just wanted to be away from him.

Blaine stared at the curtain that was the wall of Kurt's bedroom and listened to the unfamiliar sounds of the city, and he worried that Kurt would never want him around again. Not even if Blaine begged for forgiveness every day for the rest of his life. Kurt had a stronger sense of what was right than anyone else Blaine knew, and _this_ was so wrong that Blaine wasn't sure if Kurt would be able to see past it. Blaine wasn't sure if _he_ would ever be able to see past it. He had shattered every good thing he had ever thought about himself. He was a bad person.

He heard something fall to the floor in the apartment and heard Kurt's quiet groan of frustration – Blaine guessed that he had dropped his phone – and the sound of Kurt's voice, even without words, pushed Blaine over the edge. He buried his face into his pillow and let himself cry until he was so exhausted from traveling and releasing his secret and watching his relationship with Kurt implode that his body had to shut down and he fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt spent the night attempting to distract himself from the horrible images and possibilities that were bombarding his mind. He played every game on his phone until the battery ran out and he had to get up and plug it in. He flipped through every fashion magazine he had sitting out. He started to re-organize the kitchen, but it was too loud so he sat on the floor in the kitchen for a while and felt sorry for himself.

By the time the sky outside the window began to turn pink, he was sitting in a chair in the living room. He sat there in the dark, staring at nothing and wishing that his brain would just stop feeling.

How could Blaine sleep after everything that had happened? Kurt was so consumed by his emotions that he couldn't stop his brain even thought he wanted to. He couldn't stop imagining and analyzing and freaking out.

A sound startled Kurt out of his thoughts, and he looked up as Finn appeared out of Rachel's bedroom. He was carrying his bag.

"You can't just run away," Kurt scolded, not interested in diplomacy.

Finn jumped as Kurt reached out to turn on the lamp beside him.

"Dude, you totally spooked me," Finn said as the lamp came on. "I thought I was the only one awake."

"I've been waiting for somebody to come out," Kurt admitted, exhausted. "I was hoping it'd be Blaine."

Blaine had to come out eventually, but Kurt wanted him to come out _now_. To come out and apologize a million times and do _something_. But, at the same time, he didn't want any of that. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want it to be real.

"You guys okay?" Finn asked.

"I kinda feel like I'm gonna die," Kurt admitted.

He had felt incredible sadness in his lifetime. He had felt betrayal. But never such a potent combination of both at once.

"Guess I don't have to ask you what you're doing, apparently," Kurt said dryly.

"I'll talk to her later about it," Finn said uncomfortably. "I– I've just gotta get away for a bit."

Kurt didn't even want to scold him for running away.

"Six months ago, did you ever think that things would be like this?" Kurt asked, looking up at his step-brother from his seat.

"Sometimes I miss high school, you know?" Finn admitted, and Kurt was grateful that Finn understood. High school. When things had been so simple and, by the end, happy.

"Come on," Finn said suddenly, "give me a hug before I go."

Kurt was proud of himself when he managed to stand up and wrap his arms around Finn for a hug without bursting into tears. When they stepped away from each other, Finn turned to leave, and Kurt thought for a moment about how upset Rachel was going to be when she woke up and discovered that Finn had gone.

"Do you want me to... say anything to Rachel?" he asked as Finn's hand reached the door handle.

Finn paused. "No," he decided, and then he slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind him.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine woke up, it was very early in the morning. There was some light shining in through the windows, but it was still the soft light of the early morning.

He felt horrible, emotionally and physically. His head hurt from all the crying, and he felt dirty in every possible way.

Blaine didn't need to roll over to know that Kurt had never returned to the bed. He sat up slowly, took a long drink from a water bottle on his nightstand, and knew that he had to find Kurt. They needed to talk. He needed to explain why he had done such a horrible thing. He needed to beg for Kurt's forgiveness.

He walked out into the main area of the apartment, and there was Kurt. Sound asleep in a chair. He looked uncomfortable, but Blaine didn't want to wake him up. Instead, he hurried to get dressed in the bathroom. When he returned to the main room, he walked over to his packed suitcase and didn't know what to do.

Blaine wanted to grab his bag and run. Run to a place where he never had to see the pain in Kurt's eyes again. But, at the same time, the thought of leaving was so overwhelming that he never wanted to let Kurt out of his sight again.

He knew that he had to stay, at least long enough to say goodbye. He had to concentrate on doing the mature thing. The _right_ thing. Because it was going to take _so_ many right things to even begin to compensate for what he had done wrong.

Kurt shifted in his chair and his head rolled to the side, causing him to jerk awake. As he opened his eyes and saw Blaine, he immediately straightened up in the chair.

"Hi," Blaine said quietly.

Kurt didn't respond.

"Kurt," Blaine said, "I am so, _so_ –"

"I know you're sorry," Kurt interrupted dully.

It was a kind way of telling Blaine to be quiet. Blaine closed his mouth and didn't bother fighting back the tears that were pooling in his eyes.

"There's cereal in the kitchen," Kurt suggested.

"Do you want some?" Blaine asked cautiously.

"No," Kurt replied.

Blaine poured himself some cereal and sat down at the small table to eat. He could feel Kurt watching him, and he felt like his every move was being analyzed. He ate a few bites before giving in to his lack of appetite and dropping the spoon into the bowl in defeat.

"Kurt..." he said, turning his entire body in the chair so he was facing the boy across the room.

"I don't want to talk," Kurt said.

"We need to talk," Blaine begged. "Please."

Kurt didn't respond, and they just stared at each other across the room for a moment.

"I think it might be best if you go," Kurt broke the silence and the eye contact at the same time.

"_Kurt_," Blaine protested.

"Please, _go_," Kurt said, more forcefully than before.

"I didn't come here to dump this on you and leave," Blaine said as he stood up and moved to the sink to wash his bowl.

"I don't care why you came," Kurt lied.

The air in the room was thick with melancholy and anger. Blaine finished washing the bowl as quickly as he could. When he turned back around, Rachel was walking out of her bedroom. She looked around, taking in Kurt in his chair and Blaine standing by the sink, and her eyes narrowed.

"He left," Kurt explained, answering the unspoken question.

To Blaine's surprise, Rachel huffed out a noise of extreme frustration and spun around to march back into her room.

Blaine walked over to his suitcase.

"I'm only leaving because you asked me to," Blaine said, forcing himself to speak clearly and loudly enough that there would be no room for misunderstanding. "I know it's hard to believe me right now, Kurt, but I know that _you_ know, deep inside, how much I –"

His voice cracked and he had to stop speaking. As he picked up his bag and walked to the door, he glanced up and saw Rachel through the opening into her makeshift bedroom. She paused to look at him, and Blaine risked a small wave goodbye. To his relief, she waved back, but her expression was difficult to read.

Blaine turned his attention back to Kurt, who was staring at the floor, and Blaine's entire body ached as he realized that he had no idea when he would see the Kurt again. The possibility that he could go the rest of his life without so much as another hug from Kurt was unbearable.

"I love you," Blaine said quietly.

The tears already in Kurt's eyes spilled over onto his cheeks, and Blaine bumped awkwardly into the door as he misjudged the distance to the handle. He pulled the door open, and when he turned to look at Kurt one more time Kurt was staring back at him.

There was so much that Blaine wanted to say, but he knew that Kurt didn't want to hear it. Not yet. So, Blaine tore his gaze away and stepped out into the hallway.

As he closed the door behind him, Blaine could feel himself crying, but he didn't care. He didn't care if every single person he encountered on his journey home stared at him. Nothing felt like it mattered except the boy he had just left behind.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As soon as the door slid closed behind Blaine, Kurt burst into tears. Rachel came running out of her room and pulled him out of his chair and onto the couch so she could hold him while he sobbed. He was glad that she didn't feel the urge to talk; he didn't think he could do anything but just cry.

It felt like an eternity had passed by the time Kurt started to calm down and Rachel finally sat back and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," she said, her eyes as red and swollen as Kurt's felt.

"What am I going to do?" Kurt whispered.

"You don't have to decide anything right now," Rachel reassured him, squeezing his hand.

"Are _you_ okay?" Kurt asked, hoping that talking about something else would help his mind settle down.

"I don't know," she admitted.

The response started a new round of tears for both of them, and Kurt leaned his head back onto the couch and closed his eyes, wishing that the past twenty four hours had never happened.

"... Kurt?"

He started awake to find Rachel standing over him. He was lying on the couch. His head was on one of his pillows. The light pouring in through the windows was incredibly bright.

He had fallen asleep.

"Mmm?" he moaned.

"We're in desperate need of groceries," Rachel explained. "So I'm going to go out... I didn't want you to wake up to the empty apartment."

Kurt nodded his thanks, and Rachel left to get food. Kurt didn't move from his place on the couch.

The silence was different when there was nobody around. It filled every inch of the apartment, and Kurt felt the weight of how _alone_ he was.

Usually, when he was this upset, he would call Blaine.

Instead, he found his phone in his pocket and called Burt.

"Hello?"

At the sound of his father's voice, Kurt felt as if an invisible hand was suddenly crushing his windpipe. He could barely breathe, much less say anything.

"Kurt?" Burt asked again.

"Hi," Kurt managed.

"Kurt," his father's voice was instantly serious, "what's wrong? Where are you?"

"At the apartment," Kurt explained quickly.

"You never call and just say 'hi'," Burt pressed. "Tell me what's wrong, Kurt."

Kurt fixed his gaze on the wall and hesitated.

"Kurt," his father said, this time with more authority in his voice.

"Blaine and I broke up."

Silence.

Kurt felt the invisible hand returning to his throat as soon as the words were out of his mouth. It felt so _horrible_ to say it out loud. It felt like the most horrible thing in the entire world. Nothing would ever be okay again.

He heard his father take a deep breath.

"Okay," Burt said.

"_Okay?_" Kurt echoed in disbelief.

"Not '_it's okay_', Kurt," Burt elaborated. "But I want more details before I decide if I need to hire a hit man."

"That's not funny," Kurt gasped.

Sorry," Burt apologized. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. What happened?"

"He came," Kurt explained. "He came here and surprised me. And I– I was so happy to see him..."

It took a while, but Kurt managed to get most of the story out without having a complete meltdown. Somehow, it helped to tell the story. To dump everything out in chronological order.

"Is he still there?" Burt asked when the story ended with "... and we didn't talk at all last night or this morning".

"No," Kurt clarified.

Burt made a noise of confirmation, and Kurt glanced at the closed door.

Blaine was _gone_. Kurt's eyes stung with tears, but he held himself together as his father spoke again.

"Kurt," Burt said, "the _most_ important thing that I need you to understand is that this is not, under _any_ circumstances, your fault."

"I know," Kurt said automatically.

"I know that you know," Burt replied. "But sometimes, in the coming weeks, it's going to be hard to remember. And when those times come, I am going to remind you."

"Okay," Kurt agreed sadly.

"Is Rachel there?" his father asked.

"She went to get groceries," Kurt explained. "She'll be back soon."

"Alright," Burt said. "I'm really sorry about this, Kurt. What can I do to help?"

"Not much," Kurt reassured him. "I just... it's good to hear your voice."

"You call me any time," Burt told him. "I don't care if it's two in the morning. If you just want to hear my voice, you call. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kurt squeaked through a new wave of emotion.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said.

"I love you, too, Dad," Kurt said.

"When I say 'any time', I mean it," Burt reminded him. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt said. "Bye."

He hung up and closed his eyes to try to sleep away the time until Rachel returned. He did more tossing and turning on the couch than actual sleeping, but he was still startled by the sound of Rachel sliding the door open.

The little jolt of adrenaline was enough to get him up off the couch. But the rest of the weekend loomed ahead of Kurt like a never-ending nightmare.

Rachel seemed okay; less talkative and energetic than usual, but not absolutely devastated. But Kurt felt like his entire world had been destroyed.

He spent the weekend alternating between rage and paralyzing sadness. Between hating Blaine for being a heartless cheater to remembering the anguish in Blaine's eyes as he sang at Callbacks and feeling guilty for not realizing that Blaine felt so abandoned until it was too late.

He knew one thing for sure; he wasn't taking Blaine back. Not now. Maybe not ever.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

School on Monday was as rough as Blaine imagined that it would be. He had to answer innocent questions about his absence at the end of the previous week. And he had to pretend that he cared about math and history and English when all he really wanted was to be alone.

Or with Kurt.

He had spent the entire day on Saturday at the airport, waiting for a flight to open up so he could fly home. He had texted Kurt when he finally landed in Ohio – _I'm so sorry. I know that I hurt you terribly, but can we please talk about it? I love you._ – but, not unexpectedly, he hadn't heard back.

On Sunday morning, he had sent Kurt an email. He didn't want to write an essay trying to justify his actions, so he kept it short. He apologized profusely and asked Kurt if they could _please_ talk about it before Kurt made a decision about the status of their relationship. He made sure to take all the responsibility for what happened and told Kurt that it would never, ever happen again. He had learned his lesson. He had made the worst mistake of his life.

But, Blaine asked at the end of the email, could Kurt find it in himself to give Blaine a second chance?

_I love you so much,_ he finished. _Blaine._

He didn't get a response to the email, either.

But, really, Blaine wanted to _talk_ to Kurt, not email or text. So, on Sunday afternoon, he tried to call. No answer.

He didn't keep track, but Blaine thought he probably hadn't slept more than a total of six hours all weekend. He was exhausted, but his mind wouldn't calm down enough to really allow him to sleep. Instead, his nights were an agonizingly long series of little naps broken up by tears and time spent staring at the ceiling as Blaine tried to figure out how to fix things.

By the time he got to glee club on Monday afternoon, Blaine could only think of one positive thing that had happened all day. He hadn't had a nap. So, maybe he would be so utterly devoid of energy by bedtime that he would sleep through the night.

He was surprised to find Finn in the otherwise empty choir room.

"Hey," Finn said, and Blaine was grateful to hear that the other boy's voice was not hostile.

"Um... by the time I got up, you were already gone," Blaine explained. "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."

Blaine knew what Finn was going to say before he said it.

"Why'd you do that to him?" Finn asked. There was protectiveness in his voice – protectiveness for Finn's step-brother – but there was sympathy for Blaine there, too. Blaine was grateful that Finn was his friend.

"I don't know," Blaine said automatically. "I just..."

How could he explain the complete emptiness he was feeling?

"...there's no excuse," Blaine dodged. "He won't talk to me. I don't even know if we're broken up."

Before Finn could respond, they were interrupted.

"Finn!" Sam exclaimed as he came through the doorway into the choir room. "What's up?"

As the other students trickled in and were all equally excited to see Finn, Blaine moved to sit at the back of the room and wished that he could become invisible. None of them knew he had gone to New York over the weekend, and he hoped that Finn wouldn't mention it.

How was he supposed to lead New Direction when he couldn't even act responsibly in his personal life?

Blaine struggled to focus as Mr. Schu came in, greeted Finn, and told the group that they needed to choose a musical for the year.

They decided on _Grease_ without much of a vote, but Blaine didn't care. He didn't want to be part of the musical, anyway. He didn't want to do _anything_ without Kurt in his life.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Monday morning was more of a relief for Kurt than anything. An excuse to go to his internship and do everything he could possibly do to get his mind off of Blaine.

It worked for a few hours. There was a backlog of calls to go through, and Kurt savored the distraction.

"Kurt Hummel?"

Kurt glanced up from the message he was transcribing to see a young woman holding a large vase full of roses.

Red and yellow roses.

Kurt nodded as a lump formed in his throat. The young woman smiled.

"These are for you," she said. Kurt cleared a space on his desk and she set them down.

"Thanks," Kurt said as she turned to walk away.

They were from Blaine. Kurt knew it before he even reached for the little card that was stuck in between the flowers. Ever since Kurt had gotten Blaine a red and yellow bouquet to congratulate him on the role of Tony in _West Side Story_ the year before, red and yellow roses had become their flowers of choice. Blaine sent them when Kurt was sick. Kurt sent them when Blaine was stuck at home all weekend writing three essays he had procrastinated. And now Blaine was sending them to apologize for sleeping with another guy.

Kurt rolled his eyes as he saw that the card had a drawing of a guy in the dog house on it. The message, written in the florist's handwriting, was simple.

_Kurt, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. xo xo xo. Blaine._

"Well," a coworker suddenly appeared beside Kurt's desk, interrupting his thoughts, "someone's either seriously crushing on you or seriously trying to make up for something."

"The latter," Kurt confirmed sadly.

"Ouch," the coworker hissed sympathetically. "He cute?"

"The cutest," Kurt admitted.

"Well, that sucks. I'm sorry," the other man said. "Hey, you need to go binge shopping? Isabelle's summoning us to the conference room – I can cover for you."

Kurt shook his head.

"I'm okay," he said.

It was a lie.

"I'll be okay," he amended.

His coworker nodded and motioned with his head for Kurt to come along as he turned to walk away.

Kurt glanced at the note once more before letting it fall into the little trash can beside his desk.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Toward the end of the week, Kurt was feeling both better and worse. He was having an easier time functioning without constantly fighting the urge to sob uncontrollably. But he wasn't sleeping. And Blaine was still texting him once every day to tell him he loved him and that he was sorry. Kurt had decided that he was not going to text him back, no matter how much he wanted to. Blaine had done this to them. Kurt didn't owe him anything. There was nothing he could say to make things okay.

Kurt slid the apartment door open after work one afternoon and was bombarded with Rachel's clothes. They were everywhere. Kurt stepped cautiously into the room and looked around.

"Are you... okay?" he asked cautiously as Rachel hurried past with a stack of clean towels in her arms.

She didn't respond. As she put the towels away, Kurt realized that she was packing. Or maybe unpacking. Her pink suitcase was open on her bed, but it was only half full.

"Going somewhere?" Kurt asked, starting to feel nervous. It was unlike Rachel to be so quiet, especially when she was so clearly distraught.

"Ohio," she replied as she walked past Kurt to her suitcase.

"_Ohio?_" Kurt repeated.

"I am _done_," Rachel snapped, turning to face Kurt. "I am _so_ done waiting around for _Finn_ to decide what this relationship is all about."

"Oh," Kurt gasped.

He and Rachel hadn't really spoken about their relationship issues since the morning after they went to Callbacks. Sometimes one of them would cry and the other would hold them. Sometimes one of them would get extremely grumpy and the other would go out and get a little cake from a bakery down the street. But they didn't really _talk_ about it. For Kurt, it was too painful. Every time he thought about Blaine it felt like his life would never be whole again.

Rachel had clearly reached a breaking point when it came to Finn.

"So you're... going home?" Kurt asked, trying not to think about Ohio. Ohio was where Blaine was.

"We need to talk," she replied, turning her attention to packing her suitcase. "And, clearly, the only way I'm ever going to _talk_ to Finn is if I just show up."

"He's in Lima?" Kurt asked, walking over to help her fold and organize her clothes in her suitcase. His father hadn't mentioned Finn the last time they spoke, but maybe Finn had asked his mom and step-father not to tell Kurt because Kurt would tell Rachel.

"Yes," Rachel huffed.

"How do you –?" Kurt started to ask. _He_ didn't even know Finn was in Lima, and they shared a home there with Burt and Carole.

"Do you ever feel like you deserve _more_?" Rachel asked suddenly, dropping a shirt into her suitcase and turning to look at Kurt again.

Kurt just stared at her.

"I mean, look at us," Rachel motioned to herself and Kurt. "We are living in New York and going to college and working at internships. Doesn't that mean we deserve some _respect_?"

Kurt knew to just wait and let her rant it out, so he nodded.

"Finn doesn't respect me," Rachel said with finality.

"He..." Kurt thought about that for a moment. Finn _had_ run off in the morning without waiting for Rachel to wake up. And he was totally ignoring her despite her repeated attempts to contact him. Kurt knew that Finn _loved_ Rachel, but was he respecting her? Kurt wasn't sure.

"I'm breaking up with him," Rachel said softly.

"No matter what?" Kurt asked sadly, walking over to help her fold her clothes and fit them into her suitcase.

She nodded, and Kurt could tell she was trying not to cry. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to his side briefly before releasing her.

"I'm proud of you," he said. "Can I... help, somehow?"

Rachel closed her suitcase and zipped it up, and Kurt pulled it off the bed.

"You don't need to do anything," Rachel said, leaning over to peck a kiss on his cheek. She put a gentle hand on Kurt's other cheek as she did so, and it was icy cold. "Thanks, though."

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Kurt said. "When are you coming back?"

"Monday, but late," she said as she walked around and started picking up the clothing she had strewn around the apartment in her packing frenzy. "I... it's going to be so good to see my dads, you know?"

Kurt did know. He missed his father more now than ever.

Rachel and Kurt cleaned up all of Rachel's clothes, and, when the apartment was back to its normal state, Rachel glanced at the clock.

"I should go," she said.

Kurt hugged her, and when he released her he could see in her eyes that she wanted to ask him about Blaine and what she should do if she saw him.

He shook his head, hoping that she would understand.

"Okay," Rachel agreed. She grabbed her suitcase and walked to the door. Kurt offered a small wave, which she returned, and suddenly he found himself alone in the apartment.

Kurt had been alone in the apartment many times. But this was different. He was _alone_. And he was going to be alone all weekend. He couldn't call Blaine. Or Rachel. Or his father; he didn't want Burt to worry. So, Kurt turned on the television and hoped that the characters on the screen would keep him company until Rachel returned.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

By Friday, Blaine had fallen into a routine.

Get up. Eat breakfast. Drive to school. Pay attention in class. Take excellent notes to make paying attention easier. Gossip about frivolous topics at lunch. More class. Attempt to focus during glee rehearsal. Drive home. Eat dinner. Shower. Lie in bed and try to sleep.

He was between "more class" and "attempt to focus during glee rehearsal", walking down the hallway toward his locker, when he glanced up and saw Rachel was walking down the hallway toward him.

Their eyes met, and Blaine wondered if he could actually feel the blood rushing out of his face or if he was just imagining it.

He stopped walking, but Rachel didn't. She didn't hesitate as she walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Blaine.

She had been crying.

"He's not here," she answered Blaine's unspoken question.

"Oh," Blaine breathed, disappointed. Of course not. Kurt didn't want anything to do with him. Why was Rachel here?

Before he could get any words to flow from his brain to his mouth, Rachel wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. The look on her face when she pulled away said many things. I'm unhappy with you. I'm sorry. Goodbye.

She walked away, and Blaine stood and stared after her until she turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Blaine turned to walk to the choir room, forgetting whatever he had been going to get from his locker. Most of the students were already there. Finn wasn't.

"Hey," Marley greeted him as he sat down beside her.

"Hey," he replied absentmindedly.

Had he really just hugged Rachel Berry in the hallway?

Maybe she would tell Kurt that she saw him. Maybe it would be the push Kurt needed to return Blaine's calls.

If they could talk, maybe they could start again. Rebuild what they had.

"Blaine!"

"What?" he blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as Marley shook his arm.

"You okay?" Marley asked, clearly for the second or third time.

"Kurt and I broke up," Blaine said before he could stop himself.

He hadn't thought he had spoken loudly, but the entire room fell silent and everyone in New Directions turned to look at him.

"Oh," Marley said. "Oh, I... uh, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," Blaine acknowledged, casting his eyes down to the floor so he didn't have to look at the shock and pity in everyone's eyes.

He was relieved that nobody tried to give him a pep talk. No "don't worry, you'll find someone else!". No "it's his loss!". No "it's going to be okay!". Even the newest members of New Directions seemed to sense that this breakup was more serious than most.

Everyone was incredibly nice to him all afternoon, and Blaine was grateful for their kindness. But it didn't help him feel any less hopeless about his future with Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Friday evening, Kurt went out with Isabelle and some of his other co-workers. They were out extremely late, as usual, and Kurt was grateful for the distraction. By the time he got home, he was so exhausted that his brain was numb and things felt almost normal. He fell into bed, and it was as if his body was physically incapable of staying awake anymore. He slept peacefully though the night.

The next morning was a different story. He woke up feeling well-rested, but, as soon as he got out of bed, everything reminded him of Blaine. Blaine ate out of this bowl. Blaine ate this cereal. Blaine put his suitcase right here. Blaine slept on that side of the bed. Blaine bumped into the door on his way out. Blaine kissed him against that wall.

And he couldn't stop thinking about what Rachel had said about Finn ignoring her texts and calls.

He was doing that to Blaine.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled through the text messages Blaine had been sending all week.

Kurt wasn't willing to give Blaine the relief of forgiveness. Cheating was unforgivable. No matter how much he wanted to find a way to work things out, he couldn't. Blaine _cheated_. They were done.

_I don't want to talk_, Kurt texted Blaine. _Please stop._

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Rachel got back, she was a changed woman.

"...as if I need him to _give me_ my freedom!" she ranted, recounting her conversation with Finn. "So I told him that was it. We're through."

Kurt watched her pacing the room from his place on the couch.

"Also –" she began.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted them, and Kurt hopped off the couch. He walked over to the door and pulled it open to reveal a delivery man holding a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Kurt Hummel?" the delivery man asked.

Kurt's mouth went dry as he looked at the package in the man's arms. The address was in Blaine's handwriting.

"No," Kurt lied. "I'm sorry, it must... have the wrong address."

The delivery man checked the address, confirming that it was correct, but didn't seem to suspect that Kurt had just lied about his identity. "Huh," he said, tucking the package under his arm. "Well, sorry about that! Have a great day!"

"Thanks, you too," Kurt said brightly.

As the man retreated down the hallway, Kurt slid the door closed and turned to find Rachel standing beside him.

"Ah!" Kurt gasped, startled.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding even remotely remorseful. Kurt brushed past her, doing his best to ignore her pointed stare. "Kurt –"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Kurt cut her off, trying to keep his tone light so Rachel would know that he wasn't angry with her.

"What was it?" Rachel asked, not ready to drop the subject.

"I don't know and I don't care," Kurt snapped as he reached the couch and sat down.

"Have you talked to him at all?" Rachel asked, walking over to sit beside him.

Kurt shook his head. Rachel reached out and rubbed his back for a moment as they sat in silence, and Kurt wished she would change the subject or that his phone would ring and he would be called into work. Anything to get his mind off of Blaine.

"What are you going to do when you see him again?" Rachel asked tentatively.

"I'm not going to see him again," Kurt replied dully.

Her silence told him that she was giving him a critical look. He didn't want to see it, so he stared at the floor.

"Ugh, don't patronize me," he whined.

"I'm not patronizing you," Rachel chided. "I'm just– don't you think it might help to talk about it?"

"No," Kurt said.

"Well, I think it might," Rachel said with authority.

"What do you want me to say?" Kurt rolled his eyes as he turned to look at her. "That I'm absolutely miserable? That I can't even open the door to my own apartment without thinking of him? That I... that I miss him?"

"Of course you miss him," Rachel said quietly.

"I wish I didn't," Kurt mumbled.

"I saw him," Rachel admitted.

"What?" Kurt gasped.

"In the hallway at McKinley," Rachel elaborated. "He looks terrible."

"Good," Kurt rolled his eyes.

Rachel chewed her lip, and Kurt knew she was trying to decide if she wanted to say more. To press more.

She decided not to.

Instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch.

"Come on," she said, "we're going to get our cake _together_ this time."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, there it is. Blaine slept with Eli and now everyone's sad. But hang in there! In my opinion, the writers actually did a pretty decent job of handling Kurt and Blaine's situation post-break up, so it's been fun to expand on what they gave us to work with! :) Thanks for reading, as always! LOVE.<strong>_


	44. 4x05: The Role You Were Born To Play

_**Thank you all so much for your opinions about "The Break Up"! I find that I can kind of agree with either POV in terms of Blaine's cheating being in or out of character... I feel like it was very out of character, but then I can see where it kinda wasn't. (Wow, self, make up your mind. I know.) And I think the fandom is pretty unanimous in thinking that the writers underutilized Kurt in a major way this season, yes? From this point forward, we get very little of Kurt's perspective on his relationship with Blaine. Or, really, on much of anything. It's a mystery why they wrote this season that way... maybe Chris asked not to work as much? Maybe the writers struggled to figure out how to write the New York characters? I think, generally, there's **_**just**_** enough from Kurt for us to read between the lines in terms of how he feels about Blaine, but it certainly would've been nice to actually explore Kurt's situation more (and not just in terms of his relationship with Blaine)!**_

_**Speaking of neglecting Kurt...he's not in this episode at all. And we're picking things up more than a month after "The Break Up".**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The more Rachel settled into her life as a NYADA student, the more she was sure that Kurt was going to get in on his second try.

"I mean, you're _just_ as good – _better!_ – than everyone in my classes," she gushed one afternoon when Kurt stopped by NYADA to see her before a dinner meeting with Isabelle and the entire Vogue dot com creative team. She was trying to perfect a dance routine she had been struggling with in class, so Kurt had agreed to come by and offer moral support and encouragement. And, if needed, a critical eye or a dance partner.

"Not that you're biased," Kurt quipped as Rachel twirled around the room, pretending to warm up but really just goofing off. "Thanks, though."

"Have you been doing your vocal exercises?" Rachel asked.

"Yes."

"And drinking plenty of water?"

"_Yes_, Rachel," Kurt shook his head. "I'm as ready as I can be. Applications are due soon, but I went ahead and submitted mine early. There's no advantage to applying early," he answered Rachel's question before she could ask it, "but it feels good to have it done."

"Are you going to quit your internship?" Rachel asked.

"What?" Kurt frowned at her. "Of course not."

"I mean when you get into NYADA," Rachel clarified.

"Oh," Kurt realized. "Um, I hope not. It's really... NYADA is my dream, and I know Isabelle would support my decision if I wanted to quit before the start of the spring semester, but– what?"

"_Isabelle_," Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," Kurt mumbled.

"I can't believe you work with _Isabelle Wright_," Rachel said for what Kurt thought was probably the hundredth time. He couldn't believe it sometimes, either, so he never scolded her for being so star struck about it.

"You know," Kurt said, "it's actually nice for, well, all kinds of reasons, but... she's a real person. She was a girl from Ohio once. And she got out of Ohio and made a big name for herself and it's just... maybe I can, too."

"Kurt," Rachel smiled and motioned at their surroundings with both hands, "look where we are. _We_ made it out of Ohio."

Kurt wandered over to the window and looked out at the city. "I know," he agreed. "But... do you ever feel like you're still that same person from Ohio just, kinda, pretending?"

Kurt felt that way. Sometimes, especially when he was having a great day at work, he would forget it. He would feel like he was exactly where he belonged. But, most of the time, when he looked around at all the skyscrapers and all the people, he felt like everyone could tell that he wasn't a "real" New Yorker. Or a "real" anything, really. Kurt still felt like the small town boy trying to figure out what it meant to live in New York City.

Maybe, he thought briefly, it was because he had left part of himself behind in Ohio. He had never considered himself someone who identified as half of a pair. But now, since his relationship with Blaine had shattered so suddenly, he was having a hard time figuring out who _Kurt_ was by himself. Without the strength of knowing that, no matter what, there was someone who would always believe in him. Life felt emptier without Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

A little more than a month after his breakup with Kurt, Blaine still felt like it had happened the day before. Since he had returned from New York, his life had become a series of situations he had to get through so he could lie in bed all weekend.

On Monday morning, Blaine arrived at school and saw Sam standing at the bulletin board near the choir room.

Sam had become the one thing that Blaine looked forward to at school. Sam was funny and kind, and he had never pushed for details about Blaine and Kurt's breakup or what caused it. It was nice to be around Sam. It felt normal.

Blaine wandered over to say hello.

"Hey, man," Sam said as Blaine approached.

"Hey," Blaine echoed, leaning back against the bulletin board as Sam flipped through the sign-up sheet for _Grease_.

"As President and Vice President, we can pretty much decree whichever parts we want, right?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure I'm gonna do the musical this year," Blaine admitted. "I'm not in the right headspace to do a project like _Grease_. Since Kurt and I broke up, I haven't slept, I've lost my appetite, and I don't even gel on weekends."

"Okay, so this is pretty serious, then," Sam surmised.

"Sam, Kurt was my _soul mate_," Blaine explained. "We talked about spending the rest of our lives together. About retiring in Provincetown and buying a lighthouse and starting an artists' colony. And now he won't even return my calls. He won't text me. And that _Gilmore Girls_ box set I sent him was returned to me unopened. He's gone. Maybe... forever."

"Dude, I get it... except for the lighthouse part," Sam responded. "But look, everybody's been there. You'll get through it!"

Sam clasped Blaine on the shoulder as he walked past, and Blaine wished that someone would _really_ understand. Everyone seemed to think that this was just a silly teenage breakup. That it would be barely a blip on Blaine's radar in a few months.

Things were so much more complex than that.

It wasn't _just_ the pain of breaking up with Kurt that kept Blaine up at night. It was also the constant gnawing of guilt. They hadn't separated over an anger-fueled shouting match. They hadn't broken up because they grew apart or because their interests didn't align or because they wanted to try dating other people.

Neither one of them had _wanted_ to break up. But Blaine's actions had forced Kurt's hand, so Blaine was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was no longer Kurt's boyfriend _and_ the idea that he had caused Kurt such intense pain that Kurt didn't even want to speak to him. They hadn't spoken about it since the night Blaine confessed. They hadn't spoken about _anything_ since that night. Kurt had asked Blaine to stop contacting him, and Blaine hadn't known what else to do but comply with Kurt's request.

Kurt wouldn't talk to him, so things weren't getting better, and Blaine was left in a place where his love for Kurt and his hatred for himself had joined forces to drain his enthusiasm for life. He was stuck.

Blaine walked around the school – out to the football stadium and back to the school's main building – as he tried to decide if he wanted to audition for _Grease_. He knew that he should. If he wanted to get into NYADA or any performing arts college, he couldn't look like he had bailed during the school musical. Especially after he played one of the lead roles in _West Side Story_ the year before.

Plus, he _liked_ performing. Maybe it would be therapeutic.

He needed to audition.

He hadn't put his name on the signup sheet, but he knew that Artie would let him try out. He wandered to the auditorium, where auditions were being held that afternoon, and waited for an opening.

"Um, hi," he said, wandering out onto the stage as Sam – whose name had been last on the list since he had added it that morning – walked offstage. Sam high fived him as they passed. "I'm so sorry my name isn't on the list... may I?"

"Oh, thank god," Artie said immediately. "Or, uh... absolutely, Blaine. Thank you for auditioning. Say hi to Finn," he motioned at Finn, who was sitting beside him, "You know him... he's co-directing with me this year."

Blaine and Finn exchanged waves. Blaine hadn't seen Finn since soon after they returned from New York – he had heard that Finn had been working at Burt's tire shop, but had been too nervous to go say hello – and he was pleased that Finn seemed happy to see him. Things weren't awkward between them, at least.

"So," Finn said after a nudge from Artie, "uh, go for it, man."

"This is _Hopelessly Devoted To You_," Blaine announced as he stepped up to the microphone to sing the song. He knew that the band was probably ready with all the songs from _Grease_, so he chose the song from the show that he felt best conveyed his current state of mind. One that he could sing with emotion.

"_Guess mine is not the first heart broken. My eyes are not the first to cry. I'm not the first to know there's just no getting over you."_

Blaine didn't know what he should do in terms of his relationship with Kurt. Part of him read the signs Kurt was giving – the complete lack of communication – and thought that he should just let go. Admit to himself that he had irrevocably broken what he and Kurt had together and try to move on. But a larger part of him pushed back that Kurt was _the one_. You don't let go of the one.

"_But now there's nowhere to hide since you pushed my love aside. I'm out of my head. Hopelessly devoted to you."_

For now, he had to hang in there and prove to himself, and to Kurt, that he had learned his lesson. That his infidelity was a momentary lapse in judgment rather than the start of a pattern. He would wait for Kurt. And, maybe, at some point in the coming weeks, Kurt would be ready to talk.

"_Hopelessly devoted to you..."_

As he sang out the last note of the song, Artie and Finn applauded.

"Say something," Artie urged Finn.

"Like what?" Finn questioned.

"I think I speak for both of us when I say that, though you auditioned with a Sandy song, you are the Danny Zuko of our dreams," Artie turned his attention back to Blaine.

"Yeah, yeah! Totally," Finn agreed. "You were awesome."

"Amazing," Artie added.

Instead of internalizing what Artie and Finn were saying, Blaine was suddenly overcome with memories of _West Side Story_. Of fighting with Kurt in the parking lot of Scandals and making up with Kurt on the auditorium stage. Right where he was standing. Back when Kurt trusted him so much that he had wanted to go to Blaine's house for their first time.

"I can't," Blaine blurted. "I'm– I'm sorry, I just can't. Finn, I didn't want to let you down, but... _Grease_ is a romance. And how can I play any of the scenes if I have _ruined_ mine? I don't think I would be able to play the truth of Danny Zuko. Thank you for letting me audition, but I– I just can't."

"Wait," Artie stopped him as he turned to rush off the stage. "Is there any part you think you _could_ play?"

"I don't think so," Blaine admitted. But the rational part of his brain screamed at him to choose _something_. He couldn't be the lead in the musical one year and then not be in it at all the following year. His senior year. He couldn't have a complete meltdown. "Maybe... maybe Teen Angel? It's only one scene, but... probably not."

He didn't care about college. Or his future. Or anything. He didn't know why he had auditioned at all. He walked off the stage and straight to his car to drive home.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening at dinner, Kurt kept seeing things that reminded him of Blaine. One of his co-workers was wearing a bow tie that Kurt knew Blaine also owned. Their waiter somehow found out that Kurt was from Ohio and asked him if he was an Ohio State football fan. The person sitting next to him ordered Blaine's favorite salad.

And, just when Kurt was starting to wonder if the universe wanted him to suffer, someone at the other end of the table started a conversation about "that hot guy from the credit rating commercials".

Kurt rolled his eyes as hard as he could. He didn't realize Isabelle was watching him.

"Kurt, you okay?" she asked.

"What?" he jumped. "Oh, uh."

"You don't think that guy's cute?" Someone a few seats down asked, noticing Kurt's negative body language.

"No," Kurt lied. It came out sounding just as bitter as he felt.

"Mmmm," the woman hummed disapprovingly and turned her attention back to the others who were still enthusing about Cooper.

Kurt was glad that the lighting was dim as he blushed, embarrassed. He was letting his sadness and anger about his situation with Blaine creep into every aspect of his life. He needed to _decide_ what the future held – or didn't hold – for him and Blaine so he could get out of this pattern of negative emotions.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine dreaded going to school even more than usual. After an unusually restful night of sleep, he was embarrassed about his dramatic exit after his audition the day before. He still didn't want to play Danny Zuko, but he wasn't sure what had possessed him to confess his heartbreak so suddenly.

He managed to avoid everyone – including Sam – until lunch. He had skipped lunch in favor of eating alone in his car one time after he returned from New York, and his friends had been so upset and worried that he knew he couldn't do it again. They didn't understand the extent to which he was devastated by the status of his relationship with Kurt, but they could tell that he was unhappy.

"Hey!" Marley said brightly as Blaine arrived at their normal lunch table.

Blaine smiled as he sat down beside her.

"Did you audition for Grease yesterday?" Marley asked excitedly.

"Just for a small role," Blaine acknowledged.

"Oh," his response surprised Marley. "Oh, um, okay."

"I'm... busy and... distracted," Blaine explained lamely.

"You'll be great in any role, I think!" Marley reassured him with an encouraging smile, and a tiny part of Blaine wished that he had agreed to play Danny Zuko just so he could dance and sing with her as Sandy. Maybe he could've absorbed some of her happiness.

"I agree," a new voice said from directly behind Blaine, and Blaine twisted around in his seat to see Mercedes standing behind him.

"Mercedes!" he gasped, jumping out of his seat to wrap her in a hug.

"Hey, Blaine," she said, and Blaine's delight was magnified as he glanced over her shoulder and saw Mike.

"Oh my god," Blaine said, feeling happier than he had for what felt like forever. "Hey, man!"

He hugged Mike, and someone found chairs for the new arrivals so they could all sit at the same table.

"It's so good to see you," Blaine said to Mike as they sat down. Mike was a friend. It felt wonderful to have a friend around. Mike and Blaine stayed in touch mostly over Facebook and via text since Mike had gone to Chicago for college, but sitting beside Mike made it feel as if they had seen each other just the week before.

"You, too," Mike agreed. "I heard about you and Kurt. Sorry, man."

Blaine nodded and tried not to internalize the thought that Mike had probably found out when Kurt had changed his relationship status on Facebook to "single". Blaine hadn't exactly gone around telling everyone that he and Kurt had broken up. He didn't want it to be true.

The rest of the week was full of things to help keep Blaine's mind off of missing Kurt and giving up the lead in the musical. He spent time with Mike. He encouraged the others who were all auditioning for _Grease_. He had a meeting with Principal Figgins and Sam about a wide and, Blaine though, particularly random group of topics regarding the school and Blaine's and Sam's roles as the heads of the student council. He did all his homework and worked on a superhero costume he was making for a new club he wanted to start. And Blaine's mom was on a "family dinners every night" streak, so he was spending more time than usual with his parents. Which, he admitted to himself, was actually really nice. He wondered if they could tell how devastated he was about Kurt and were trying to make sure he was okay.

On Thursday afternoon, Blaine had to miss glee rehearsal – which was actually just a callback for the Marley, Kitty, Jake, and Ryder to determine who would play Sandy and Danny – for a dentist appointment. When he got home, he felt exceptionally tired and lonely.

He wanted to talk to Kurt. Maybe even a fight – a screaming match – would be better than the state of _nothingness_ that Blaine felt like they had been in since he returned from New York. They were broken up, but Blaine still wanted to _explain_. To tell Kurt how intensely sorry he was and how much he loved him, even if Kurt never wanted to love him back again. The way things stood, there was no resolution. There was just guilt and sorrow and an overall sense of apathy for life that Blaine had never experienced before.

Since he couldn't talk to Kurt, he called his brother. Cooper liked to talk. Maybe it would help to just talk to _someone_.

"Blainey!" Cooper answered. He was somewhere loud. "How's it going, little brother?"

"Okay," Blaine dodged. "Where are you?"

"On set for a new commercial," Cooper explained. "Thanks for calling, by the way. This way I can pretend I'm having a serious business meeting on the phone during the break. Makes me look extra desirable."

Blaine had to smile. "Glad I can help," he replied.

"You're still sad about Kurt, huh?" Cooper asked.

"I didn't say that," Blaine said, surprised at his brother's insight.

"Look, Blaine," Cooper explained, "if there's one thing you have to be good at to be an actor, it's voices. Yours is sad."

"I miss him," Blaine admitted.

"Think of it this way," Cooper said. "This is an emotion you've never felt before. You're deepening the well of emotional knowledge that you can draw from as an actor. You're a shoe-in for– yes, I'll have to think about it. We could possibly rearrange my calendar, but it'll be tight."

"Coop?" Blaine wondered.

"Sorry," Cooper said after a short silence. "The director walked by."

Blaine hadn't _really_ laughed – the kind of laughing that makes your stomach hurt if it goes on for long enough – for weeks, but once he started he couldn't stop. He laughed through Cooper's goodbye and after he ended the call and as he fell over backward onto his bed and wondered if he might be losing his mind.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Friday afternoon, the cast list for _Grease_ went up. Blaine waited with the rest of New Directions near the bulletin board for Finn to arrive with the sheet of paper that would determine who would play which part in the musical.

"Here they come!" Sugar shrieked in the middle of a conversation about possible color schemes for their Sectionals outfits.

Blaine and the others moved back to let Finn walk up and pin a single sheet of paper on the bulletin board, then took turns checking to see where their names were on the list.

Blaine knew his role before he stepped up to the sheet of paper for confirmation. Teen Angel. He turned and gave Finn and Artie a face that he hoped expressed his gratitude that they hadn't written him off after his mini meltdown at his audition. They had given him the role he wanted instead of forcing him to take the role they thought he should play.

"Patty Simcox?" Kitty whined as she read the list. "Patty Simcox? Who the _hell_ is Patty Simcox? I don't understand; I prayed really hard about this."

"Maybe God didn't hear you because he was busy helping people with cancer," Joe piped up from behind Blaine.

"Shut it, Avatar," Kitty snapped.

Blaine didn't know Kitty very well yet, but he was unimpressed by her attitude.

"This is all your fault," Kitty turned her fury on Jake. "You screwed up _Hand Jive_."

"No, I didn't," Jake argued. "We were both great. It just didn't work out."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately from you," Kitty retorted. She shoved past Marley as if she was planning to storm off, but, instead, she turned back around to face the other girl.

"Oh, one little thing Honey Boo Boo," Kitty said. "I know a good, hot meal is hard to resist, especially when you're on the free lunch program, but remember: the stage always adds at least ten pounds. In your case closer to ninety. So, when you and your mom, Strawberry Hugecake, are dumpster diving for your costume, keep on picking until you find something slimming. Like a black Hefty bag."

Blaine was acutely aware that he should say something. Defend Marley or scold Kitty or maybe both. But his brain couldn't find the energy. And, before Blaine could worry about what his lack of caring meant in terms of his overall mental health, Sue arrived. She walked straight to the cast list and studied it before turning on Finn.

"You," she snapped. "In my office. Right now."

"No," Finn challenged. "You don't get to decide how this goes."

Blaine, along with the rest of New Directions, looked around to see if anyone knew what they were arguing about.

"Oh, Mr. Army Dropout, I think I do," Sue said calmly. She stepped closer to Finn and lowered her voice. "This isn't over."

She marched away and Finn rolled his eyes.

"What was that about?" Blaine asked.

"She's unhappy that I'm playing Rizzo," Unique explained nervously.

"Which doesn't matter," Finn added sternly. "Because she's not directing this show."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Burt called on Saturday to check on Kurt. They talked about casual things at first. Burt explained Carole had decided to change the wall color in the kitchen. Kurt told his father all about his adventures at Vogue dot com that week. Burt asked Kurt for his opinion on whether or not his tie color really mattered at work in Congress.

Eventually, though, the conversation turned to Kurt and his emotional state.

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine," Kurt told him as he did the dishes in the kitchen sink. Rachel had gone for an early morning dance rehearsal at NYADA, so he was home alone. "I'm more and more 'fine' every day. Please don't worry."

"Kurt, how many times do I have to tell you... it's my job to worry," Burt said. "But you sound a little better, so I'm gonna choose to believe you."

Burt sounded distracted.

"Is everything okay?" Kurt asked.

"Finn wants to talk to you," Burt told him.

"_Finn_?" Kurt repeated.

"Yeah."

"Uh," Kurt didn't know if Burt was asking him if he wanted to talk to Finn or just telling him that Finn wanted to talk to him, "okay?"

"Hey, bro," Finn said a few seconds later.

"Hi," Kurt smiled. It was good to hear Finn's voice. "I hear you've added 'director' to your resume."

"Yeah," Finn said proudly. "And that's not all... I'm taking over the glee club from Mr. Schu for three weeks starting next week!"

"What?" Kurt gasped. "Finn, that's great! Is... is that why you wanted to talk?"

"Oh," Finn remembered. "Uh, no."

"I'm not going to tell you stuff about Rachel either," Kurt clarified quickly. "I know you're my brother and you love her and I promise I'll tell you if she's ever in any danger or something, but –"

"That's not it, either," Finn interrupted.

An awkward silence hung between them before Finn spoke again.

"Blaine's really down, Kurt," he said quickly. "I mean, I _know_ what happened, but –"

"You're seriously calling me to tell me–?" Kurt snapped. "Honestly? He _should_ be sad. He _cheated_, Finn!"

"I know!" Finn replied, trying to calm Kurt down. "I'm sorry. It's just... he didn't even want the lead in the musical."

Kurt _hated_ how much it bothered him to learn that Blaine was so distraught. Before their breakup, Blaine had been so excited about being one of the seniors. Taking on leadership roles in the school so things would be as inclusive as possible.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh, <em>please_," Kurt whined, making sure he leaned forward so Blaine could see his face clearly on his laptop screen. "Don't even play the victim..."_

"_It's true!" Blaine protested. "I love Rachel and Finn and all of last year's seniors – you especially – but don't you think New Directions is best when _everyone_ gets a chance to share their voice?"_

"_This coming from the guy who got every solo in the Warblers," Kurt reminded him, twisting his laptop around as he climbed off the bed to fold his clothes while they chatted._

"_The Warblers are different, Kurt!" Blaine argued. "Their strength is blending their voices to create music for a soloist. New Directions has music from the band, so there's more opportunity for everyone to stand out."_

"_So you're saying you don't want any solos," Kurt narrowed his eyes._

_Blaine laughed. "That's not what I'm saying, and you know it."_

"_When you criticize last year's New Directions, I feel like my high school legacy is being tarnished," Kurt teased._

_Blaine groaned, but before he could respond, Kurt continued._

"_You know I'm kidding," he turned from his clothing rack to make an overly innocent face at the webcam. "I know what you mean."_

"_Thank you," Blaine acknowledged. "So, I'm definitely planning to try more numbers with everyone involved. And more duets, too. I want New Directions to feel like a place where everyone is _really_ celebrated. I want people to feel welcome..."_

* * *

><p>He had been so enthusiastic about his ideas for New Directions and, once he decided to run for student body president, the whole school. And now Blaine didn't even want to play Danny Zuko – a role Kurt <em>knew<em> Blaine would love to play – in his senior year musical.

Kurt's heart ached for Blaine, but it also burned with anger. He couldn't separate the sweet, enthusiastic Blaine he loved from the Blaine who had broken his trust so overwhelmingly.

"Not my problem," Kurt said icily.

"_Fine!_ Whatever," Finn huffed.

"I..." Kurt rolled his eyes, annoyed with Finn and with himself and with the universe. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? But I don't want to talk about _him_. And forgive me if I'm not falling all over myself with worry after what he did."

"I guess I just thought you might want to know that he's sad, too," Finn said as if he was just realizing why he had wanted to tell Kurt.

"Okay," Kurt said, fighting a sudden urge to cry.

"Well, uh," Finn said, "do you want to talk to Burt again now?"

"No, thanks," Kurt said. "I'll call him later. It's... good to talk to you, Finn."

"You too," Finn agreed. "Bye."

Kurt hung up and finished rinsing and drying the dishes as quickly as he could so he could escape to the emotional safety of his section of the apartment.

He sat on his bed and opened his laptop, hoping to find _something_ to distract himself, but only found an immediate reminder of Blaine. Mercedes was in Ohio and she had posted a string of photos on Facebook. Including, right at the top of Kurt's feed, a photo of Mercedes, Mike, Artie, Tina, and Blaine huddled together in the hallway, smiling for the camera.

Blaine looked the same.

It wasn't a surprise; Kurt had seen Blaine just over a month ago. But it hurt to see that Blaine looked the same. Kurt wanted him to look like an evil monster so he could just hate him and move on with his life. Instead, Blaine looked tired and, with the knowledge that Finn had just given him about Blaine's mental state, Kurt could see that he wasn't smiling as broadly as he could. But, otherwise, he looked exactly like the Blaine who Kurt still loved so much.

Kurt closed his laptop and climbed off the bed to pace around the apartment. He wished he could just stop missing Blaine.

_When I look at you, what I always see_

_Is the face of someone else who once belonged to me_

_Still I can hear him laugh_

_And, even though that melody plays on, he's gone_

_When I look at you, he is standing there_

_I can almost breathe him in like summer in the air_

_Why do you smile his smile?_

_That heaven I'd forgotten eases through, in you_

Things could never be the same between them again, Kurt thought. Not even if it was what they both wanted. Because Blaine's cheating had changed them both, and the new Kurt and the new Blaine weren't compatible.

Kurt thought about the beginning of their relationship. When they were at Dalton, stealing kisses and blushing through sweet words to each other and falling in love.

_If you could look at me once more_

_With all the love you felt before_

_If you and I could disappear into the past_

_And find that love we knew_

_I'd never take my eyes away from you_

And now they were doing the school musical at McKinley. It would've been a symbolic milestone for him and Blaine; their first time had been during the run of the school musical the year before.

_When I look at you, he is touching me_

_I would reach for him, but who can hold a memory?_

_And love isn't everything_

_That moonlight on the bed will melt away, someday_

Blaine had always been someone to look up to. Someone to help Kurt when he felt like there was no way forward. When Karofsky had tormented him. When high school had humiliated him. When NYADA had rejected him. But who was Blaine now? Someone else. Someone who cheated. Through his heartache, Kurt wondered if he had really known Blaine at all.

_Oh, you were once that someone who I followed like a star_

_Then suddenly you changed and now I don't know who you are_

_Or could it be that I never really knew you from the start?_

_Did I create a dream?_

_Was he a fantasy?_

Kurt felt like a fool for believing that he and Blaine were going to live a real life "happily ever after". But the thought of letting go of their future together still hurt too much to process.

He missed Blaine.

_Even a memory is paradise for all the fools like me_

_Now, remembering is all that I can do_

_Because I miss him so, when I look at you_

* * *

><p><em><strong>(The song is called "When I Look At You" from the musical "The Scarlet Pimpernel". You can't put a link in a story on FFN, so just search for it on YouTube! :) One of my favorite musicals.)<strong>_

_**This is mostly a filler episode for Kurt and Blaine. The only thing that happens to either Kurt or Blaine in this episode is that Blaine auditions for and gets his part in **_**Grease**_**. He's not even in most of the group scenes. And Kurt's not in the episode at all. So, I tried to give us as much of Kurt as we got of Blaine... a song expressing that he's also still really, really sad about the breakup.**_

_**Next up... 4x06: Glease.**_


	45. 4x06: Glease

_**Thankfully, this is the last (overall) sad episode for Kurt and Blaine this season... starting with the next episode, both Kurt and Blaine start to pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward. They'll find their way back to each other, eventually!  
><strong>_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was nearing the end of a workout video on Monday morning – Rachel had left early for class and he didn't have to leave for another hour – when he heard the sound of Rachel singing happily to herself on the way down the hall toward their apartment. Kurt grabbed the remote off the couch, turned off the television and the DVD player, and ran into his section of the apartment, dragging the curtain closed just as Rachel unlocked the door.

"Kurt?" she called as she entered the apartment.

"One second!" he gasped. He was wearing his Richard Simmons workout outfit. She could not see him dressed like this under any circumstances. He'd never live it down.

"Are you in your room? I need to tell you –"

"I'm naked!" he shouted, sensing that she was going to barge in. "I... I'm– I'll be dressed in a second!"

"Hurry up!" she shouted back. She sounded happy, so he guessed that she had good news to share. Hopefully that would mean she would be distracted from how sweaty he was.

Kurt slipped on some pajama pants and a t-shirt he tended to wear around the apartment and fanned himself for a moment with a pad of paper to try to cool off.

"Kurt!" Rachel called, impatient.

"Coming!" he responded. He ran his hands through his hair a few times until it looked purposefully untidy and walked out into the common area of the apartment.

"Why're you all sweaty?" Rachel commented immediately.

"Uh..." Kurt blanked.

"Oh," Rachel said, her face flushing. "_Oh_. Um, oh god, sorry, you weren't expecting me, I–"

Kurt rubbed his face, embarrassed by her assumption and the knowledge of what he had _actually_ been doing when she arrived, and changed the subject.

"You have news?" he asked.

"Right!" Rachel said, relieved and suddenly excited again. "Guess what?"

"What?" Kurt asked, legitimately curious to know the source of her enthusiasm.

"I'm going on an audition for an off-Broadway play!" Rachel shouted. "I just got the call with my date and time so I had to come back and tell you!"

Kurt gasped, struck with a mixture of delight for his friend and a sliver of jealousy. "What play?" he inquired.

"An avant-garde production of _The Glass Menagerie_," Rachel explained. "And I'm auditioning for Laura Wingfield!"

"Oh my god," Kurt approved.

The news provided a perfect segue into a topic Kurt had been thinking about a lot over the past few days.

"Speaking of plays," Kurt said as Rachel poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge, "do you think... are you planning to go home for _Grease_?"

"I don't think so," she replied brightly before finishing off the drink and grabbing her bag. "I've actually got to go to class now, though, or I'll be late, so... we'll discuss it later?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed. Rachel hugged him and breezed out the door without another word.

Kurt couldn't decide if he wanted to go back to Ohio for the musical. Part of him thought that he probably should because his friends had worked so hard. And he really, really missed his dad.

And Blaine would be there.

It was both the one thing causing Kurt to hesitate and the one thing that made him want to go more than anything else. He hadn't seen Blaine since the morning after their breakup. Maybe it would be good to see him? Would it help Kurt find some closure?

Kurt went to work and argued with himself all day about whether or not he should fly all the way to Ohio to see his high school friends put on a musical. Or to see his ex-boyfriend. Or even his father. He would see everyone at Christmas, right? So, he shouldn't go.

But it would be nice to show them support. They were his friends, and it took a lot to put on a musical. And Blaine was his ex-boyfriend who had hadn't spoken to in a month and a half. Blaine wanted to talk, so maybe they should? Also, Burt would be incredibly happy to see him. As would Carole and, Kurt hoped, Finn. So, he should go.

Rachel texted him halfway through the day to inform him that she had asked Brody to help her prepare for her _The Glass Menagerie_ audition, and Kurt rolled his eyes. From Kurt's vantage point, Rachel's breakup with Finn had been so much less traumatic than his breakup with Blaine. Kurt wasn't sure he even understood what the issue was between his friend and step-brother. Finn had called off their engagement on the day of their wedding at the beginning of the summer to send Rachel to New York, but they had still technically been together until Finn came to New York and they broke up? Kurt wondered how Finn would react when he inevitably found out that Rachel and Brody were well on their way to a relationship.

Kurt and Rachel had dinner at NYADA's cafeteria that evening, and Kurt reintroduced the subject of going to Ohio to see _Grease_.

"I just think it would be nice," he said, trying not to sound too desperate. "They've worked really hard."

"Flying to Ohio's not cheap, though," Rachel argued. "And I know it would be nice to see our friends, but I don't think I want to see... everyone."

"I'm not sure I want to see 'everyone', either," Kurt agreed. "But could it be any worse than _not_ seeing him?"

"I just don't want to, really," Rachel pushed back. "I was back there recently, so –"

"Well, I wasn't just there," Kurt reminded her. "I haven't been back since I came here."

"You could go by yourself?" Rachel suggested.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Right, I can just go by myself."

Rachel looked apologetic, but her resolve did not seem to be weakening.

"Come _on_, Rachel," Kurt said. She didn't look convinced, and Kurt decided to try to appeal to her vanity. "Going back to your small town Ohio high school to support your friends even though you're making it in New York... great memoir material," he suggested.

To his delight, Kurt saw the ignition of the spark in Rachel's eyes that told him she was considering it.

"Think about it?" Kurt begged.

"Okay," Rachel allowed.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Alright, guys, listen up!" Mr. Schu said at the start of glee rehearsal on Monday morning. "I have an announcement to make."

"Adele is dead," Brittany guessed.

"No," Mr. Schu clarified. "I've been asked to join a blue ribbon panel to rewrite the arts curriculum, nationwide."

There was a chorus of "woah"s and "congratulations" from the group, but Blaine was too busy worrying about what the announcement would mean for New Directions to absorb the excitement.

"Thank you," Mr. Schu said. "I'll be taking a short sabbatical, which means... I'm leaving McKinley at the end of the week."

It was what Blaine had been afraid of. He had always secretly wished that they could prepare for competitions without Mr. Schu getting in the way – like the Warblers ran things; without a teacher guiding their every decision – but Mr. Schu departing so suddenly was a significant shakeup so soon before the start of competition season. Predictably, some of the students were very upset.

"Wait, what?" Tina voiced the group's disapproval. "This is _crazy_."

"Glee club is your life," Artie added.

"Which is why this is only temporary," Mr. Schu agreed. "I'll be back right after Sectionals."

"Wait," Tina gasped. "_After_ Sectionals?"

"I mean, it's not like we know him that well or anything," Unique commented to Jake. Blaine smiled slightly, glad that someone seemed to be calm about the situation. He was about to volunteer to run glee club in Mr. Schu's absence when Mr. Schu regained control of the conversation.

"Guys, guys, calm down," Mr. Schu begged. "Look, I knew I needed to find a replacement, which is why I brought in Finn Hudson."

He turned and motioned at Finn, who was sitting on a chair near the piano.

"Mr. Schu, Finn cannot take over glee club!" Tina argued, jumping to her feet. "He doesn't know what he's doing at all! Sorry, Finn."

"Guys," Finn said, getting up from his seat to stand beside Mr. Schu, "I know I can do this. And I've got some really great ideas for Sectionals."

"We'll all be dead by then!" Tina shrieked. "He doesn't know how to direct a musical!"

Everyone had an opinion, and the room erupted into a chorus of words. Blaine remained silent. He was excited for the opportunity to get to spend time with Finn again. The rest could be worked out as a group. This wasn't the end of the world.

Sue interrupted before the conversation could continue, demanding that Mr. Schu and Finn accompany her to Principal Figgins' office.

"Just... warm up while we're gone, please. Blaine?" Mr. Schu motioned to Blaine to come to the front of the room.

"Guys!" Blaine protested as Mr. Schu and Finn left the room and the students of New Directions continued their talking nonstop. Words like "disaster" and "stupid" jumped out at him, and he had to raise his voice to be heard as he stood in front of the group. "Guys! Hey, please, calm down..."

The group slowly quieted until they were all looking at Blaine with varying degrees of skepticism on their faces.

"It's going to be fine," Blaine reassured them.

"Oh, _please_," Tina scoffed.

Blaine glared at her but chose not to respond. Instead, he continued his conversation with the group.

"We're all set for _Grease_ at the end of the week," he reminded them. "None of which involved Mr. Schu, anyway. And we can figure out what to sing for Sectionals without Mr. Schu, right?"

"You –" Tina started, but Blaine cut her off with a sharp motion of his hand.

"That's _enough_," he said firmly before he walked to the piano so he could lead the group in warming up. "Mr. Schu is going and Finn is staying, so we're going to deal with it and focus on preparing for Sectionals."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After school, Artie and Mike took most of the guys to meet Finn at the tire shop to rehearse _Greased Lightning_, but Blaine stayed behind to rehearse _Beauty School Dropout_ with the girls. It was a fun afternoon; they spent more time giggling about ridiculous things than actually rehearsing. But, by the end of the afternoon, Blaine thought they had a handle on the choreography. He already knew the vocals to the song – he had seen the film version of the show many times – so it was all falling into place as well as Blaine hoped it would. He knew it would be perfect by opening night.

Once they finished rehearsing, Tina asked the girls to stay so she could do another round of costume fittings, but she had finished Blaine's costume the day before. Blaine hung around and helped to clean up the set that they had put together on the stage for rehearsal and then decided to go home. On his way out, Blaine passed Tina, Brittany, and Sugar, who were putting finishing touches on Sugar's costume, before approaching Marley at a tall mirror. She was twisting around, examining her Sandy costume from various angles.

"Hey," Blaine said kindly as he passed.

"Blaine?" she stopped him. "Can I– I need an honest opinion."

"Sure," Blaine agreed.

"Do I look like I've gained weight to you?" Marley asked desperately.

"What?" Blaine scolded. "No, of course not."

"My costume won't zip up," Marley confessed, her voice trembling with panic.

"Really?" Blaine doubted. He walked over so he could examine the label at the back of her neck. It was definitely her size.

"I fit into it yesterday!" Marley worried.

"You look beautiful," Blaine reassured her, rubbing her shoulders. "Maybe it shrunk when Tina washed it or something. I'll send her over. Okay?"

"Okay," Marley agreed. "Thanks."

As Blaine was telling Tina that Marley needed help with her costume, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

A text message from Sam. _Bro dinner at Breadstix. Meet you there in twenty minutes._

Blaine laughed. He rarely did anything after school other than go home to do his homework and, occasionally, box a little in the garage before flopping into bed to watch mindless television and try, unsuccessfully, not to think about Kurt. Maybe it would be fun to go to dinner with Sam and some of the other guys from New Directions.

"Is that Kurt?" Tina asked.

Blaine's enthusiasm left him as rapidly as it had arrived.

"No," he informed her as he returned his phone to his pocket.

"What even happened between you two, anyway?" Tina asked. "Was it the distance? Because, trust me, I know –"

"It was complicated," Blaine interrupted, irritated.

"Do you think you'll get back together?" Tina asked.

"I don't know," Blaine snapped.

"Geez," Tina rolled her eyes. "Sorry for being interested in your life."

"Kurt's not _in_ my life, Tina," Blaine said. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

What was he supposed to tell people? That he had cheated on Kurt with some guy he met on Facebook? That he felt alienated from everyone? That nothing seemed to matter anymore? That he was a horrible person?

He couldn't say any of those things. So, instead, he had been dodging the question ever since New Directions had found out that he and Kurt had broken up. It was exhausting.

As Blaine climbed into his car and decided to ditch dinner in favor of going home to be alone, his phone vibrated. It was Sam again. _Don't read this if you're driving. Are you coming or not?_

Blaine stared out the windshield for a few minutes, trying to decide. He knew he should go. Any time he did things with New Directions, he had a good time. And wouldn't it be better to have a good time and go home to his heartache later than to go home and spent all evening trying to pretend he was okay?

_I'm coming_, he sent back to Sam.

An hour later, as he sat wedged between Finn and Sam, laughing with the guys of New Directions, he was glad he had decided to come.

"And yeah, guys, you've gotta have a costume if you want to join but it's totally fun," Sam explained the Secret Society of Superheroes club that he and Blaine were starting the next afternoon.

"We're going to try to get the whole school involved," Blaine explained, excited about the idea. "Superheroes make the world better, right? That's the idea. We're going to make McKinley a safer, better place and encourage people to be the best, most honorable versions of themselves."

"It's basically awesome," Sam added.

"I'm joining," Joe approved.

"If everyone's wearing superhero costumes," Jake said skeptically, "isn't it basically like a uniform? I don't like being forced to do things."

"Nobody's being forced to do anything," Blaine argued. "It's a club. And a superhero costume is not a uniform, come on."

"Wait," Sam said to Blaine, "as heads of the student council, could we make superhero costumes the school uniform?"

Blaine shook his head and Sam looked disappointed.

"Uniforms aren't that bad, anyway," Blaine added as the conversation wound down.

"Speak for yourself," Finn laughed. "Kurt used to say that –"

Finn caught himself, too late, and Blaine dropped his eyes to the table as everyone suddenly turned to stare at him.

"Yeah," Blaine forced a smile, not wanting to ruin the mood. "He was happy to come back to McKinley so he could wear his own clothes."

Nervous laughter swept around the table.

"Do you think I could be a Christian superhero?" Joe mused.

It was enough to break the tension, and the conversation rolled forward without further incident. But the mention of Kurt was enough to start Blaine's mind down the path to memories of Kurt and their time together at Dalton, and he didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next afternoon, Kurt got off of work early and went to NYADA to help Rachel rehearse for her upcoming audition. As he walked through campus on his way to one of the dance studios where Rachel was waiting, he thought about the devastation of his rejection letter at the end of his senior year of high school. He should be a student walking through NYADA's campus, not a visitor. Kurt still felt a minor dose of frustration every time he came to NYADA and remembered that they hadn't thought he was good enough.

But, where that frustration had been coupled with despair when he first arrived in New York, now frustration and determination strolled hand-in-hand through Kurt's mind. If he hadn't been rejected from NYADA, he never would have interned at Vogue dot com. He never would have known Isabelle Wright. And, for every insecurity NYADA's lack of interest had opened up in Kurt, Isabelle was ready with an encouraging word or an act of kindness that made Kurt feel like he could, possibly, be someone in the world.

When he added his breakup with Blaine to the list of changes in his life over the past six months, Kurt knew he had never grown or changed so quickly. He still felt like a small town boy trying to make his way in the big city, but he felt so different than the small town boy who graduated from high school less than a year earlier. He had gained confidence and life experience, and he was grateful that he had managed to survive all the upheaval in his life so far.

The only thing he wished had never happened was his separation from Blaine. He knew it was because it was so fresh, but Kurt had a difficult time finding a lesson to learn from Blaine's betrayal that could possibly make the heartbreak worth it. He missed Blaine so, so much.

He wondered if Blaine was planning to apply to NYADA. It had been his plan the last time they talked about it, but that conversation had occurred before Kurt's graduation. After Kurt's rejection letter, Blaine had been careful not to mention NYADA unless Kurt brought it up first.

Kurt tried to banish thoughts of Blaine from his mind as he entered the building where he was meeting Rachel. _He_ hadn't even gotten into NYADA yet. There was no point imagining a world where both he and Blaine attended. He was just working himself up for nothing.

"Hi!" Rachel waved excitedly from across the room as Kurt arrived. He returned the wave and slipped behind a tall set of mirrors to change into looser clothes than the outfit he had worn to work.

"Thanks so much for coming," Rachel said as they sat down facing each other so they could stretch together. "I'm rehearsing some with Brody this weekend, but I want to impress him with how much progress I've made."

"Yeah," Kurt teased dryly, "maybe you won't have to rehearse much at all."

She giggled instead of protesting, and Kurt was glad Brody seemed like a nice enough guy. Soon enough, Rachel would probably start bringing him to the apartment all the time.

"I can't believe you have a _dance_ audition for _The Glass Menagerie_," Kurt commented as they stretched.

"Well, Ivan is a very physical director," Rachel explained. "All of his work is very movement driven."

Kurt groaned unhappily as Rachel pulled him forward further than he wanted to go.

"Come on," Rachel teased. "No?"

"Release," Kurt asked, and Rachel let go of his hands and fell over onto her back.

Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket as he let go of Rachel, and he pulled it out to see a series of text messages from Tina.

"_Grease_ update from Tina!" Kurt explained. "Ohh, apparently the girl playing Sandy has gained so much weight she can't fit into her clothes."

"No," Rachel whined in sympathy. "That's unfortunate. But... doesn't really have anything to do with us."

Kurt gave her a critical look.

"No," Rachel scolded. "We're not! We are not going to see it."

"Not going to see what?"

Kurt and Rachel jumped to their feet as Cassandra July walked into the room.

"What are you doing in my studio, Schwimmer?" Cassandra asked. "Practicing for your big audition?"

"Yeah," Rachel confirmed. "This is actually my roommate, Kurt, and he's helping me with it."

Nervousness rushed through Kurt. He could end up in this class one day. What should he say?

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss July," Kurt gushed as Cassandra removed her jacket to reveal an outfit that bared her stomach. "And ohh, you've got some abs!"

He wanted to melt into the floor the moment the words left his mouth. So much for an appropriate first impression.

"That's sweet," Cassandra said, and Kurt was glad that she didn't seem bothered by his comment. Rachel glared at him, and Kurt wanted to tell her to shut up even though she wasn't saying anything.

"Can you get the bar?" Cassandra asked as she walked across the room toward them. Happy for something to do, Kurt turned around and rushed to help Rachel carry the bar into the middle of the room.

"So, you were saying?" Cassandra pressed as they brought the bar over. "Not gonna see what?"

"Her recently broken up with ex-boyfriend is directing my recently broken up with ex-boyfriend in a school production of _Grease_," Kurt explained. "And we've got a bunch of friends in it, so we were debating whether or not we should go."

"When is it?" Cassandra asked.

"This weekend," Kurt replied.

"Oh," Cassandra said. "You need to go. I mean, if you're both not over your exes, it's a perfect opportunity for closure."

"I have closure," Rachel said immediately.

Kurt didn't say anything. _He_ didn't have closure. The emotional wound of Blaine's infidelity felt as horrible and raw now as it had the moment the words had fallen out of Blaine's mouth.

"Okay," Cassandra allowed, "then go have _fun_, Schwim. Or go because it's _Grease_. Go because it's your friends. It's your high school."

Happy that someone else was pushing the issue and validating his desire to go, Kurt turned to Rachel.

"Rachel, I'm going," he said. "I need to see him. I haven't seen him since. I'm not sleeping. I'm living off of Ambien and _The Notebook_. Please come with me. I can't do it alone."

The thought of going back to Ohio all by himself made him want to throw up, but Kurt knew he needed to go. With or without his best friend.

"Look, even if I wanted to go... which I don't," Rachel said, "we don't have the money."

She turned to Cassandra. "Kurt's an intern and I spent all of my money on my last trip home, so..."

"Well," the dance instructor said, "I could give you my JetBlue frequent flyer miles."

Rachel glanced at Kurt, and he nodded, encouraging her to accept.

"I can't use them ever since I was banned for my Bloody Mary-fueled panic attack at thirty thousand feet that resulted in the hospitalization of three flight attendants," Cassandra explained.

Kurt knew his surprise was written all over his face, but Cassandra just shrugged.

"Don't ask," she suggested.

"And don't go if you don't want to," Cassandra turned her attention back to Rachel. "But I just think you'll regret missing it."

Rachel was silent, but Kurt knew she was considering it.

"Well," Cassandra said, "I think I've given you enough to think about. I'll use another room. Oh, and I'll email you those frequent flyer miles, Schwimmer."

Rachel looked surprised as Cassandra strolled over to collect her things, but Kurt was just grateful that someone had helped him convince Rachel to go with him to Ohio. She hadn't said yes yet, but he knew she would.

"Thanks, Ms. July," Kurt waved as the instructor left the room.

She tossed a casual wave in his direction and disappeared out the door.

"I thought you said she was horrible," Kurt whispered to Rachel.

"That was unusually nice," Rachel said skeptically.

"Maybe she feels our pain," Kurt mused. "Or _my_ pain, apparently. Are you really not upset? About Finn?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Not really," she said. "I mean, there will always be a part of me that loves Finn. He was my first love. But I need someone who's... compatible. Finn's a nice guy, but he needs to grow up."

"That's harsh," Kurt said, feeling protective of his step-brother.

"I know," Rachel said apologetically. "The point is that I'm not devastated about not being with Finn. I got to say what I wanted to say to him, and now I want to move on. To have a _life_."

She met Kurt's eyes and seemed to realize that what he really wanted was to figure out how _he_ could have a life without Blaine.

"Our situations are different, I guess," she said sadly. "Have you talked to him?"

Kurt shook his head.

"Are you going to tell him we're coming to see _Grease_?" Rachel asked.

"We are?" Kurt hoped.

Rachel walked over to hug him.

"It's not going to cost us anything with those frequent flyer miles," she said, "so, if you want to go, let's go."

"Thank you," Kurt replied quietly.

As he squeezed her and thanked the universe that Cassandra July was not as horrible as he had imagined, Kurt felt a rush of nervousness. He was going to see Blaine. For the first time since the night, a month and a half ago, when Blaine had come to New York and confessed his infidelity.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Thursday, as Blaine was getting the books he needed for the second half of the day out of his locker, someone walked up behind him and spanked him. He jumped in surprise, dropped the book in his hands, and spun around to find Santana smirking at him.

"Jesus, sorry!" she rolled her eyes. "I've always wanted to do that and you just looked so innocent and distracted. I couldn't resist."

"You–?" Blaine shook his head. There was no point arguing with her.

"Oh, don't act so scandalized," Santana knelt down to pick up the book Blaine had dropped.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked as he took the book from her.

"I've come to join the musical, of course," she struck an overly dramatic pose.

"You're not a student here," Blaine reminded her.

"Yeah, well, who else is going to play Rizzo with only one day to rehearse?" she countered.

"Uh, Unique's playing Rizzo," Blaine informed her.

"Nope," Santana said as Blaine closed his locker and they walked down the hallway together. "The funny thing about being a minor is that your parents can decide if they don't want you doing things. Like dressing in drag to play a girl in a musical."

"But –" Blaine started.

"Don't argue with me; it's not my fault. Finn called me and asked me to come," Santana cut him off. "I'm just here to pick up the pieces."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Is Kurt leaving paradise long enough to come see the show?" Santana asked.

"I doubt it," Blaine said sadly.

"I find it suspicious that nobody knows exactly why you two broke up," Santana admitted. Blaine could tell she was looking at him as they walked, but he pretended he didn't notice. "I thought you guys had, like, true love or whatever."

"We do," Blaine snapped.

"You don't want to talk about it," Santana understood. "_Okay_. I'm sorry, that's all."

Blaine risked a glance at her and was surprised to see that she actually looked remorseful.

"Thanks," he shrugged.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "This is where I leave you," she motioned toward the auditorium. "See you around."

Blaine nodded and watched her take the first few steps away from him.

"Santana?" he called after her. She stopped and turned partially around to look at him as he offered a toothless smile. "It's good to see you."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt and Rachel stepped off the plane and into the airport in Ohio, Kurt felt an unexpected wave of emotion. He remembered the last time he had been in this airport. Completely unsure about what New York and his future had in store for him and so, so scared. Leaving home for the first time.

He couldn't wait to see his father.

Burt and Rachel's dads had been more than willing to come pick Kurt and Rachel up at the airport. Rachel had seen her dads less than a month earlier when she returned to Lima to search for Finn, but it was the first time Kurt had seen Burt since the day he left Ohio.

He cried. He couldn't help it. But Burt cried, too, so it seemed appropriate. Plus, it was nice to cry happy tears after a month and a half of crying himself to sleep because he was heartbroken about Blaine.

"You look so much older," Burt's muffled voice said into Kurt's hair.

"You, too," Kurt quipped as Burt released him.

"_Hey_," Burt warned, gently shoving Kurt's shoulder. Kurt laughed and wiped at his eyes.

The two families went to dinner together; Kurt, Burt, Carole, Rachel, and Rachel's dads. Finn couldn't come because he was busy helping to set up for _Grease_'s opening night, and Kurt tried not to think about the fact that Finn was with Blaine.

Kurt had known that he missed his father and Carole, but he had underestimated how _nice_ it would feel to be with family again. Even Rachel's dads were familiar and loving and wanted to hear every little detail about Rachel and Kurt's time in New York.

Too soon, dinner was over and it was time for Kurt and Rachel to go to McKinley to see the show. They borrowed Burt's car – Rachel's dads drove Burt and Carole home – and made it as far as the McKinley parking lot before Kurt had to admit his anxiety.

"Why are we doing this, again?" he asked as he turned the car off.

"You _want_ to do this," Rachel reminded him, opening her door to climb out of the car.

"That was before we got here," Kurt whined as he joined her for the walk across the parking lot.

There were so many memories to digest that Kurt just let them flow through him as they walked. Early mornings waiting for Blaine to arrive. Late afternoons walking hand-in-hand across the parking lot until they had to separate to go to their cars. Junior prom. Senior prom.

Kurt was pleased when, as they walked through the door and into the hallway of their old high school, his mind offered mostly positive memories of McKinley's hallways. He had friends here. They had done so much together.

He missed it.

He didn't miss _high school_, exactly. But he missed the group of friends. He was friendly with some of his co-workers at Vogue dot com, but there wasn't anyone he thought would become a friend over time. He felt the most comfortable with Isabelle, and they couldn't have a straightforward friendship. She was his boss. His mentor.

"Alright, well just remember," Rachel said as they walked down the mostly-empty hallway, "no matter how many times people ask, we have to stick to our five autograph limit."

"Right," Kurt said. "I'm more concerned about running into you-know-who."

"You'll be fine," Rachel reassured him.

Kurt wasn't sure. At any moment, Blaine could step out into the hallway. Or they could walk around a corner and run right into him.

What if they didn't ran into him at all?

Kurt was glad when they walked by their old lockers and he had something to focus on. "Awww, look!" he said, walking over to touch the cold metal. "It's your locker next to my locker."

"Remember that time you got out of that date with Mercedes by saying that you had a thing for me?" Rachel recalled as they each sorted through their memories of high school.

"Yeah," Mercedes' voice acknowledged from behind Kurt, "it still burns my ass to this day!"

There was a lot of squealing with joy and multiple hugs as Kurt and Rachel greeted their friend. Kurt felt slightly better knowing that Mercedes was here. It made things seem a little less tense.

"It's amazing you guys came to see the musical," Mercedes said as they stepped apart. "Look, these kids are ready to bring the house down!"

"How are you? Tell us everything!" Rachel demanded.

"Life is crazy busy," Mercedes explained. "You know, it's not easy balancing UCLA classes and recording backup vocals. Or having Puckerman always hit me up for sugar mamas' phone numbers. But life is good."

Kurt laughed at the mental image of Puck calling Mercedes all the time. He made a mental note to check on Puck via Facebook.

"Oh, but you guys have to come backstage and say hi!" Mercedes suggested. "They're gonna _freak_ when they see who's here!"

A heavy sense of dread settled over Kurt as he thought about what going backstage would mean. And what kind of freaking out might happen when he and Blaine saw each other for the first time since their breakup.

He looked at Rachel and she nodded encouragingly. Kurt tried to remember why he had wanted to come. Why had he thought he wanted to see Blaine? He didn't want to. It was too painful. It was easier to just pretend that Blaine no longer existed in Kurt's world.

But now he was in the same building as the boy he had once thought was his soul mate.

As Kurt walked with Rachel and Mercedes toward the auditorium, Mercedes was saying something about the new kids and how talented they were. But Kurt felt like his sole purpose in life was to watch and listen for Blaine. He didn't want to be surprised.

As they walked onto the auditorium stage, the lights blinked to remind everyone to get ready, and Kurt felt like it was a warning. You've arrived; now you're going to have to speak to your ex-boyfriend who cheated on you with some guy. He looked at Rachel, but she was beaming with delight. Kurt offered a smile in return, reminding himself that they _did_ have wonderful memories in this space. But he couldn't stop the thought from entering his mind that she didn't have to worry about what she might say to Finn. She had already said it all. In private.

Maybe he should have called Blaine. Maybe he should have let him know that he was coming back to Ohio for the show. His presence was going to be a big surprise for Blaine. Was that fair? Did Blaine deserve "fair" after what he had done?

And what was Kurt going to say when he saw Blaine? He hoped that he could keep himself composed. The last thing he wanted was to have a screaming match with Blaine in front of everyone.

Suddenly, there was no more time to think about it; Blaine was right in front of him. Walking straight toward Kurt and Rachel with his hands in his pockets.

The brief span of time between when Kurt saw Blaine and when Blaine's gaze landed on Kurt was enough time for Kurt to realize that coming had not been a good idea.

He had hoped that seeing Blaine in person would help remind him of when things were great between them. That it would help remind him that Blaine wasn't a horrible monster. But, instead, he just felt pain as he watched Blaine approaching in his white Teen Angel costume. Betrayal and disappointment and heartache.

All of which seemed to magnify as Blaine's eyes landed on Kurt and the shock shone on his face.

"Kurt?" Blaine said as he stopped walking. "I... I didn't think I would see you this weekend."

Kurt shut down. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to feel. It was too horrible. He dropped his gaze to the floor and said nothing.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Rachel stepped in, grabbing Kurt's arm. "Would we, Kurt?"

"No," Kurt said.

His eyes flicked up for a quick look at Blaine, and the uncertainty on Blaine's face made Kurt realize that he had not yet reached rock bottom in terms of his emotional pain.

"Rachel," Finn approached from behind Blaine.

"Finn... hey," Rachel said politely. "How are you?"

"Good," Finn said. "A little surprised to see you, but..."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the four of them stood together and didn't know what to say.

"I'm gonna go put the kids through their warm up," Mercedes said before rushing away. Kurt had forgotten she was standing there.

"How are you?" Finn asked Rachel.

"I'm good!" she replied. "I'm really good. Just busy and..."

She looked to Kurt for help.

"Rachel has her first big audition for an off-Broadway show next week," Kurt told Finn. He made sure not to look at Blaine.

"Wow," Finn replied appreciatively. "That's awesome, congratulations."

"Thanks," Rachel said.

Kurt glanced at Blaine again and had to look away just as quickly. A heavy, uncomfortable silence settled around them.

"Look, this is... this is really, really weird," Finn broke the silence. "But the four of us had a lot of history between us, so I just wanna say... it's cool you came to see our show."

Kurt looked up at Finn and wished that things were different. He was glad to see Finn. He wished they could spend some time together, but he didn't want to leave Rachel.

"Pretty proud of it," Finn added. Blaine nodded a little and Kurt could tell, even without looking at him, that Blaine was trying to decide if he should say something.

Finn turned and walked away, but Blaine didn't immediately follow. For what felt much longer than a few seconds, Kurt could feel Blaine looking at him. Most of him hoped that Blaine wouldn't say anything, but a small part of him wanted to get it over with. Wanted Blaine to say something to make things better.

He didn't. Instead, Blaine nodded a sad goodbye before turning and walking away.

Rachel let out a long, tense breath as Kurt tried to figure out everything that he was feeling.

"You were right," Kurt said. "It was a mistake to come. I'm not going to get through act two."

Act two, when Blaine would be on stage. As much as it pained him to know that Blaine had turned it down, Kurt was glad that Blaine wasn't playing Danny Zuko. Having to watch Blaine through the entire show would be agony. As Teen Angel, Blaine would only be on stage for one song.

"Oh, no!" Rachel reassured him. She stepped in front of him so he had to look at her. "Look, you're going to be fine, alright? I'm going to be sitting right next to you and we're going to be holding hands and laughing and applauding and we are never, ever, gonna let them see us sweat. Okay?"

Kurt nodded.

"Okay," Rachel confirmed. "Come here."

She hugged him and Kurt tried not to cry. He had hoped that things would make more sense once he saw Blaine, but, instead, he felt more confused than ever.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Tears were spilling out of Blaine's eyes by the time he reached the door that led out of the auditorium.

In a moment of desperation over where he could go to be alone without leaving the school, he walked to the end of the hallway and into the girls' bathroom. He locked the door behind him; people could just use the bathroom at the other end of the hall nearer to the auditorium.

Kurt had come back to Ohio to see the show and hadn't even told him. Blaine felt unbearably sad and guilty and a little bit angry. Kurt had put him on the spot by just showing up, unannounced. The shock of the sudden reappearance of the boy he loved was so overwhelming that Blaine had to lean back against the locked door and sob out the guilt that was raging through him.

When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he grabbed it and, despite his mind telling him to stop being so stupid, hoped that maybe it would be Kurt.

It was Finn. _Where are you? I know that was rough. Will you be back soon?_

Blaine focused on breathing evenly as he replied. _Sorry. I'll be back in a minute._

He stepped up to one of the sinks and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red from crying.

He looked really, really sad.

After splashing cold water on his face until his eyes looked normal again, Blaine had a sudden rush of adrenaline.

Kurt was here. They could talk.

He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Kurt.

_Thank you for coming. Can we talk after, please?_

With a spark of hope settling into his chest, Blaine unlocked the door and hurried back to the auditorium to be with the rest of the cast as they prepared to start the show.

"Dude, where were you?" Sam scolded as he arrived. "We're about to do the show circle thing and then thing actual show is starting!"

"I'm not in the show until the second act," Blaine reminded him.

"But you're still part of the show," Sam said. "Come on."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine stood in his place at the top of a set of white stairs and readied to sing _Beauty School Dropout_, he wondered where Kurt was sitting in the audience.

He was nervous.

Kurt had always been a supportive presence. Someone who would tell him he had done well – or, at least, well enough – no matter what. But now, with Kurt so upset, performing with Kurt in the audience felt like a test.

Blaine made it through the beginning of the song without looking out into the audience. He focused on Sugar and ignored the sea of dark bodies behind her. But, as he slipped into the booth to sit beside Sugar and turned his head toward the audience, suddenly there wasn't anything else to focus on.

And his eyes landed on Kurt almost immediately. He was sitting beside Rachel a few rows from the stage. On the end of a row. Their eyes met, but Kurt immediately dropped his gaze.

Blaine hoped that the audience couldn't see the rush of icy guilt and regret that rushed through him as Kurt refused to look at him. He couldn't stop. He was in the middle of a performance. He had to push his emotions away and pour himself back into Teen Angel to finish the song. He didn't want to let all his classmates down with a less-than-stellar performance just because he couldn't reign in his emotions.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After Blaine's song, Kurt felt like he could relax a little. He didn't have to worry about seeing Blaine again until after the show. So, he tried to just enjoy himself and let himself feel proud of his friends for putting on such an entertaining show.

But, as the show ended and everyone stood up to applaud, Rachel stayed in her seat. And she stayed sitting, even when the entire cast came back to the stage for the curtain call.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked as their friends bowed to the audience.

"I just need a minute," Rachel said. She stood and moved past him to hurry out of the auditorium.

Kurt watched her go before turning his attention back to the people on the stage. Specifically, Blaine. He was smiling as the group bowed, but Kurt could tell that he was avoiding looking in Kurt's direction. Blaine's text message from just before the show felt like it weighed a hundred pounds in Kurt's pocket. _Can we talk after, please?_

When the curtain had closed and most of the crowd had left the auditorium, Kurt finally wandered out into the hallway to look for Rachel. And, hopefully, to avoid Blaine.

But, when Kurt walked around a corner and found Rachel, she wasn't alone. Finn was there.

"Hey..." Kurt said tentatively. He couldn't see Rachel's face, but Finn looked sad.

"Mr. Schuester said he wanted to see you in the choir room," he lied to Finn.

Finn said a quick goodbye to Rachel before cutting through an office toward the choir room. Kurt hoped that Mr. Schu would be there waiting so Finn wouldn't suspect that Kurt had wanted him to go away.

"You okay?" Kurt asked as Rachel turned and walked to him.

"I just want to go home," Rachel said immediately.

"I thought this was home?" Kurt asked.

"Doesn't feel like it anymore," Rachel said, turning to look at where Finn had disappeared.

"Kurt, I need to talk to you," Blaine's voice reached Kurt's ears before Kurt noticed him approaching. Kurt turned his head as Blaine walked up to stand beside him. He was still in his Teen Angel costume.

Kurt didn't know what to do. Blaine wanted to talk. But Kurt didn't.

"You okay?" Rachel asked quietly, and Kurt made a mental note to do something nice for her for giving him the opportunity to escape if he wanted it. But he knew he shouldn't run away. He nodded, and Rachel left in a hurry.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After their awkward encounter before the show, Blaine had spent every moment when he wasn't on stage trying to figure out what he was going to say to Kurt after the show. He had debated being vague and supremely apologetic – "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so, so, _so_ sorry. Please forgive me." – but that wasn't _really_ what he wanted to say. He wanted to _explain_. Kurt could ignore his calls and texts, but it would be more difficult to ignore Blaine to his face.

As Rachel walked away to stand at the end of the hallway and Kurt met his gaze a few times, Blaine could see the cautiousness and pain in Kurt's eyes.

"I'm not interested," Kurt spoke first. He turned and walked away toward Rachel, but Blaine followed.

"I... I never told you about what happened," Blaine said as he walked behind Kurt. "The guy that I hooked up with... I need you to know everything."

"What're you going to tell me?" Kurt said, stopping to turn around and face Blaine. "That it wasn't serious? That you only made out? That you didn't care about him?"

"I _didn't_ care," Blaine stressed.

"Do you think any of that matters to me?" Kurt asked. "Relationships are about _trust_. And I don't trust you anymore."

There were so many things Blaine wanted to say. He wanted to explain how hurt he had felt when Kurt started blowing him off. He wanted to explain that he was having a hard time feeling _anything_ and that the hookup with Eli had been a reckless excuse to _feel_ something. He wanted to explain that he had spent every single day since then berating himself. He wanted to explain that he had made a horrible mistake and to beg for a second chance.

But the harsh confirmation that Kurt didn't trust him anymore hit Blaine so hard that he couldn't remember any of those things.

"I was stupid to come back," Kurt said, starting to back away as tears filled his eyes. "Rachel was right. This isn't home anymore."

Blaine had an intense moment of déjà vu as Kurt hurried away and Blaine was frozen with grief.

Only, this time, there was nothing to justify running after Kurt except his own shattered emotions. Kurt didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

Kurt didn't trust him.

They were really broken up.

The kind of broken up that Blaine might not be able to fix.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Do you know how much I wanted to have Blaine run after Kurt (and Rachel) after Kurt told him he didn't trust him anymore? They need to talk about it, not talk at each other about it in short sentences. (Although I really liked Kurt's little speech... glad he got to say that to Blaine because broken trust is really THE issue here.) But, sadly, Blaine says in the next episode that Kurt won't hear anything that he has to say, so they clearly didn't continue talking. Overly-dramatic sigh.<strong>_

_**I hope you're all having a great evening/day! LOVE.**_

_**Up next... 4x07: Dynamic Duets!**_


	46. 4x07: Dynamic Duets

_**This episode is one of my favorites that Glee has EVER done. This is the Glee I fell in love with. The perfect combination of silly and serious. Love it love it love it.**_

_**That said, Kurt isn't in this episode (which, despite my love for him, I think was okay). This episode focuses on Blaine as he finally realizes that maybe he does belong at McKinley, after all. Even without Kurt. I gave Kurt a scene at the beginning and at the end, and a tiny moment somewhere in between, but we'll see more of him in the next two episodes. :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt spent the weekend at home with his dad, Carole, and Finn. They had a Friday night dinner on Saturday at lunchtime so that Finn could be there instead of at the school preparing for the evening's showing of _Grease_. They sat in the living room and exchanged stories of New York and Washington DC and Lima. Kurt even went with Finn to work at the tire shop for a few hours on Sunday morning to help him with some administrative work before he and Rachel had to get back to the airport to fly to New York. To Kurt's relief, Finn kept the subject matter light as they chatted. Nothing about Blaine. Nothing about Rachel. It felt good to spend casual time with his step-brother.

This time, when Burt dropped him and Rachel off at the airport, Kurt didn't cry. He didn't feel nervous or uncertain. The only sadness he felt was because he had to say goodbye to his father again. No matter where he was, Kurt knew that his life was always missing a tiny something when he was so far away from Burt. But he wasn't going to miss Ohio anymore.

After such an emotional weekend, Kurt was glad to return to his normal routine on Monday morning. As soon as he arrived at Vogue dot com, he stopped by Isabelle's office.

"Hello?" he knocked on the doorframe so Isabelle would look up from her desk.

"Kurt!" she smiled. "Hi! Come in, come in."

He stepped into the room and took at seat as Isabelle motioned at the chair across from her.

"I just wanted to thank you again for letting me have Friday off," Kurt said. He and Rachel had left New York on Friday morning so they could see _Grease_ that evening, and Isabelle had been incredibly accommodating when Kurt had, in a rush of nervous air, asked for the first time if he could have the day off.

She waved her hand in the air in a motion that said "don't worry about it". "So," she said cheerfully, "how's Ohio?"

"Not exactly as I remembered it," Kurt admitted. "The term 'you can't go home again' really speaks to me at the moment."

Isabelle reached into her desk and produced a tray of little individually-wrapped chocolates. She offered the dish to Kurt, and he took one.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"I keep these in my desk for those days when I'm feeling like things are out of control in my life," Isabelle explained.

Kurt unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. "I feel better already," he joked. "But, seriously, thank you. I think it was just a bit of reverse culture shock. I'll be okay."

"I don't doubt it," Isabelle agreed. "How was your family? Dad the Congressman and step-mom, right?"

"Right," Kurt confirmed. "They're great. That part was amazing. We cried tears of joy at the airport and everything."

Isabelle laughed with him.

"And, I have to admit," Kurt added, "I was impressed with my old self's color choices in my bedroom at home. Very sophisticated."

"Finally starting to feel like a New Yorker, huh?" Isabelle asked.

"Um...?" Kurt wasn't sure what she meant.

"Your 'old self'," Isabelle put his words in air quotation marks.

"Oh," Kurt realized. "Yeah, I guess so."

As he thought about it, he realized that it was true. He felt like he had come home to New York. He had felt very much at home with his family, but Lima felt like a place he had once lived. Not his home.

The realization delighted him. He had struggled with the possibility that he didn't belong in New York since his arrival two months ago. He had worried that he wasn't good enough to live up to his big city dreams.

But he was.

The epiphany provided a rush of confidence, and Isabelle smiled knowingly.

"What'd'ya say to a field trip today?" she suggested. "I'm heading over to NYU to give a guest lecture... two, actually: 'Ethics in fashion' at eleven and 'Art versus practicality' at one. I could definitely use an assistant."

Kurt beamed at her. "Yes, absolutely, I'd love to assist," he confirmed.

"Them, come on," she said as she stood up and grabbed her bag off her desk, "let's go educate some young people and then I'll take the 'new you' out to lunch."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

During lunch on Monday, Blaine and Sam started a Thanksgiving-themed food and clothing drive in the hallway near the cafeteria. They had made posters the week before and had campaigned for the drive as best as they could on Facebook and Twitter, and Blaine was delighted with the response from the school's students and teachers. The drive was set to run all week; Blaine had recruited all the members of his new Secret Society of Superheroes club to run the collection table during lunch each day.

The best part was that they got to wear superhero costumes. Blaine was proud of his; he had managed to make it with only a little help from Tina to figure out how to piece together a decent chest plate.

He wished that he could show Kurt.

"This is even better than I imagined," he laughed when they stopped accepting donations for the day and he and Sam tried to figure out what to do with all the food and clothing they had collected.

"Do you think anyone would notice if we ate, like, one of these things?" Sam wondered as he placed can after can of food into a large box.

Blaine opened his mouth to scold Sam for even thinking about it, but Sam flashed him a smile. "Kidding!" he teased.

Blaine's heart stuttered briefly, but he recovered before the embarrassment reached his face. By the time the bell rang to signify that they needed to hurry to their next classes, everything was packed safely away in a nearly-empty storage closet near the cafeteria, and Sam raised a hand for a high five.

"Well done, Nightbird," he said, his voice deep as he impersonated Darth Vader.

"Thank you, Blonde Chameleon," Blaine smiled, hitting Sam's palm with his own. "See you after school."

The rest of the day flew by because Blaine was anticipating the second meeting of the Secret Society of Superheroes club. They had met for the first time the week before, and Blaine had been pleased with the turnout. The Superhero Sidekicks club had fizzled out a few weeks prior, so there were plenty of people at McKinley who were looking for something to replace it. And Blaine had even managed to get a few teachers on board with the whole superhero concept. Coach Bieste had asked to be faculty advisor to the glee club while Mr. Schu was away, and Blaine had convinced her that she had to dress as a superhero at least once a week if she wanted the job.

"The Secret Society of Superheroes club is now in session," Blaine announced that afternoon, striking the school's gavel on its sounding block to get everyone's attention. "It is the purpose of this club to fight injustice, to right all of that which is wrong, and to preserve truth, justice, and peace in the halls of McKinley High."

"First order of business," Blaine informed the group, "roll call. Go!"

"Asian Persuasion here," Tina went first. "My superpower is being the mistress of manipulation."

"Blond Chameleon here," Sam said in George W. Bush's voice. "My superpower is I can impersonate anybody. George W. Bush. Heh."

"Tarantula Head here," Joe said. "My superpower is lashing you with my dreads."

"Sweet 'N' Spicy here!" Sugar added. "My superpower is money."

The rest of the group introduced themselves in the same manner, and Blaine noticed the small group standing by the door.

"Second order of business," he explained, "inducting new members into our ever-swelling ranks. Candidates, come forth!"

Artie, Brittany, and Becky entered the room.

"Excited to be here, Blaine!" Artie said as he rolled toward Blaine's table. He was wearing a bald cap.

"First of all, there are no civilian identities in here, okay?" Blaine reminded him "I'm Nightbird: the Nocturnal Avenger! And, second of all, I really hope you're not trying to pass yourself off as a certain telepathic leader of a certain group of superhuman mutants because that would be a copyright violation."

"I'm... Dr. Y," Artie explained. "And my superpower is... wheelies?"

"Welcome, Dr. Y," Blaine approved. "Next?"

"I'm Queen Bee and I can sting like a bitch!" Becky introduced herself. "Bzzzzz!"

"Welcome, Queen Bee," Blaine said. "Next!"

"I'm the Human Brain," Brittany explained. She narrowed her eyes, and Blaine realized she was trying to communicate with him telepathically. He played along, squinting his eyes to receive her message.

"Welcome, Human Brain," he approved.

As he was finishing the sentence, his phone made the screeching noise he had programmed in as the alert tone for superhero-related emergencies.

"What's this? A text just came through on my Nightphone," Blaine picked the phone up off the table and read the text from Tina out loud. "'Have you talked to Kurt?'"

He glared at her. "I already told you, Asian Persuasion, this account is only supposed to be for emergencies. And you cannot use your powers of manipulation to coax me into getting back with my ex, so stop trying!"

Everyone in New Directions knew about his encounter with Kurt on _Grease_'s opening night.

To Blaine's relief, Dotti – formally Tina's assistant – ran into the room and distracted the group. She looked flustered.

"What is it, Chai Tea?" Blaine said, standing quickly to assess the situation.

"Emergency in the choir room!" she cried.

"To the choir room," Blaine instructed, and he led the way out the door.

"Someone took your Nationals trophy and left that laptop in its place!" Dotti explained the situation as they rushed into the choir room.

"Who leaves a laptop?" Artie wondered.

"Someone rich," Blaine assessed. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. "Someone who wanted to send us a message. I got this."

He stepped forward to play the message left for them on the laptop, and Blaine's suspicions were confirmed as a boy dressed in a Dalton blazer appeared on the screen. He was holding New Directions' Nationals trophy.

"Greetings, New Directions," the boy said, his voice digitally disguised and his face distorted. "You have been living as national champions on borrowed time, and that ends now. We have your trophy. Soon we'll have your title, as well. A great reckoning is ahead: Sectionals. Your move."

"It's just a trophy," Blaine reassured the group, hoping to stave off any unnecessary outbursts. "But do not worry. It'll be back by the end of the week."

"You're so brave," Tina breathed. Blaine cut his eyes at her and decided to ignore the comment.

"Back to headquarters," Blaine ordered the group. "We need to finalize the list of who is running the donations table at lunch all week..."

It didn't take long for them to finish their meeting, and, once it was over, the members of the Secret Society of Superheroes club who were also in New Directions wandered back down the hallway to the choir room.

"Nice costume," Marley smiled at Blaine as she walked into the room a few minutes later.

"Thanks," he returned the smile. "You should join! It's fun."

"Um, I dunno," Marley ducked her head.

Blaine decided not to press the issue. "Invitation's always there," he said kindly as she moved to a chair behind him.

Finn arrived soon after, and Blaine watched him as he stood with his back to the group. Blaine knew Finn was nervous. This was his first glee club rehearsal without Mr. Schu there.

"Okay, guys, sit down!" Finn said brightly as he turned around and walked to the center of the room. "We've got a lot of work to do today!"

Nobody seemed to hear him.

"No, seriously, I mean it," Finn said, a hint of begging in his voice as everyone continued to talk. "Sit down."

The noise in the room subsided and everyone turned their attention to Finn.

"Okay," Finn said, "so, the first order of business today is to welcome the newest members of the glee club: Ryder and Kitty."

"Wait, don't we all get to vote on her or something?" Tina asked, motioning at Kitty.

"Well, Tina," Finn replied. "Kitty was fantastic in _Grease_."

"In spite of my god-awful part," Kitty commented.

"Besides," Finn said, "we're under the gun. We have to go to Sectionals next week and we need twelve members to compete."

"Oh, well," Tina whined, "then just call Santana back from Kentucky again because, apparently, she's better than anyone who's actually enrolled here."

"Look, Tina, not now," Finn scolded. "Uh, look, where was I? Sectionals, yes! Here's the game plan..."

He walked to the white board, but he couldn't find a usable marker. For a few long, awkward seconds, he struggled to figure out what to do, but then he recovered and abandoned the white board.

"The theme is 'foreigner'," Finn explained as he walked to his pad of paper on the piano. "We're gonna sing songs by Foreigner, in foreign languages, wearing all the costumes of the world's nations."

Artie laughed.

"Wait, seriously, that's your idea?" Artie realized when nobody else made a sound.

"Yeah," Finn said brightly.

As Brittany asked her phone what it thought of the idea, Blaine tried to think of a way to explain to Finn that his idea wasn't what they needed.

"Finn, times have changed," he said. "We're national champions now, which means we have to exceed all expectations." Finn looked nervous, but Blaine knew that they couldn't go through with Finn's plan just to spare his feelings. "So, if that's your best idea, I don't think we stand a chance."

Blaine could tell that they weren't going to get anything done in this rehearsal. So, he stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait, where're you going?" Finn asked.

"I'm going to get our trophy back from the Warblers," Blaine replied, trying to fight his annoyance that Finn hadn't come more prepared. "The one you haven't even noticed is missing."

Finn looked to the trophy cabinet.

"Crap," he realized. "Uh..."

Blaine turned and left the room with a flourish of his Nightbird cape.

He stopped at home before going to Dalton so he could drop off his schoolwork and change into normal clothes. As much as part of him wanted to see the looks on the Warblers' faces when he came through the door in his Nightbird costume, he decided that he needed to dress for the situation. He needed to look put together so he wouldn't cause a scene at the elite school.

Blaine hadn't driven to Dalton in a long time – after he had been nearly blinded the year before, there hadn't really been any reason to visit – but the drive felt familiar and easy. As Blaine parked his car and looked around at the beautiful Dalton campus, he wished that he didn't miss it so much.

He had to kill about half an hour before the Warblers would gather in the music building to rehearse, so he wandered around campus and reminisced about his time there. Things had been so simple. Every building and every outdoor space reminded Blaine of the fun he had with the Warblers and of falling in love with Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was sitting on the train from Manhattan to Brooklyn – earlier than normal after an especially satisfying day with Isabelle – when his phone vibrated and he was inundated with memories by way of a photo message from Blaine.

The photo was of a cement sidewalk, surrounded by perfectly trimmed grass and grand brick buildings.

_Here on official business, but thinking of you. I'm sorry about everything, Kurt. I miss you and love you._

Kurt stared at the photo and knew exactly what was on Blaine's mind. Now it was on his mind, too.

* * *

><p><em>Less than a week into their new relationship, Kurt and Blaine were walking side by side down a narrow sidewalk through one of Dalton's many green spaces when the backs of their hands brushed against each other. Unsure about what was appropriate, Kurt darted his eyes in Blaine's direction to find that Blaine's head was ducked so that he was smiling at the sidewalk in front of his feet. They continued walking in comfortable silence, pretending that it hadn't happened.<em>

_Until Blaine extended his arm and brushed their hands together again. This time, with purpose._

_Kurt's heart fluttered in his chest as Blaine played with their fingers. Brushing them against each other and occasionally hooking their fingers together._

_Blaine was flirting with him. It was still such a new sensation that Kurt couldn't help the delighted blush that crept up his neck onto his face. When they were almost to their dorm building, Kurt and Blaine were smiling widely and both trying not to be the first to give in, but Kurt could feel his resolve slipping._

"_Fine," he huffed, pretending to be annoyed. He caught Blaine's hand in his and felt a thrill at the way Blaine's hand felt like it fit perfectly in his own._

_Blaine squeezed his hand and, when Kurt turned to look at him, Kurt saw the same shy excitement in Blaine's face that he was feeling._

"_I like this," Blaine confessed, swinging their hands between them._

"_I like you," Kurt returned._

_He regretted it immediately. Where had those words come from? He blushed furiously and tried to pull his hand out of Blaine's grasp to cover his face or aid him in discovering a way to turn invisible, but Blaine wouldn't let go._

"_I like you, too," Blaine teased before he leaned over to press a sweet kiss to Kurt's cheek._

* * *

><p>Kurt tipped his head back until it hit the glass of the window behind his seat. He could still feel the memory of the way Blaine made him feel that day; giddy and nervous and blindly in love.<p>

He didn't feel any of those things anymore.

The love was still there. It was deeper now than it had been at the start. _Real_ love, solidified over the course of the year and seven months that had passed between the day they became boyfriends and the day they broke up. But now there was pain associated with the memory of Blaine, too. And the two emotions continued to battle for dominance inside of Kurt. Some days, he woke up wanting to call Blaine and sob into the phone that he loved him and that he would always love him and that he wanted to try again. And, some days, he woke up wanting to call Blaine and scream at him for shattering the trust that they shared and ruining everything.

He didn't text Blaine back.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After Blaine sent the photo to Kurt, he wondered if he had overstepped. He hoped not. Things couldn't get much worse between them, so did it really matter? He hoped that Kurt would recall the memory fondly.

Forcing himself to re-focus on the task at hand, Blaine made his way to the music building and up the stairs to see if anyone was in the Warblers' official music room. They rarely used it in favor of the larger study rooms downstairs, but it wasn't _quite_ time for Warbler practice yet, so Blaine thought someone might be hanging around the usually-empty room.

It was locked.

Blaine walked back down the hallway, and was halfway down the grand spiral staircase with the huge skylight shining above when he saw a familiar face at the base of the stairs.

"Sebastian," Blaine greeted. "Of course it was you."

"No, it wasn't," Sebastian countered as Blaine reached the bottom of the stairs. "I swear. I turned over a new leaf, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Blaine said skeptically.

"No more bullying, blackmail, or assault this year," Sebastian reminded him as they walked together toward the library where the Warblers usually rehearsed.

"Well, that must be boring for you," Blaine suggested.

"Yeah, it is," Sebastian agreed. "Being nice sucks."

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Sebastian spoke again.

"He's waiting for you in the library."

"Who is?" Blaine wondered.

"The guy you're here to see," Sebastian reminded him. "Captain of the Warblers."

"I thought you were captain of the Warblers," Blaine narrowed his eyes.

"Let's just say that my attitude didn't do me any favors," Sebastian explained as he motioned for Blaine to open the doors to the room where the new captain of the Warblers was waiting.

When Blaine pushed the doors open and stepped into the achingly familiar room, he thought, at first, that Sebastian had been mistaken. There was nobody else in the room.

But movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a young man in a Dalton blazer sitting in a swiveling chair by the fireplace. He had a white cat in his lap.

"I knew they'd send you," the unknown Warbler said, his voice full of confidence. "Allow me to answer the obvious questions. I'm Hunter Clarington. I'm the new captain of the Warblers and I'm not even remotely bi-curious."

"How are you captain of the Warblers when –?"

"When you've never seen me before?" Hunter interrupted, tossing the cat to the floor so he could stand up. "Simple. Dalton just gave me a full scholarship to move here from Colorado Springs, where I led my military academy choir to a Regionals victory with Presidential honors. Now I'm here to kick it up a notch. And that starts with you."

"That's very intimidating," Blaine replied, not in the mood to play games with a new student trying to prove his authority. "Where's the trophy, Hunter?"

Hunter laughed. "Don't worry, it's safe," he reassured Blaine, and Blaine realized that the trophy was probably upstairs in the locked room. "It was just bait, after all."

Blaine didn't like where this was going. _Bait_?

"See, you're kind of a legend here," Hunter explained. "I like that. So, here's my offer. Your little diversity club can have its Nationals trophy back... when you re-join the Warblers."

_That_ was not what Blaine had expected Hunter to suggest. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"And why would I ever leave McKinley?" he countered.

"Why would you stay?" Hunter inquired. "I heard you only went there to be with Kurt, right?"

Kurt wondered what else the Warblers told new members about him.

Hunter started to walk toward Blaine. "In fact," he said, "I hear they even call you Blaine Warbler."

Blaine stared at the unfamiliar face in front of him and tried not to admit to himself that Hunter's logic made sense.

"They know you don't belong there," Hunter said. "So, why don't you?"

"We all know the real Blaine, Blaine," Sebastian added as he joined them in the room, along with three other Warblers. "Ambitious, driven. You're a Dalton boy."

Blaine was starting to feel simultaneously threatened and tempted.

"Present the blazer," Hunter commanded.

"That's not going to work on me," Blaine argued as one of the Warblers produced an extra Dalton blazer.

"Then why be afraid to try it on?" Hunter countered.

Sebastian stepped behind Blaine, and Blaine obeyed, allowing Sebastian to slip the blazer onto his arms and up to its resting place on his shoulders.

This wasn't _his_ Dalton blazer – he had his at home – but this one was his size. Tailored to his measurements.

It felt like he had never been without it.

"Here's the thing, Blaine," Hunter said, clasping an arm around Blaine's shoulders to lead him toward the fireplace. "You know that Nationals trophy was a fluke. Just like you know we're going to win at Sectionals."

After the chaos of that afternoon's glee rehearsal, Blaine couldn't even find the strength to argue. New Directions' Nationals win had _not_ been a fluke, but could they win again this year? Blaine really didn't want them to lose at Sectionals the year after they were national champions.

"Now, I don't want to see a Dalton legend like you sidelined in his senior year," Hunter explained as he returned to his chair. "I want you on the winning side. Here with us."

Blaine was trying to decide what to say when Sebastian picked up the conversation.

"You know what goes great with a new Dalton blazer?" Sebastian suggested. "An impromptu song."

"What?" Blaine turned away from Hunter to protest the sudden request from Sebastian and the other Warblers in the room. "No."

"Come on," Sebastian pushed. "One song for your old buddies?"

"Guys, I didn't come here to sing a song, okay?" Blaine explained. "I came here to get the –"

They started the song before he was done protesting, and Blaine didn't bother continuing to resist as the rest of the Warblers came flooding into the room for rehearsal. It was a song he knew well; he had helped them arrange it.

Blaine threw all thoughts of his complicated life away and let himself fall back into the security of being Blaine Warbler.

_Oh oh oh oh oh oh_

_There's a place that I know_

_It's not pretty there and few have ever gone_

He strolled past many of his old friends and some new faces to the center of the room. He could feel everyone watching him.

_And if I show it to you now__ w__ill it make you run away__?_

_Will you stay even if it hurts__?_

Blaine buttoned his blazer as he sang. He wished that he had never left Dalton. He missed this so much.

_Even if I try to push you out will you return__ a__nd remind me who I really am?_

_Please remind me who I really am_

He wandered around the room, saying silent hellos to the people he knew as he sang, before returning to the room's center aisle. The group followed him, forming up to do the choreography for the song as Blaine sang. He watched them carefully, trying to remember the steps.

_Everybody's got a dark side_

_Do you love me__? __Can you love mine__?_

_Nobody's a picture perfect__ b__ut we're worth it_

_You know that we're worth it_

Blaine put his arms out, and the group parted for him without question. It felt amazing. Even after being gone for so long, he had authority here. He strolled up the center of the room toward the windows as he sang.

_Will you love me__ e__ven with my dark side__?_

The Warblers gathered around, and Blaine remembered this section of choreography. He turned and headed back toward the door, and the group followed. Even with some new faces in the group, they were still a team that was in tune with Blaine.

_Don't run away_

_Don't run away_

_Just promise me you will stay_

_Promise me you will stay_

Hunter finally climbed out of his chair and walked to the window, motioning for the group to form lines on either side of the aisle. As Hunter and Blaine walked toward each other in the middle of the group, some of the arrogance in Hunter's eyes was replaced with kindness. He shoved Blaine's shoulder encouragingly as they stepped to opposite sides of the aisle to join the formation.

_Will you love me with my dark side?_

_Oh oh_

_Everybody's got a dark side_

_Do you love me__? __Can you love mine__?_

The choreography flooded back to Blaine. He danced with his friends and sang his heart out and forgot that he had ever left. He was a Warbler. This was his home.

_Nobody's a picture perfect__ b__ut we're worth it_

_You know that we're worth it_

_Will you love me__ e__ven with my dark side__?_

_Don't run away_

_Don't run away_

The last words of the song snapped Blaine out of his fantasy.

Don't run away.

He had run away once before. And he still had a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he thought about it.

"What'd I tell you?" Sebastian said to Hunter as the song ended. "Flawless."

Blaine unbuttoned the blazer he was wearing. It wasn't his. These weren't his Warblers. These Warblers had betrayed him when he went to McKinley. Sebastian had almost _blinded_ him. Blaine slipped the blazer off his shoulders and held it out to Hunter

"Keep it," Hunter refused. "It's already yours. Don't you think it's time you came back where you belong, Blaine Warbler?"

Filled with fond memories and the energy of the performance, Blaine didn't trust himself to stay any longer.

"I'll be back for the trophy," he said firmly before turning and walking out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

By the next afternoon, Blaine had made the tentative decision to stay at McKinley. He wasn't going to run away because he didn't feel like he belonged at McKinley. He was captain of New Directions and president of the student body. He had responsibilities.

Finn's arrival to glee rehearsal brought a moment of welcome distraction; he was wearing a blue and yellow superhero costume.

"Okay!" Finn announced as he walked into the room.

"Oh dear god," Artie expressed the group's uncertainty.

"So, I get it," Finn said as he arrived at his place in front of the group. "My first idea was pretty bad."

"Worse than 'funk'," Tina commented.

"Worse than 'night of neglect'," Artie added.

"So," Finn said, walking to the whiteboard to write the week's lesson, "I decided to try something new. 'Dynamic duets'! This is going to be a lot more fun, and it focuses on something you guys actually like: superheroes!"

"So, wait, are we all going to have to wear costumes?" Marley asked.

"And who, exactly, are you supposed to be?" Artie asked. "The bulge who makes gym socks disappear?"

"Please don't melt us with your bulge," Brittany requested.

"Well," Finn explained proudly, slipping the whiteboard marker into his waistband, "I am the almighty Treble Clef. Uniter of glee clubs."

"Jesus is the only real almighty superhero," Kitty informed them.

"Amen," Joe said.

"Nobody asked you," Kitty scolded.

"Come on, guys," Ryder said. "Let's hear him out."

"Thanks," Finn said to Ryder before turning his attention back to the entire group. "Think of The Avengers," he told them. "Individually, they all have amazing powers, but, as a team, they cannot be stopped. Right now, we're a bunch of individuals with great powers and talents, but we're not a team. Some of you even have mortal enemies in this very room, allowing the dark side to turn us against each other while we should be focusing on the Warblers."

"Nightbird is handling the missing trophy," Blaine interjected.

"Great," Finn approved. "Thank you, Nightbird!"

He turned to the rest of the group. "Jake will pair up with Ryder; Marley will join Kitty to do the duets. The rest of you? Start preparing to fight an epic battle against the forces of evil at Sectionals."

Most of New Directions seemed to approve, but Blaine was stuck inside the emotional tornado that was his brain. He could only appreciate that this idea was much more promising than Finn's first plan. He couldn't find any excitement.

"That idea was slightly better," Artie acknowledged.

"Still could be horrible," Tina warned.

They warmed up and starting working on the vocals for _Some Night_s, which was a song they had decided, together, to try as a candidate for Sectionals. (Only one of the three songs had to fit the "foreigner" theme.) Singing boosted Blaine's spirits a bit, but it also gave him more to think about. Singing with New Directions didn't feel as natural to him as singing with the Warblers.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

At lunch the next day, Blaine recruited the students of New Directions to help him paint over some graffiti on one of the school's outer walls. Principal Figgins had been so unhappy about the unkind words and the amount of spray paint on the wall that he had given Blaine – and anyone who would help him – permission to skip his final classes of the day if he needed to in order to finish the cleanup. So, recruiting people to help him paint the exterior wall had been no problem.

It was fun. The weather was beautiful. The painting was done quickly. And, in the process, the group turned their paintbrushes on each other and had a paint fight during the middle of a school day. By the end, Blaine was sweaty, covered in paint, and happy.

But it was short lived. That afternoon in glee club, Ryder and Jake sang their duet together and it turned into a fist fight. The room erupted in screams and Blaine jumped up to help restrain the two boys, but Sam and Finn had it under control. They dragged Jake and Ryder out of the room – Finn shouted over his shoulder that glee rehearsal was dismissed for the day – and Blaine was forced to go home early and spend the evening alone with his thoughts.

The possibility of transferring back to Dalton would not leave his mind.

Everything at McKinley made him think of Kurt. Kurt would've resisted the superhero idea at first, but Blaine knew he would've been able to talk him into making himself a wonderful superhero costume. They could've done the food and clothing drive together. Blaine could've let Kurt borrow some of his old clothes so Kurt would join them in painting the wall without destroying his designer outfit. Blaine could have helped Kurt rinse the paint out of his hair. They could have sung a duet together in their superhero costumes, silly and upbeat and in love.

But, instead, Blaine was at McKinley by himself. Stuck with a heavy burden of guilt and without the boy he loved. It was affecting his entire life. His ability to care about things and connect with people and be an effective leader.

And nobody seemed to notice.

Blaine opened his closet door and reached to the furthest corner for his Dalton blazer. It hung there as if it were waiting for him. Waiting for Blaine to put it back on and return to the place where he felt safe and at home.

He sat down on the bed with the blazer in his lap and stared at the photo of Kurt on his dresser.

McKinley didn't matter without Kurt. McKinley had never existed for Blaine without Kurt.

But Dalton had.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine rushed to glee rehearsal after his last class so he could talk to Finn before everyone else arrived.

"Hey, you got a minute?" he asked as he walked into the choir room. To his relief, Finn was the only one there.

"Yeah!" Finn agreed. "Dude, I was just going to text you! How's Operation Rescue Recovery going?"

"Well," Blaine dodged the question but was grateful for the easy transition into talking about his old school, "when I went back to Dalton... all those blazers and singing with the Warblers again –"

"Wait, wait," Finn stopped him. "What? You sang with the Warblers?"

"It just sorta happened," Blaine explained, feeling a spark of embarrassment that he had gone to steal back the trophy and had ended up singing with New Directions' competition. "But they embraced me like I was a long lost brother... it was like in X-Men Two when Pyro left the X-Men to join Magneto's brotherhood."

Finn didn't understand.

"It just felt _right_," Blaine stressed. "Like maybe... I belong with the Warblers."

"Dude, no!" Finn disagreed immediately. "No, you belong here with us, okay?"

Blaine turned away and walked toward the back of the room. How could he explain how much he needed to find some way to feel wanted again? How much being at McKinley without Kurt felt indescribably lonely?

"Does... does this have to do with Kurt?" Finn wondered.

"Everything in this room reminds me of him!" Blaine shouted, turning back to face Finn. "We were a dynamic duo in here. Kurt was my anchor, Finn. And, now that he's gone, I just... I feel like I'm floating."

It was the first time he had ever tried to describe his emptiness out loud.

"And you..." Blaine added, motioning to Finn and the set of figurines on the piano that represented New Directions, "you need a team that's gonna gel."

"Yes, absolutely!" Finn agreed as he followed Blaine to sit down. "We need a team with a lot of gel and you're, like, the biggest part of that."

Blaine couldn't engage his brain enough to laugh or be upset at the joke.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Blaine said, "but the Warblers are my birthright and my destiny."

He was going to transfer back to Dalton.

The decision gave him the same sort of adrenaline rush that he had felt when he went to Eli's hotel room more than a month before. He was going for it. As Blaine stood up and walked toward the door that would lead him out of the choir room and away from the onslaught of memories of Kurt, he felt almost lightheaded with relief.

"What the hell, dude?" Finn's voice stopped him as he reached the door. "No! You can't just –"

Blaine paused in the doorway.

"I'm going back to Dalton," he said, his voice steady. "Thanks for..." his throat closed up as an unexpected wave of emotion hit him and he tried to blink the tears out of his eyes. "Thanks for not hating me after... what happened. With Kurt."

"Blaine!" Finn shouted as Blaine stepped out the door and walked away down the hall. "Blaine!"

Finn chased Blaine down the hallway, and Blaine finally decided to acknowledge him when they reached the doors to the parking lot.

"I don't belong here, Finn!" he said sharply, turning to face Finn while keeping one hand on the door. "The only reason I'm here at all is because I wanted to be with Kurt. And look how that turned out. I screwed everything up."

"But –" Finn started.

"Goodbye, Finn," Blaine said, and he pushed the door open and ran across the parking lot to his car.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine returned to school early the next morning to clean out his locker. He hoped that he would be able to get his books and the photographs and mementoes from his locker and leave without running into anyone he knew.

As Blaine gathered his things out of his locker into a box he had grabbed out of a storage closet, he couldn't decide how he felt.

He was excited about Dalton. But there were things he was going to miss about McKinley.

And he felt like he was letting everyone down by abandoning New Directions a week before Sectionals.

"Dude, this is part of some master plan, right?" Sam, worried and animated, was suddenly behind him. "You're going back to the Warblers to gather intel for us so we can kick their asses at Sectionals."

"Sam, don't," Blaine scolded. "I feel awful enough as it is."

"Look, stop, okay?" Sam responded sharply, placing a steady hand on Blaine's back. "You've been beating yourself up for, like, weeks since you and Kurt broke up."

Blaine turned around to lean against the row of lockers and look at Sam.

"But going back to Dalton?" Sam continued. "You told Finn it was because you feel more at home there. If you ask me, it's just another way to punish yourself. For what? What did you do, exactly?"

"It was a guy that friended me on _Facebook_," Blaine admitted, so disgusted with himself that he could barely say the words. "I went over to his place because it felt like Kurt was moving on with his life and I wasn't a part of it."

This was what he wanted to say to Kurt.

"And I got to thinking," Blaine added, "that maybe Kurt and I weren't meant for each other. That we weren't supposed to spend the rest of our lives together."

Sam dropped his eyes from Blaine's for a moment, acknowledging the sadness of the situation.

"But the horrible thing is," Blaine concluded when Sam met his gaze again, "_right_ after I did it I knew that we were."

"Dude, you've gotta tell Kurt that," Sam said immediately.

"What, you think I haven't told him that?" Blaine snapped. "You think I haven't tried? He doesn't want to hear from me–"

"Calm down!" Sam interrupted. "It's okay."

"No!" Blaine raised his voice as he slammed his locker and turned around to face the other boy with his box of belongings in his arms. "It's not okay, Sam!"

He realized that he was shouting and lowered his voice.

"Because I cheated on the one person that I love more than anything in this world," Blaine explained. "_I hurt him_, so of course he's not going to trust me. He's never going to forgive me."

Kurt's words from the last time they had seen each other still rang loudly in his ears. _I don't trust you anymore._

"Even if he doesn't," Sam allowed, "you've got to forgive yourself. You've gotta stop– what's the word when you make someone into a villain? Uh..."

"Villainize?" Blaine suggested.

"Yeah, you've gotta stop villianizing yourself!" Sam said. "Yeah, you hurt Kurt. That wasn't cool. So, you're trying to make it right. But exiling yourself to Dalton won't fix anything!"

"I just want to stop feeling like I'm a bad person," Blaine admitted.

He had never said those words out loud before. It felt strange. And, somehow, like a weight had been lifted off of Blaine's shoulders. It was no longer a secret.

"You're _not_," Sam argued. "You're one of the good guys. And I've got a whole glee club that agrees with me."

Blaine shot Sam a skeptical look, but Sam ignored it.

"Give me a day," Sam asked. "One day before you pack it all up. One day to be the hero we all know you are. And then, you know, you can decide where you really belong."

Blaine looked at Sam as he debated his options. He hadn't done anything official yet. His plan was to carry his box of belongings to the front office and withdraw from McKinley, then drive to Dalton and re-enroll there. He knew they would take him back. And he knew that his parents would be happy to pay. They had never _really_ approved of his transfer to McKinley, but they had gone along with it because Blaine had been a convincing liar about why he wanted to transfer. He had lied to his parents. He had lied to his friends. He had lied to himself. Getting a second chance to face the demons of public school was just a bonus to getting to see Kurt every day.

It had been a mistake.

Or had it?

"And to start," Sam said seriously, "we're going to sing a song together."

"What?" Blaine scoffed.

"This week's assignment is 'dynamic duets'," Sam reminded him. "And I know you like performing, so let's go."

He turned and walked away toward the auditorium, and Blaine hesitated. He _wanted_ to transfer back to Dalton. He had wanted to come to McKinley to be closer to Kurt, but he had never wanted to _leave_ Dalton. This could be his second chance to be a Dalton boy and a Warbler.

Sam glanced over his shoulder to see if Blaine was following him, and Blaine knew that he had to oblige. He liked Sam. He owed Sam one final song.

"Think about this week, man," Sam said as Blaine hurried to catch up. "We gathered all that food for poor people for Thanksgiving and we painted over that graffiti for Principal Figgins. People are going to have a good, warm meal to be thankful for and a clean wall to walk past at school because of you. Those things were your ideas. A bad person wouldn't do those things."

Blaine nodded. He knew that he was capable of doing good things. Nice things. But he had pushed all of his morals aside and _cheated_ on Kurt. It was difficult to imagine that he was a good person deep down inside when he was capable of something so terrible.

"What are we singing?" Blaine asked as they walked through the door into the auditorium.

"We're going to remind you that you're a hero, not a villain," Sam said, grabbing his guitar off a stand on the edge of the stage.

Blaine shrugged.

"Okay," Sam said, "you stand here..." he grabbed Blaine's shoulders and steered him to the front corner of the stage. "I'll start."

As Sam grabbed a stool and dragged it to a microphone stand in the center of the stage, someone clasped a hand on Blaine's back. He jumped in surprise as he twisted around to see who was there.

It was the band.

"What...?" Blaine looked back at Sam.

"We sing with instruments here," Sam teased. "Okay, guys, let's do this."

Sam sang the first verse of David Bowie's _Heroes_, and Blaine thought about New Directions versus the Warblers as he watched and listened. Where did he belong? With the Warblers: ambitious and talented and traditional? Or with New Directions: enthusiastic and creative and unique?

When the song reached a musical interlude, Sam stood up and dragged his stool over to where Blaine was standing.

"Your turn," he said, motioning toward the microphone stand.

Blaine sighed and started to walk across the stage, but Sam caught his arm to stop him.

"Like you mean it," Sam demanded.

Blaine laughed and nodded, pulling out of Sam's grasp and hurrying to the microphone at the center of the stage.

He let himself feel the music as the band picked up the song again, and he danced a little on the stage before he started to sing. Singing with the Warblers had given him clarity about how well he fit in there. He owed Sam – and McKinley – the same chance.

By the end of the song, he was glad he had gone for it.

The Warblers had been his home once. But not anymore. This was his place. McKinley was where he belonged.

As they finished the song, Sam – who had come over to sing the final part of the song with Blaine – shoved Blaine's head, teasing him. And Blaine shoved him back.

Sam was his friend.

For the first time in a long time, Blaine felt an adrenaline rush for a positive reason. He had a friend at McKinley. And maybe the others were his friends, too, but he had been too emotionally closed off to reciprocate.

"You think you fit in really well at Dalton," Sam said as the band waved their goodbyes and left Sam and Blaine alone in the auditorium, "but what you don't realize is that you fit in here just as well. Everyone in New Directions looks up to you. The senior class voted you – and me, you know, that probably helped – to the top position in the entire school. Just because you came here for Kurt doesn't mean you can't stay for you."

Sam turned away to put his guitar down, and Blaine reached down to grab his bag off the floor.

"Well," Sam said as he walked back over, "what's your decision?"

Blaine sighed, satisfied, and held out Sam's Blonde Chameleon mask.

"One last mission first," he said. "You in?"

Sam nodded.

"We need to steal back the trophy," Blaine explained. "It's in a room – a locked room, unfortunately – on the second floor of Dalton's music building."

"Are we skipping school for this?" Sam asked hopefully. Blaine considered it briefly before nodding, and they left the auditorium together.

"We're going to need a decent plan," Blaine continued as they walked to his car, "because, obviously, we're going to stick out in the sea of blazers."

"I could call and impersonate the President and have the school evacuated," Sam suggested.

"Too obvious," Blaine disagreed. "Plus, they'd see us for sure. We need to be stealthy."

"Dude!" Sam exclaimed. "You know how we've been doing that obstacle course in gym class with the rope climbing?"

"Perfect," Blaine understood. He offered a fist and Sam bumped it with his.

They stopped by a hardware store to get supplies and went to Blaine's house to assemble a grappling hook.

"I find your house pleasing," Sam said in Spock's analytical voice as they walked through the front door.

"Thanks," Blaine laughed.

As they worked on securing the climbing device, they talked about New Directions and about how much they liked having Finn around again. They even talked a little about Kurt and Rachel and Blaine tried to explain to Sam how amazing it was that Kurt was working side by side with Isabelle Wright.

Now that Sam knew the truth about what had happened between him and Kurt, Blaine felt like all the pressure to censor himself was off. Sam knew that he had cheated and didn't automatically hate him. Sam had listened to the whole story and reassured Blaine that he wasn't a bad person.

They decided that they needed to do something nice to Finn to officially welcome him as their leader for the next few weeks. Sam texted everyone their idea – and let them know that Blaine wasn't transferring, after all – and they organized a small list of things for people to bring to glee rehearsal that afternoon to put in the bag for Finn. They didn't have time to do the shopping themselves. They had a trophy to steal back.

"This is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever done," Sam commented an hour later when they hooked their new climbing tool to the large ring that held up Blaine's punching bag in the garage. They needed to test if it would hold their weight. Blaine smiled in agreement as he hung from the rope for a moment and felt satisfied that it was secure.

They ate lunch and changed into their superhero costumes before making the drive to Dalton.

"Remember that time I delivered a pizza to you guys when you and Kurt lived here?" Sam remembered as they parked.

"Yeah," Blaine acknowledged, smiling fondly. He and Kurt had been so newly in love that day. And Dalton had been Blaine's home.

So much had changed since then, Blaine thought as he showed Sam exactly where they were going on a campus map in case they got separated. But, as Blaine looked at Sam, sitting beside him in the car – dressed as a superhero to help Blaine steal back a trophy – Blaine realized that some of the changes had been good ones.

They waited in the car until immediately after a class change, and then they made their move. They ran across a small courtyard to stand directly under the second floor balcony of the Warblers' locked room. Sam threw the grappling hook up – it secured to the railing on the first try, much to Sam and Blaine's delight – and they climbed the rope to the balcony.

"Alright," Blaine whispered, out of breath from the climb as Sam pulled the rope up onto the balcony, "leave the hook attached so we can get out of here in a hurry if we need to. Let's go."

They snuck into the room through the unlocked doors to the balcony and examined the case where the Warblers had secured the trophy.

"It's locked," Sam whined. "Do you think there's an alarm or can we break the glass?"

"It looks like a really simple lock," Blaine commented. "Do you have a screwdriver?"

Sam reached inside his jacket and handed Blaine a screwdriver. Blaine stuck it into the cabinet lock and wiggled it around. Nothing happened.

"Try twisting it," Sam suggested.

The lock clicked open as Blaine turned the screwdriver like a key.

"This is legendary," Sam declared. Blaine snorted out a laugh.

Sam carried the trophy over to the doors to the balcony while Blaine held the Dalton uniform Hunter had given him and asked himself if this was really what he wanted.

Being in the Warblers had changed his life. They had helped him regain his confidence after he was bullied out of public school. They had, just by existing, led him to Kurt.

But it was time to let them go. Now, New Directions would help Blaine find himself again as he tried to forgive himself for what he had done to Kurt.

He belonged at McKinley now.

"Dude, let's go!" Sam hissed.

Blaine grabbed a piece of paper and a marker off a small table in the room.

_No thanks_, he wrote.

He folded the blazer and put it in the cabinet where the trophy had been before placing the note on top.

When he tried to close and lock the cabinet door, the screwdriver wouldn't budge.

"It's stuck," he turned to Sam.

The sound of footsteps walking by the closed door to the hallway scared them both into silence. Abandoning the screwdriver, Blaine rushed across the room to Sam and they hurried out onto the balcony. Sam climbed down the rope first, and Blaine tossed the trophy down to him before climbing down, too.

They were trying to wiggle the grappling hook loose when they heard the doors to the room upstairs burst open.

"Time to go!" Blaine gasped, and they turned and ran away across the grass toward Blaine's car.

As they climbed into the vehicle, Blaine glanced back at the building they had just escaped from. Sebastian and Hunter were standing on the balcony, watching them.

Blaine waved as they drove away, and he and Sam laughed and recounted the story together the entire way back to McKinley.

As they changed out of their superhero costumes and into their normal clothes in the locker room, Blaine realized that he was going to be okay. The heartbreak over what had happened with Kurt was still inside him. As was the guilt. But, now, there was hope, too. He could see a light at the end of the tunnel of emotional numbness that he had been living in for almost two months.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

New Directions was already gathered in the choir room by the time Sam and Blaine arrived with the Nationals trophy. Sam lifted it victoriously over his head as they entered the room to cheers from their classmates.

"Guys, it was epic," Sam told the group as everyone calmed down. "Dalton was like Death Star meets Mordor meets Temple of Doom. I might be exaggerating, but probably not."

"I owe all of you an apology," Blaine added, "for ever doubting that McKinley is my home. You guys are my home."

He felt like he was seeing everyone for the first time. As his friends rather than a group of people who were nice to him because he was with Kurt.

"We've got a real fight ahead of us with the Warblers at Sectionals," Blaine continued. "But I am not worried at all. Because we've got the team, we've got the talent, and we have, most importantly, the leader."

He took the trophy from Sam and handed it to Finn, and everyone cheered as Finn returned it to its place in their trophy cabinet.

"Alright, alright!" Finn approved as he returned to the center of the room to stand beside Blaine and Sam. "Let's start with some warm-ups, and then we can –"

"Oh, Finn?" Tina interrupted, "Wait. Can I say something? This is for you, from all of us."

"It's a superhero utility belt cleverly disguised as a fanny pack," Artie explained as Tina handed the bag to Finn.

"There's some stuff in there we thought you could use," Joe added.

"Ah, cool!" Finn accepted the gift. "Uh..." he unzipped the bag and reached inside.

"Magic markers!" he discovered. "I can never find these! Antacid," he pulled a pink bottle out of the bag.

"In case you get the show choir squirts," Sam said.

"Thanks," Finn mouthed.

He reached back into the bag and pulled out a Barbie head.

"That's from me," Brittany said. "You're welcome."

Sam nudged Blaine with his elbow. Their gift was next.

Finn pulled a gold treble clef pin out of the bag.

"That's to always remind you that you're the almighty Treble Clef," Blaine explained. "The uniter of glee clubs. And the uniter of friends."

"Wow," Finn said to everyone. "Uh, I don't know what to say. I'll never let you down, I promise."

He turned to look at Blaine and Sam before turning his attention back to the group sitting in the chairs.

"Okay, come on," he motioned with his arms, "huddle up!"

Blaine stepped over next to Finn to join the huddle and relished the happiness that he was feeling. It was like he could suddenly breathe properly for the first time in months.

"Next week at Sectionals," Finn said enthusiastically, "we are going to kick some Warblers' sorry asses. Then it's Regionals, and then it's Nationals, and then this year is gonna go down in the McKinley High record books as the greatest year the New Directions has ever seen. Onwards and upwards!"

"Amazing!" the group cheered as they threw their hands in the air.

"Let's give _Some Nights_ a dress rehearsal," Finn suggested as the group stepped out of the huddle. "How about... dark jeans and red shirts?"

"Oh, hold up," Artie protested.

Finn winked at him and Blaine glanced at Sam. He shrugged.

Blaine had a red shirt in his car, so he ran to get it and was ready to go before most of the others who were sorting through the costume closet to find appropriate shirts to wear. He wandered into the auditorium and found Finn sitting in the audience, ready to watch the rehearsal.

"Hey," Blaine said softly, hopping off the stage so he could walk closer to Finn.

"Oh, hey!" Finn smiled. "Great outfit! That's totally what I imagined! What's up?"

"I wanted to apologize," Blaine admitted. "I... panicked, I guess. Yesterday. I'm sorry."

"All's well that ends well, man," Finn stood up and walked to where Blaine was standing. "I'm really glad you decided to stay."

"Me too," Blaine admitted.

Some of the other students were starting to arrive on the stage, and Blaine glanced back at them before turning his attention to Finn again.

"Let's kick ass at Sectionals," Finn suggested.

"Let's do it," Blaine agreed, offering his fist.

Finn fist-bumped him, and they both laughed when Finn made an exploding noise as their fists separated.

"Thanks, Finn," Blaine smiled before he turned to run back up to the stage.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, Finn stood up.

"Okay," he called to the group from his seat in the audience, "show me what you've got! Blaine? Take it away."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"I am so tired I think I could fall asleep standing up," Kurt announced as he closed the door to the apartment on Friday evening and turned to see Rachel sprawled out on the couch with her laptop.

"Mmm," Rachel hummed in agreement. Kurt doubted that she really heard him. He wandered over to the kitchen and briefly considered making himself something healthy before settling on a huge bowl of cereal.

"What's going on in the world?" he asked with his mouth full as he sat down on the couch by Rachel's feet.

"Did you know that we could eat out once every single day and never eat at every restaurant in the city?" Rachel asked. Kurt rolled his eyes.

They sat in silence for a while as Kurt crunched on his cereal and stared at nothing and tried not to fall asleep sitting on the couch. Work had been intense all week as Isabelle and a few of the office's other senior members planned a trip to South Africa for a photo shoot. It meant that the start of the following week would be more relaxed than usual – the office would be significantly less crowded than normal and Isabelle had suggested that they deflect as many calls as possible so that she wouldn't return to the office to find hundreds of messages waiting for her – but Kurt was too physically and emotionally exhausted to appreciate the future yet.

"Can I use that?" Kurt asked when he finished his dinner and set the bowl on the floor by his feet. He motioned at the computer in Rachel's lap. "I feel incapable of letting down for the weekend without checking my email one more time."

"Yeah... hold on..." Rachel finished whatever she was doing and passed the laptop to Kurt.

He checked his email (nothing that required immediate attention) before absentmindedly heading to Facebook.

As he scrolled through his feed, he came across a photograph of Blaine.

He was dressed in a bright red shirt – as was Sugar, who had one arm wrapped around Blaine's shoulders and was pressing a kiss to his cheek as she took the self-portrait with her other hand – and Kurt could tell that they were on the stage at McKinley. Rehearsing for Sectionals, he assumed.

Kurt's mouth was suddenly dry as he looked at Blaine. The way his smile stretched across his face and shone in his eyes. He looked _good_. Confident and relaxed and everything that Kurt loved so much about him.

As Kurt gawked at the photo, the page refreshed and a new photo – this one posted by Finn – appeared at the top of the page. This time it was the whole group; all of New Directions huddled together on the stage in their red shirts and dark jeans. Blaine was standing right in the middle with the same huge smile on his face.

"Ready for Sectionals!" said Finn's caption.

Kurt closed the laptop and handed it back to Rachel.

"I'm going to bed," he announced.

Rachel stretched out her arm and Kurt squeezed her hand briefly. "Goodnight," Rachel smiled.

"'Night," Kurt said, too tired and emotional to return the smile.

Kurt wandered into his makeshift room, wondering briefly how much it would cost to construct actual walls as he passed the curtain that blocked him from view but not from earshot. As he changed into his pajamas and wandered back across the apartment to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he tried so hard not to think about Blaine that the other boy was the only thing on his mind.

He missed Blaine.

The pain of Blaine's infidelity was still there, raw and terrible, but as the weeks passed a new feeling was starting to wedge its way into Kurt's mind. He was in the process of convincing himself that it was just silly nostalgia, but he knew it was more than that. Kurt would catch himself thinking about Blaine as the sweet, energetic boy he loved instead of the person who had shattered the trust they shared. He would see something on the streets of the city that would remind him of Blaine and he would sometimes feel fondness in his chest rather than devastation. He was starting to be able to say Blaine's name in casual conversation without wanting to fall to the floor and die of a broken heart. And, one day the week before, he had even woken up and reached out for his phone to text Blaine good morning before remembering that they were no longer together.

Kurt was halfway through brushing his teeth for a second time before he realized that he had already done it. He paused to look at himself in the mirror, annoyed, before plodding back past Rachel to his room.

He wished that he could hate Blaine. Hate everything about Blaine and be scorned and bitter about Blaine's betrayal forever. Because missing Blaine and knowing that things could never be the same between them again hurt so badly.

As Kurt climbed into bed, he wondered if he would feel the ache of Blaine's absence forever.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Blaine's finally starting to feel a bit better! Hallelujah. He's still got a long way to go to figure out how to repair his relationship with Kurt, but at least he can find some happiness in his life now. Let me love you, Sam, you sweetheart. Kurt, I imagine, hasn't quite reached that point yet, but he will soon enough!<strong>_

_**Up next (on Monday!)... 4x08: Thanksgiving!**_


	47. 4x08: Thanksgiving

_**It's Thanksgiving in the Glee universe! This episode centers quite a bit on the return of many of the graduated characters and the newbies, but there's still plenty to work with for Kurt and Blaine, too!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On the Monday evening before Thanksgiving, Kurt had to call his father and tell him that he wasn't coming home for the holiday weekend.

"It was always up in the air whether or not I'd have money to come home, Dad!" he scolded when Burt was severely unhappy with the idea.

"Kurt Hummel," Burt said, "don't you dare pretend this is about money."

"I –" Kurt protested.

"I want you home for Thanksgiving dinner, Kurt," Burt said, his voice softening.

Kurt was torn. He wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner with his father and Carole and Finn. But he wanted to stay in New York, too.

"I'll be home for Christmas?" Kurt offered.

"Kurt," Burt warned.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Kurt backtracked. "I just... I'm trying to find my way here in New York and it doesn't– coming home is–"

"Is this about Blaine?" Burt wondered.

"Why does everyone always assume that everything is about Blaine?" Kurt snapped.

"I don't know, Kurt," Burt said sternly, "maybe because you refuse to talk about what's going on with him."

"There's nothing _going on_ with him," Kurt complained. "I saw him when I was home and– okay, and that's the other thing! I was home less than a month ago, Dad. It's silly to come home again so soon."

He heard his father sigh unhappily and knew that he was going to win the argument.

"Okay," Burt agreed. "I'll pretend to be happy with you staying in New York. But only if we talk about Blaine."

"Wha– right now?" Kurt objected.

"Yes," Burt clarified. "Right now."

Kurt huffed out a frustrated breath, but he knew that he needed to have this conversation with Burt. He didn't want to worry his father because he was too stubborn to have a mature conversation about his ex-boyfriend.

"Okay," he agreed.

"What's going on with Blaine?" Burt asked, his voice gentle.

"There really is nothing going on," Kurt reinforced his earlier statement. "He cheated. I broke things off."

"Have you talked to him?" Burt asked. There was something in Burt's voice that told Kurt that his father already knew the answer to his question.

"Finn told you, didn't he?" Kurt asked.

"He told me you saw Blaine at the musical," Burt allowed.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed, feeling the anger and pain of that moment returning to him, "we ran into each other. And he wanted to _explain_. Like somehow there was some legitimate reason for him to _cheat_ on me. I'm so _tired_ of him texting me and calling me and just, basically, trying to make it better. It can't _get better_!"

"Kurt," Burt said cautiously, "are you looking for someone to rage with or fatherly advice?"

"Both," Kurt grumbled.

"It's hard becoming an adult," Burt said. "Everything is suddenly so much more complicated than you ever thought it would be."

Kurt nodded, forgetting that his father couldn't see him.

"Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to swallow your pride and forgive," Burt suggested.

"Are you _serious_?" Kurt snapped.

"Look, I'm not saying 'pretend it never happened'!" Burt elaborated. "But adulthood is about realizing what's best for you and fighting for it. And I have never and will never assume that I know what's best for you, Kurt, but don't think I haven't – that we _all_ haven't – noticed how miserable you've been recently."

"I don't need him," Kurt said.

"No," Burt agreed, "you don't."

There was knowledge in his father's tone of voice, and Kurt swallowed and forced himself to admit what he had come to realize in the time since Blaine had confessed his infidelity.

"It feels weird... without Blaine," Kurt said softly.

"I understand," Burt said solemnly.

Kurt didn't know what to say, so he waited for his father to elaborate.

"When your mom died, I was a mess," Burt explained. "And I know it's not the same situation, but I know that feeling of suddenly being just _you_ when you're so used to being _us_."

Kurt wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to keep from dissolving into a crying mess. "I just don't feel like _me_ anymore," he confessed.

"You're still Kurt," Burt reminded him. "You've been through a lot of changes over the past few months, kiddo. Cut yourself some slack; so, you don't have everything figured out. You've got time."

Kurt grunted his acknowledgement.

"Alright," Burt said, "one more bit of advice before I let you escape the father-son conversation."

"Fine," Kurt agreed.

"I know it's hard right now," Burt said, "but... try to remember that Blaine has feelings, too, okay?"

"I don't care about his _feelings_, Dad," Kurt replied. "He sure as hell didn't care about mine."

"Kurt," Burt responded, "I've known you since the day you were born, and I know one thing for sure. You always care about people's feelings."

"Unless those '_people_' happen to cheat on me," Kurt clarified.

Burt laughed humorlessly. "All I'm saying is that, sometimes, it's hard to remember the _person_ through the pain, okay? Blaine did a horrible thing. That's true and that's definitely going to be a major consideration in your relationship –"

"Or lack thereof," Kurt interjected sourly.

"– going forward," Burt ignored him. "But try to keep in mind that one horrible act doesn't make someone a bad person. Overall."

Kurt couldn't decide if he agreed or not, so he remained silent.

"Okay, okay," Burt said, his voice more lively. "Enough of that. You're a smart, capable, good person, Kurt. I have faith in your decisions. What else is going on with you? Happy things."

Kurt smiled, grateful for Burt's concern and love, even if talking about Blaine had been unpleasant. "Well," he said, "NYADA's Winter Showcase is next Friday, so Rachel's praying for an invite. If she gets one – which, I dunno... she might. She's so talented, of course, but it's _really_ competitive – I'm going to go watch her perform. Vogue dot com is, well, pretty fabulous. The other day I walked by Marc Jacobs. _Marc Jacobs!_ I could've reached out and touched him."

Burt hummed appreciatively.

"You don't even know who that is, do you?" Kurt realized.

"Sorry," Burt laughed.

"Anyway," Kurt said, "the point is that it's just, like, I have to pinch myself every day. And, oh, speaking of... I just remembered that I need to finish finalizing the list of vendors for a series of interviews Isabelle is doing in a few days..."

"Alright," Burt allowed. "I'll let you get to it. And Kurt?"

"Hmm?" Kurt waited.

"I love you," Burt said. "And I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt smiled. "I love you, too. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye," Burt said.

Kurt ended the call and immediately got to work on the list he had to finish sorting through by the next morning. He wanted to get it done before he lost himself in thought about what he and Burt had talked about.

Predictably, as soon as he finished and moved to his bedroom to get ready for bed, his mind wandered to Blaine.

It _did_ hurt him to know that Blaine was in agony about what happened between them. But it was Blaine's fault. He had cheated. He had chosen to go to some guy's place and have sex.

Thinking about it was so _painful_. Kurt hated thinking about the emotional betrayal. He hated thinking about Blaine and _that guy_ together. He hated thinking about anything that had to do with Blaine. Thinking of good times just made him feel devastated that there were no more good times to come, and thinking of Blaine's infidelity just made him feel bitter and angry and unwanted.

He was already physically separated from Blaine, but Kurt wondered if he needed to sever his emotional ties to Blaine, too. He would never be able to move on – to _live_ on – if he didn't. He would be stuck pining over Blaine and hating Blaine all at the same time for the rest of his life.

He grabbed his phone and typed a message to Blaine asking him not to contact him anymore. But he saved it, instead of immediately sending it, because, despite everything, he couldn't bear the thought of throwing such a blow at Blaine right before bed. He would send it in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After his decision to stay at McKinley and the realization that the students of New Directions really were his friends, Blaine's attitude drastically improved. He was happy to see Mike, Mercedes, Santana, Quinn, and Puck when they came home for Thanksgiving break. He was enjoying his daily lunchtime routine of rehearsing a duet with Marley to prepare for Sectionals and then scarfing down his lunch during the short break between the lunch period and his next class. Glee club was suddenly fun again; he liked getting to rehearsal early so he could goof off with everyone before they had to get to work. They were all impressed with his piano skills, so they had started singing silly songs like television theme songs and commercial taglines every afternoon as they waited for rehearsal to begin.

Kurt still wouldn't respond to his texts. Or his occasional attempts at calling. Blaine missed him terribly, but, with the weight of feeling like Kurt was his only tie to McKinley lifted off his shoulders, Blaine was trying not to feel desperate about the status of his relationship with Kurt. Kurt would reach out eventually. Kurt _had_ to miss him. It had been nearly two months since their breakup. Maybe Kurt just needed more time.

But, on Monday morning, Blaine received a text from Kurt that wrenched his hope away and replaced it with despair.

_Please stop texting or calling_, the message said. _'Sorry' isn't enough. Please, stop._

Blaine spent the rest of the day in an incredibly bad mood. He didn't want to talk to anyone. His newfound enthusiasm for things slipped away and the numbness of the past month and a half crept back into his mind. He didn't even pay much attention in glee club as Finn introduced the returning graduates to the new kids and coupled them up so the former students could serve as mentors before their first big competition of the season.

"You're so funny and self-deprecating," Kitty giggled as Quinn joked about her teen pregnancy. "We're so much alike."

"Wanky," Santana commented.

"The worst mistake that we could make is to underestimate our competition," Finn said, ignoring the commentary. "The Warblers are ruthless this year."

Joe turned to Blaine.

"Should we be worried?" he asked.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed.

"We've got this," Joe reassured him, seeming not to notice Blaine's unhappiness.

"Marley and Blaine will handle our duet," Finn reminded the group. "And, for our show-stopper, we're doing _Gangnam Style_!"

"Oh, okay," Santana protested. "Lumps, let me just say out loud what everyone here is thinking. You finally got an okay haircut and you're not doing that annoying half-smirk as much as you used to, but you're still an idiot. No one in this room can tackle a massive dance number except for Britt. And that includes your little hand jive that, to me, looked more like a hand job."

"Is there any way Mr. Schu could come back for this?" Joe wondered.

"Listen to me!" Finn scolded, standing up from his chair so he could face the main group of students. "We have never lost Sectionals before, and there's no way we're gonna do it on my watch. We can and we _will_ succeed. We need an ambitious number with a strong dance element. That's the Warblers' calling card, and we need to blow them out of the water. And Mike said he could easily show one of our guys how to do the dance number."

"I did?" Mike questioned.

"Crap," Finn realized. "I, uh, I kinda forgot to ask you about that, but one of our guys is going to have to take the lead with Britt, so... who's it gonna be?"

"Hello?" Sam said. "White Chocolate."

He stood up and gave himself a beat to roll his hips to.

"Oh," Mercedes said, "no, no, no. Um..."

"Okay, uh, just, sit down, Sam," Finn suggested. "We'll figure it out. How about auditions? Tomorrow after school in the auditorium."

"Can we go now?" Kitty asked, gazing adoringly at Quinn.

"Yeah," Finn allowed. "Those of you with mentors: spend time together this afternoon. The rest of you... Marley and Blaine, you're working on the duet during lunch each day, right? We'll work on putting _Gangnam Style_ together tomorrow. Each group only gets two songs this time, guys, so we can definitely pull this off!"

The group dissipated slowly. As Blaine stood up to leave, Joe put a hand on his arm.

"You're totally going to get the lead dance spot," he said encouragingly.

"I'm not going to try out," Blaine mumbled.

"What?" Joe said, surprised. "Why not, man? You're an amazing dancer. And I know how much Brittany likes you. She'll put in a good word for you, I'm sure."

Instead of the truth – he didn't want to do it because he was so upset about Kurt's text – Blaine told Joe "I've got the duet with Marley, so I want someone else to have a chance to shine during the group number."

"Right on," Joe approved. "Well... see you tomorrow, then!"

Blaine went home – keeping his mind off Kurt in the car by putting _Gangnam Style_ on repeat and trying to learn the words on the drive home – and had dinner with his parents before retreating to his room and collapsing into bed to cry out his sadness about Kurt's text.

Kurt hadn't wanted to talk to him since the day they broke up. He had sent texts asking Blaine not to contact him before, and Blaine always obeyed for a while until he just couldn't stop himself from apologizing again. Or reminding Kurt that he loved him. But, every time Kurt sent a "don't contact me" message, Blaine's ability to keep any semblance of hope alive diminished a little more.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Tuesday morning, Kurt and Rachel took the train to Manhattan together and grabbed coffee before they strolled down the sidewalk toward NYADA and the station where Kurt would hop on a train to work.

"So," Rachel said as they walked arm-in-arm, "I found out that I didn't get cast in _The Glass Menegerie_."

"Aw," Kurt acknowledged, disappointed.

"It's fine," Rachel clarified, "but the NYADA showcase is this week, so I'm gonna spend the whole long holiday weekend just _really_ prepping for it to make sure that I get in. Did you put in your application?"

"Yes," Kurt reminded her. "And I put it on Vogue dot com stationary so it would stand out."

"I'm really feeling good about us staying home for the weekend," Rachel said. "Don't you?"

"Yeah," Kurt half-lied. "Yeah, uh, you know, yeah. I am, yeah."

Rachel laughed at his hesitation. "We don't have to go home just because there's a show or because it's a long weekend, right?" Rachel suggested.

"Right, no," Kurt allowed. "I mean, even though it's Thanksgiving and Sectionals and all our friends are there and I miss my dad."

"I know," Rachel said, "I miss my dads, too. But I just feel like, every time we go home, it just makes me feel sad. And like we're not moving forward, you know?"

Kurt hummed his understanding. He wasn't sure why he had any desire to go back to Ohio for Thanksgiving other than the thought of seeing his dad and Carole. The last thing he wanted was to run into Blaine again. He was trying to close that chapter of his life.

"I mean, even though we don't have our boyfriends, we still have our dreams!" Rachel reassured them both. "And our ambitions!"

"And each other," Kurt added.

"Yes," Rachel agreed. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders for a brief hug as they walked. "You are the only significant other I need in my life."

"Aw," Kurt approved.

"I have to just, you know, forget about Finn and forget about Brody," Rachel said, sounding less sure.

"Forget about Blaine," Kurt agreed.

"Yeah, forget about any guy who has broken any girl or guy's heart, okay?" Rachel announced. "We are on the verge of becoming the best versions of ourselves. Can't you feel it?"

"For the first time, probably because it's easier just to drink your Kool-Aid than go against you," Kurt laughed, "I know what you mean."

"I mean, look," Rachel said enthusiastically. "Look at our life! Look at this city!"

"Yeah," Kurt replied.

"I know that it can be a little sad and lonely sometimes," Rachel reassured him as they stopped walking and she stepped in front of him to put her hands on his arms, "but, I promise you, we are going to have the best Thanksgiving ever."

"Pinky promise?" Kurt asked, extending his little finger off of his coffee cup.

"Pinky promise," she agreed, linking her pinky with his.

Neither of them had any confidence in their little pact.

"Are we going to make a turkey even though I'm the only one who will eat it?" Kurt wondered as they resumed their walk.

"Why not?" Rachel allowed. "Although, isn't it hard to make a turkey?"

"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "I've never done it before. But, I mean, we can figure it out, right?"

"Right," Rachel said resolutely. She leaned into him as they walked, and Kurt was glad they had each other.

By late that evening, Kurt's morning fondness for Rachel had transitioned into frustration.

"You can't just... invite some guy to Thanksgiving dinner without asking me!" Kurt scolded as Rachel informed him that Brody was going to cook them Thanksgiving dinner in the apartment.

"He's not 'some guy', though," Rachel pushed back. "He's Brody. You know him."

"I don't want to be the pathetic third wheel on Thanksgiving!" Kurt shouted. "And the point is –"

"This is _my_ home, too, Kurt," Rachel snapped. "I'm allowed to have friends over if I want!"

"Not on holidays when we already have plans," Kurt disagreed.

"Well," Rachel said in a tone of voice that declared the conversation over, "we're going to have to agree to disagree. Brody is coming over to cook us Thanksgiving dinner and it's going to be lovely. Feel free to invite anyone you like."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

By Wednesday evening, Kurt was really looking forward to the long weekend. Four days off and a holiday that meant he would be surrounded by delicious food the whole time.

He was lost in thoughts of all the leftovers waiting for him in the future as he flipped off the lights at Vogue dot com and prepared to lock up as he left.

"Hey!" Isabelle's voice protested from inside the conference room.

"Oh!" Kurt gasped, flicking the lights back on. He hurried over to the door to the conference room. "Isabelle, I am so sorry. I thought I was the last one here."

"It's okay," Isabelle reassured him. "Actually, I'm almost done. I'm just, um, proofreading the filmmaker round table."

"Oh, I love that article!" Kurt approved.

"Oh, good," Isabelle said.

"And I love Christmas movies," Kurt added. He moved into the room to sit down. "Be honest, which one are you looking forward to the most: _Les Mis_ or _The Hobbit_?"

"Oh, wow," Isabelle mused. "I love Peter Jackson, but I'm obsessed with the French Revolution, so, uh, I suppose it would have to be..."

"A double feature," she and Kurt laughed simultaneously.

"So, do you have any fantabulous Thanksgiving plans?" Kurt asked.

"For the last five years," Isabelle explained, "I always went to Gore Vidal's for dinner and Pictionary. But, you know, Gore passed away this year, so... I don't know, I'll probably just get some turkey pizza from Two Boots and, uh, recreate my first Thanksgiving in New York."

"Well," Kurt said, thinking of Rachel's invitation to Brody, "if you're interested, my roommate and I are hosting a bit of an orphans' dinner out in Bushwick."

"Bushwick," Isabelle considered it. "Oh, a rustic Thanksgiving."

Kurt laughed his agreement.

"Can I bring some friends?" Isabelle inquired.

"Of course!" Kurt agreed. "We'll have as many orphans as Mr. Bumble's workhouse, right?" He giggled at the mental image. "Gruel for everyone!"

"You seem in a better mood," Isabelle commented, reaching out to tap his knee affectionately. "You and your ex have a _rapprochement_?"

"_Au contraire_," Kurt explained. "No, I'm closing the book to that sad saga."

"I'm just... I'm done," he elaborated. "I'm done thinking about it. I'm done thinking if we're going to get back together, wondering if we should get back together. No, it's over. I sent him a text. Said 'please stop calling me to say you're sorry'. What's done is done, you know?"

"Well, listen," Isabelle said kindly, "nothing is better than being single in New York City. But, you know, if he's been reaching out to you..."

"Assuage his guilt?" Kurt understood. "No. Sorry, cheater, this petal needs to move on."

"In my experience," Isabelle said kindly, "it's always easier for me to move on if I've either had my apology accepted, or, in your case, accepted an apology."

"You know, sometimes it's the _not_ forgiving that holds us back," she added.

Kurt nodded, his heart suddenly pounding with indecision.

"Anyway," Isabelle smiled, "sorry to get all serious. I'm just so glad to see you smiling more."

"No, it's okay," Kurt allowed, making sure his voice stayed light. "And thank you. Believe it or not, there _have_ been one or two occasions in my life when I haven't possessed all the answers, so..." he shrugged a teasing shoulder.

As he looked at the fondness in Isabelle's eyes, Kurt had a sudden realization.

She reminded him of Blaine.

Isabelle was kind and optimistic and enthusiastic. She loved helping people. Making people feel good about themselves. She was a talented artist with a sweetness about her that was disarming and comfortable.

Blaine was all of those things, too. It was part of the reason why, before everything had gone wrong, Kurt had been so excited about the possibility of Blaine meeting Isabelle.

"Kurt?" Isabelle asked gently, "you okay?"

"What? Yes!" Kurt confirmed. "Yes, I'm sorry. I was just- uh- I'm really thankful that I met you," he confessed in a rush of words.

"Aw," Isabelle agreed, "come here." She stood up and Kurt did the same so Isabelle could hug him. "The pleasure is all mine, really," she said as they stepped apart. "You're special, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt ducked his head, both shy and pleased with her assessment. "Thank you," he said.

"I'll see you tomorrow night?" Isabelle confirmed. "A Bushwick Thanksgiving... it's gonna be one to remember! I'm looking forward to it. Goodnight, Kurt."

Kurt bobbed his head as he backed toward the door. "Goodnight," he echoed before he turned and walked away.

The forty five minute train ride to Bushwick felt excruciatingly long as Kurt wrestled with his emotions over what he should do about Blaine.

His father and the woman he affectionately thought of as his fairy godmother had both, independently, given him essentially the same advice. Accept Blaine's apology.

But he wasn't sure that he wanted to.

It bothered him that accepting Blaine's apology would offer Blaine some relief. Not total relief – Kurt knew Blaine well enough to know that Blaine would, to some degree, carry the guilt of his infidelity for the rest of his life – but enough relief to make Kurt wonder if he wanted to give Blaine that satisfaction. He didn't want to cause additional pain for Blaine, but he also felt like the pain Blaine was feeling was of his own doing. Would accepting Blaine's apology somehow excuse what he had done?

As Kurt watched a young couple tickling their toddler on the other end of his train car and listened to the little girl's shrieks of laughter, he wished, for what felt like the millionth time, that things had never changed between him and Blaine. They had been so _happy_. Until they weren't. In an instant, they had gone from lovers to strangers. Kurt had lost the love of his life and his best friend in one horrible moment.

By the time he climbed into bed that evening, Kurt still wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't ready to forgive Blaine. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive. Could he accept Blaine's apology without also offering forgiveness?

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next day was Thanksgiving, so Kurt managed to stay busy enough not to think about Blaine much. He and Rachel cleaned the apartment until they were both satisfied that it was clean enough for Isabelle Wright and any guests she might bring along. Brody brought the food in the early afternoon, and they set to work preparing it for dinner.

"A bag?" Kurt scolded as he noticed that Brody was sprinkling seasoning into a turkey-sized bag.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, you put it in a bag and it self-bastes," Brody explained. "Tommy the turkey is not gonna go dry."

"Ina Garten would never cook a turkey in a bag," Kurt disapproved as he stirred a pot on the stove.

"Well," Brody teased, "when Ina comes to cook you Thanksgiving dinner, she can do what she pleases. But our bird is getting bagged!"

"Mmmm," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Guys, this is so great!" Rachel whined happily from the table where she was handling the vegetables for the evening.

"Yeah," Kurt half-agreed, "it's like our own _Big Chill_!"

"Yeah, but no one breaks out into song!" Brody clarified.

Kurt and Rachel each gave him disapproving looks, but he ignored them.

"Now, Rachel," Brody said, "get over here and help me butter up Tommy."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, abandoning her task at the table to walk over to Brody and the turkey, "well, I'm a vegetarian so I can't eat it, but I guess I can touch it."

"Okay mister..." she said to the turkey as Brody handed her some butter. "I'm very sorry!"

"Like that?" she asked as she rubbed the butter over the raw turkey.

"You've gotta get it in there," Brody said, grabbing Rachel's hands to guide them. "Show him that you love him, you know? Just like that."

"Is that good?" Rachel asked, not paying any attention to what she was doing in favor of smiling at Brody.

"Yeah," Brody flirted back, "like that."

"When you two are done using that turkey as a courtship device," Kurt scolded, "would you put it in the oven? 'Cause it's almost five o' clock."

"Oh my god, it's almost time for Sectionals to start," Rachel realized.

"Why are they having it on Thanksgiving, anyway?" Kurt wondered.

"I'm sure they figured, with everyone home for the holiday, they would sell more tickets," Rachel guessed.

"Most high schools have football games for Thanksgiving," Brody commented.

"I remember my first Sectionals," Rachel reminisced. "I was so nervous. I gave myself this pep talk in the mirror and I just began my soulful monologue by saying 'you are ready for this'."

"Remember the adrenaline rush of having to pick our songs last-minute?" Kurt reminisced fondly.

"Yeah, if by 'adrenaline rush' you mean _stress_," Rachel teased. "We had our set list stolen at the competition," she explained to Brody, "so we had to improvise."

"And you won," Brody approved. "I'm impressed."

"Yeah, thanks to Rachel's lifelong obsession with Ms. Barbara Streisand," Kurt teased.

Rachel curtsied dramatically, and they all laughed.

"Okay," Brody said as he put the turkey in the oven and looked around the room to make sure everything else was in order, "now we wait."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As New Directions gathered in the choir room and prepared for Sectionals, Blaine wondered what Kurt was doing in New York. He hoped that Kurt's first major holiday away from home wouldn't be too lonely.

Blaine felt okay, overall. The energy of the crowded room lifted his spirits and being in performance mode helped the situation with Kurt feel less overwhelming. He walked across the room toward Tina, planning to encourage her about her solo during their group number, but Mercedes announced the show circle and he spun back around to join the group.

"What's 'show circle'?" Marley asked as she and Unique entered the room.

"It's a tradition before every competition," Tina explained as they group formed a circle around Finn.

"It's something Mr. Schu made up," Finn elaborated. "And, today, I want to add to it. Joe, how 'bout you lead us in prayer?"

"Whoa, dude," Puck said, "Old Testament. There are Hebrews here."

"Okay," Joe agreed. "This is one of my favorite Bible verses from Isaiah. Considering that the Warblers are so good and that this is the first competition for a lot of you, I think it's appropriate."

Blaine bowed his head and they all listened as Joe recited the verse. "'So do not fear, because I am with you. Do not be dismayed; I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand.'"

"And our righteous dance moves!" Artie added enthusiastically. "Amen!"

The group cheered until Finn spoke again.

"Ah, man, I remember our first Sectionals like it was yesterday," Finn reminisced. "We came together as a team because we had to. Because no one outside our circle knew how much we'd been through and how much it meant to us to win it."

Blaine thought briefly about his first Sectionals. His first year at Dalton. He had been very new to the Warblers then, but they had given him half of their opening duet. Blaine had been painfully nervous, but when he had stepped out onto the stage, he had realized that he was at home there. And they had won. Moved on to Regionals before losing to another private school in Indiana.

"This is our house," Finn continued. "Look into the faces of these graduates. They've been to the mountain top. This is just the first step in your climb to meet them there."

"On three?" Santana suggested, sticking her hand out into the middle of the circle.

"One, two, three... amazing!" the group shouted as they threw their hands in the air.

New Directions had pulled the final performance slot, so they went to sit down in the audience of their auditorium to watch the Warblers go first. As Blaine watched them perform, he felt more secure than ever with his decision to stay at McKinley. The Warblers were great, but they weren't _his_ anymore. These Warblers were bigger; more into the show than the singing.

He searched for familiar faces as the Warblers danced and sang. Hunter and Sebastian were easy to spot because they each sang a solo, but Blaine managed to pick out Jeff and Nick, too. Where was Trent?

By the time the Warblers finished their pair of songs, Blaine had to admit that it was going to be a struggle to beat them. Their set had been very entertaining to watch. New Directions was going to have to do something special to stand out after that.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As they waited for the turkey to finish in the oven, Kurt and Rachel sat at their small kitchen table and Brody continued his cooking.

"You okay?" Kurt asked Rachel as he lit a candle in the center of the table. She had a sad, faraway look on her face.

"Yeah," Rachel reassured him. "I was having a moment. You know, every year, over, like, an assortment of pies, my dads and I would sing these holiday medleys by the piano and... I dunno, I'm just starting to feel like maybe that part of my life is over."

"Sweetie," Kurt teased, "as long as we're in each other's lives, holiday medleys will never be over."

"Promise me," Rachel mouthed at him as Brody opened the oven to pull out the turkey.

"How's it going?" Rachel asked.

Brody confirmed that the turkey looked good before glancing at Kurt. "Alright, Kurt," he suggested, "do you want to do the honors?"

"No, thanks," Kurt declined as someone knocked on the door and he stood up to go answer the door, assuming it was Isabelle, "I'm not even having turkey after the way you guys manhandled it."

He dragged the apartment door open to find a group of people – a woman and a drag queen at the front – gathered in the hallway.

"Can I help you?" he asked, confused.

"Isabelle Wright invited us to an orphan party here," the woman said as she stepped past Kurt into the apartment.

"Oh, right, uh, yeah..." Kurt tried to catch up. He had anticipated a refined, well-dressed gentleman or a quirky friend or two, not a large group. Were they going to have enough food? Fortunately, some of the new arrivals had flowers and food items in their arms as they walked through the doorway. Kurt turned to shout at Rachel and Brody. "Apparently we're having a party."

"O-okay, welcome!" Rachel agreed. "Come on in."

"Wait, have any of you heard from Isabelle?" Kurt asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I tried calling her earlier, but got her voicemail."

"She was stopping at some new club opening next to Pyramid, over in the East Village," someone explained.

"Oh," Kurt said as his phone vibrated, "wait, this is her now."

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey!" Isabelle said. "Sorry I didn't call you back before... I'm nearly there! The rain made getting a cab impossible. By the time I got appropriately dolled up and out the door, it was the train or nothing."

"That's– yeah, I'm sorry. No problem," Kurt stammered, still overcome by the sudden increase in the scope of their celebration plans.

"Actually," Isabelle said, "I think I'm– hold on, yes, this is your building. I'll be right up!"

"Okay," Kurt agreed. The call ended, and Isabelle arrived in the doorway a few moments later.

"Sorry about this," she laughed, handing off the desert in her hands to a friend and motioning around with her other arm. "Once I started telling people, it just kinda... expanded."

Kurt laughed. "I... this is certainly going to be more fun than sitting quietly around the table!" he anticipated.

It was the most fun Kurt had ever had on a holiday. The drag queens put on a fashion show, which turned into everyone strutting through the center of the apartment to applause and appreciative whistles and compliments. They hooked someone's phone into the sound system they used for their television and turned the volume up so everyone could sing and dance around the apartment between helpings of food.

Rachel even got to sing a show tune or two for the crowd, who, to Kurt's surprise, were delighted to indulge Rachel in her holiday tradition.

"This is the best Thanksgiving ever!" Rachel laughed when her song ended, grabbing Kurt's forearms and jumping up and down with excitement.

Kurt had to agree. He had never experienced anything like this. He was at a crazy Thanksgiving party – in _his apartment_ – in New York City. With a fashion icon and her friends. And Rachel. And her almost-boyfriend. He laughed and bounced about with Rachel as he thought about what he would've said if someone had told him a year earlier that _this_ would happen.

Kurt weaved his way through dancing bodies, snuck a piece of turkey when he was sure Rachel and Brody weren't watching, and wandered into his section of the apartment to make sure everything was still where it was supposed to be. He had a great view of the party – all their happy guests dancing and eating and drinking, and Rachel dancing with Brody more suggestively than Kurt wanted to see – as he walked between his room and Rachel's, and a thought occurred to him before he could stop it.

Blaine would love this.

Kurt had a sudden moment of clarity as he imagined Blaine there, dancing with total strangers and with Rachel. And with Kurt.

He wanted to talk to Blaine.

Kurt knew that leaving via the door would draw attention to his sudden and potentially embarrassing emotional shift, so he rushed over to Rachel's window and climbed out onto the fire escape for privacy.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After the Warblers' performance, New Directions went backstage to wait for their turn while the Rosedale Mennonites performed for the audience.

The minutes flew by, and then it was their turn. Blaine sat down on the risers on the stage to wait out the ten minute break between groups. He was ready.

He didn't realize that he had forgotten to take his phone out of his pocket until it vibrated and startled him out of his mental preparation.

Kurt was calling.

A sick feeling settled into Blaine's stomach. Was something wrong? He jumped to his feet and rushed offstage as he answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Kurt said, his voice calm. "Can you hear me? It's kinda loud out here."

"Um, yeah," Blaine replied, relieved that Kurt sounded okay and confused about why he was calling. "Yeah, I can hear you."

"Have you guys performed yet?" Kurt asked.

"Um, no," Blaine answered the casual question as he found a ladder to lean on in a dark corner. "Not yet."

Kurt didn't immediately speak again, so Blaine went for it. "Look, Kurt" he said, relishing the fact that Kurt had called him for the first time since their separation, "I just want you to know that, no matter –"

"Just let me talk for a second," Kurt requested, cutting Blaine off. Blaine immediately fell silent, willing to let Kurt steer the conversation so he would be as comfortable as possible.

"Look," Kurt said, his voice calm and full of sadness, "you've said you're sorry a million times and... I believe you. And I'm trying to forgive you, but I'm just not there yet."

Blaine tried not to think too hard. Tried not to get his hopes up. This was the first time Kurt had said anything that even remotely suggested that he might, in the future, find forgiveness for Blaine. Blaine hung on his every word; he wanted to hear everything.

"But it's Thanksgiving and it's Sectionals," Kurt reminded him, "and... I miss you like crazy."

Blaine lost his battle against the tears in his eyes as the confirmation that Kurt missed him filled him with warmth and the sharp stab of guilt.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"And I can't stand not talking to you even though I'm mad at you," Kurt confessed, "because you're still my best friend."

Where were all these confessions coming from? Kurt wondered. He was saying all these things he hadn't meant to say. He was supposed to just accept Blaine's apology, relish the sound of his voice, and hang up. Move on with his life. What was happening?

"You're mine, too," Blaine replied, and Kurt could hear the emotion in his voice. The gratitude and the love and the sadness.

Kurt's heart ached with sorrow, but also with guarded affection for the devastated boy on the other end of the phone.

He had already said so much that he hadn't planned to say, but none of it was a lie. So, Kurt decided to continue offering the truth. He wanted to see Blaine again. In person.

He stood up on the fire escape – the metal was freezing cold to sit on – and decided that it was okay to give their friendship a second chance. They could do it on his terms. There didn't have to be any pressure. Just Blaine, his dearest friend.

"At Christmas," Kurt decided, "we need to have a mature heart-to-heart. And maybe, if it's cold enough, we can go ice skating on the Auglaize River and get hot chocolate," he suggested. "Anywhere but the Lima Bean because, when I was working there, I saw a mouse."

Blaine squeaked out a tiny, delighted laugh, and it made Kurt's soul ache with joy. He missed Blaine so much.

"So we're, uh, we're really going to see each other at Christmas?" Blaine asked, his voice suggesting that this sudden change of heart on Kurt's side of the situation seemed too good to be true.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed.

Silence hung between them for a moment as Blaine waited and Kurt tried to decide if there was anything else he wanted to say.

"Well, don't let any of those hideous Warblers win, alright?" he said as he fought back tears. "Break a leg."

"Happy Thanksgiving," he added.

He heard Blaine's intake of breath, and Kurt knew that Blaine was feeling thankful for a second chance to be friends. Kurt was thankful that it felt good to offer it.

"Happy Thanksgiving," Blaine managed. And then, after a short silence, he breathed, "Kurt, I love you so much."

Kurt nodded even though Blaine couldn't see him and had to pause before he could offer the truth in return.

"I love you, too," Kurt said.

Kurt wasn't sure which one of them ended the call, but, as he climbed back through the window into the warm apartment, Kurt could feel his tears building to a point where he was going to have to cry.

Isabelle was waiting for him. She came over immediately and wrapped her arms around him, and he was grateful for the company as he let a few tears fall.

"You were right," he managed to explain as he pulled out of her embrace, wiping his eyes.

He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't have to hate Blaine. He didn't have to stop himself every time he wanted to text or call.

Blaine was still his best friend.

"I'm so glad," Isabelle smiled warmly. She motioned for him to turn around in a circle so she could make sure his outfit wasn't messed up, and he had to smile as he obliged.

"Perfect," she assessed.

"Thank you," Kurt said as Isabelle offered her arm so they could return to the party. "For everything."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage... the New Directions!"

After his emotional conversation with Kurt, Blaine had to quickly get himself together and get back into performance mode. He rushed back to join his teammates as they got into position for _Gangnam Style_. Blaine and Marley's duet would be their second and final performance.

Although he didn't allow himself to think about Kurt's phone call during the song, it did have one positive effect on Blaine's performance. He was full of adrenaline and the kind of tingly happiness that meant there was an extra spring in his step. He knew he was going to own his part of the duet. It was a great day.

The best Thanksgiving of his life.

Blaine was pleasantly surprised when they made it to the end of _Gangnam Style_. It was a silly song choice, but the performance had gone brilliantly. He and Marley were going to sound great together during their duet to close out New Directions' set, so maybe they did have a chance of winning over the Warblers.

But he quickly realized that something was wrong.

"Oh my god!" Kitty, who was standing beside Blaine at the end of the song, gasped and abandoned her position to rush toward the back of the stage. Blaine turned and saw a rapidly growing group of people hovering over someone lying on the ground.

"... fainted!" Blaine heard someone shout.

He rushed over.

It was Marley lying on the ground.

"Here... get her– get her up!" Blaine suggested, forgetting all about the competition. "It's okay. Let's get her off the stage. Gently. Gently..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>That phone call between Kurt and Blaine. Emotions! Really amazing acting on both sides of the conversation. The way Blaine just hangs on Kurt's every word and the relief on his face when Kurt wants to see him at Christmas. And Kurt's mix of hurt and love for Blaine and the way he struggles to be honest while still maintaining that he isn't ready to forgive. The best.<strong>_

_**Up next... 4x09: Swan Song!**_


	48. 4x09: Swan Song

_**This episode picks up immediately where the previous episode ended... :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Marley had regained consciousness by the time Jake and Ryder each hooked one of her arms over their shoulders so they could help her to the choir room, but she was very weak.

"Give her some room! She needs space," Unique urged as Ryder and Jake half-carried Marley into the choir room. "Breathe, girl, breathe!"

"Does anybody have anything she can eat?" Kitty asked desperately.

"I have some leftover Halloween candy in my locker," Tina suggested.

"I may have a juice box," Blaine remembered.

"I'll go get Marley's mom," Joe said as Blaine ran across the room to dig through his bag. He found the juice box quickly and tossed it to Sam so he could give it to Marley.

"No, I'm okay," Marley refused.

"Drink the damn juice!" Kitty cried.

"Marley!" Finn ran into the room. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"She hasn't been eating," Jake explained. "She's been skipping lunch."

"Is that because you've been telling her to?" Santana turned to Kitty. "You trying to turn her into a damn rexie?"

"What?" Kitty denied it. "No, why would I– why would I want that?"

"Because you're a crazy, evil bitch," Santana assessed.

"Hey," Mr. Schu rushed into the group, "Marley, you alright?"

She nodded.

"The nurse is on the way, Mr. Schu," Finn explained.

"Santana," Mr. Schu turned to the group, "Puck, you stay with Marley. The rest of you guys get back out there. Leaving the stage mid-competition, for any reason, is risking immediate disqualification."

"What? That– that's a rule?" Finn doubted.

"Yeah, it's a rule," Sue said as she strolled into the room. "One of the bylaws, actually. As all of you were spiraling into a self-created K-hole of crazy, the judges, by unanimous vote, have declared the Warblers victorious."

"Hey, congratulations, Finn Hudson," Sue added. "For the first time in its charmed yet pitiful existence, the New Directions has lost Sectionals. But here's the good news. Christmas came early for one Sue Sylvester."

Marley dropped her head into her hands and burst into tears as Sue left the room. Everyone else just looked around in stunned silence.

"What..." Finn finally managed. "This is– this is _crap_! They can't disqualify us for helping someone who _fainted_!"

"Actually, they can," Santana reminded him. Blaine glared at her.

"Guys, guys," Mr. Schu said his voice as the group started to internalize what had just happened. "Let's just... be calm, okay? Marley, how do you feel?"

"Who cares?" Tina whined.

"_Tina!_" Blaine snapped.

"I'm sorry," Marley sobbed.

As the nurse arrived, everyone backed away to give her space to check on Marley, and Blaine realized that this was it. He had just sung the last song of his high school show choir career.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Once everyone was gone – Brody had been the last to leave, whispering something in Rachel's ear just before he breezed out the door that made her lean into him and giggle shyly – Kurt and Rachel changed into more comfortable outfits and started cleaning up the surprisingly manageable mess left behind after their crazy Thanksgiving party.

"Can you _believe_ that just happened?" Rachel squeaked as she emerged from her room. "I _told you_ this was going to be the best Thanksgiving ever!"

Kurt smiled as he carried dishes from the living room to the kitchen. "Guess what?" he asked coyly as he passed his friend.

"Oh my god, _what_?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"I talked to Blaine," Kurt confessed.

Rachel gasped. "_Kurt_! What did he say?"

"Well," Kurt explained, "it was more of me talking and him listening. I just... I think we can be friends. I think I _want_ us to be friends. Again."

"Aw," Rachel approved. "That's so _great_! Did he tell you about Sectionals?"

"They hadn't performed yet," Kurt said.

"Did you tell him about our fabulous Thanksgiving?" Rachel teased.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "No," he answered, "but, speaking of our fabulous Thanksgiving... you and Brody seemed comfortable."

"Admit it," Rachel said happily, "he's sweet."

"A little," Kurt allowed.

Rachel nodded triumphantly and set to work washing the dishes in the sink as Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, expecting to see his father's name but finding Blaine's name, instead.

"Hello?" he answered, trying to keep his voice neutral. It was so _nice_ not to completely dread Blaine's calls.

"We lost," Blaine announced sadly as Kurt walked into his section of the apartment for the illusion of privacy.

Kurt gasped, but Blaine continued before he could say anything.

"I thought it was going really well," Blaine explained, "but Marley fainted right at the end of our first number and we were disqualified."

"Are you serious?" Kurt scoffed. "But why would they–?"

"Apparently, you're not allowed to leave the stage for any reason," Blaine replied. "And we rushed Marley off to the choir room to make sure she was okay and... the Warblers won."

Kurt hummed his sympathy. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Is it okay that I called?" Blaine asked abruptly, as if he had suddenly realized that maybe it wasn't.

"Yes," Kurt reassured him.

"Then I'm okay," Blaine said, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

"Good," Kurt said.

"Well, uh, Happy Thanksgiving, Kurt," Blaine said. "Thank you so much for calling earlier. Thank you."

"Happy Thanksgiving," Kurt replied. "Sorry about Sectionals."

"Love you," Blaine said.

"You too," Kurt said. "Bye."

He hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen where Rachel was humming absentmindedly to herself as she washed the dishes.

"That was Blaine," Kurt explained. "They lost."

Rachel gasped.

"Apparently," Kurt explained, "the new girl, Marley, passed out on stage and the Warblers won."

"Oh my god," Rachel worried. "So, wait... that's it, then. What're they going to do now?"

"I dunno," Kurt said. "I just feel bad for Blaine. If he was still with the Warblers, he'd be on his way to Regionals right now."

"You think I should call Finn?" Rachel asked.

"If you think it's going to make him feel better," Kurt said skeptically.

"No," Rachel agreed, "I don't actually... it'll probably just make him feel worse. Imagine coming down from one loss just to be reminded of an even bigger one."

"Well," Kurt said as he collected dirty plates from the living room, "our friends' feelings aside, it's really woken me up to the idea of making the most of the chances that you have, you know? I've got one more chance at getting into NYADA and I can't blow the audition."

"It's not your last chance, okay?" Rachel said. "I mean, you can still re-apply."

"No," Kurt disagreed. "I can't live my life chasing something that the universe is trying to tell me that I'm not good enough to achieve."

"It's not the universe," Rachel said. "It's just Carmen Tibideaux."

"Is there a difference?" Kurt teased. "Speaking of Carmen, has she started passing out her golden tickets for the winter showcase, yet?"

"No," Rachel pouted, "and it doesn't matter, because I'm not getting one. Alexandra Blasucci was the last freshman to get one in the past _seven years_ and she was practically raised on the Broadway stage. Wait," Rachel realized, "how did you even know about those tickets?"

"I have become very active on the NYADA blogs," Kurt explained. "I figure the more I know, the better I can streamline my application and audition."

Kurt put a record on their turntable so they could listen to some classical music while they cleaned.

"The Winter Showcase is like the NYADA Met Ball," he recalled. "Ten students are invited to perform at the showcase a year; the cream of the cream. She hand writes and hand delivers each invitation. Just getting invited is an honor. Former winners have gone on to win Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes, and even an Oscar. But they all agree; the proudest and greatest moment of their careers was when Carmen handed them that golden envelope."

He wandered over to sit down at the table with Rachel. She looked nervous.

"You're amazing," he reminded her. "Don't count yourself out yet."

"I know," Rachel sighed. "It's just hard to imagine _me_ getting one when there are so many incredibly talented people at NYADA."

Kurt shrugged. "Well," he said, "time will tell. Right now, can we finally get some sleep? This has been the Thanksgiving of a lifetime, but I am _tired_."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The long weekend passed much as Kurt expected. They didn't have any leftover food after such a large party, but Kurt didn't mind. He and Rachel spent Friday lounging around, watching television and fantasizing about their future fame. He and Blaine texted back and forth once on Saturday afternoon when Blaine had a question about a specific brand of jeans, and Kurt relished the normalcy of their short conversation. Kurt and Rachel spent all day on Sunday in Central Park.

Work on Monday was productive and upbeat; everyone was refreshed after the holiday weekend, and some of Kurt's co-workers were still talking about Thanksgiving in Bushwick. Kurt was in the middle of answering what seemed like a never-ending string of phone calls when his personal cell phone lit up with a call from Rachel.

He had to ignore it, but she called back less than a minute later. And immediately after that. And Kurt got nervous. Maybe it was an emergency.

"Rachel?" he finally managed to answer when she called again two minutes later. "What's wrong?"

"_I got a golden ticket_!" Rachel screamed in his ear.

"_What?_" Kurt squeaked.

"Carmen Tibideaux strolled into my dance class today and handed me _a golden ticket_ in front of _everybody_!" Rachel elaborated. "Oh my god, Kurt, I can't believe this is happening! Where are you? Can I –?"

"No," Kurt said quickly. "No, you can't come here. But oh god. _Rachel_."

He felt a little teary, but he needed to focus. The phone on his desk rang.

"I've gotta go," he said quickly. "I'll see you tonight!"

He hung up before she could protest.

Kurt and Rachel had an animated conversation via text message that lasted the rest of the day. Rachel explained all the details of her golden ticket and Kurt expressed his excitement. And, when Kurt finally got off work and rushed to the station where Rachel was waiting so they could ride the train home together, both he and Rachel cried tears of joy.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"So, uh... I'm sorry, guys," Finn said to New Directions after school on Monday, "but there's nowhere for us to rehearse."

They were sitting in what had been the choir room. Much to Blaine's surprise, it had been emptied that morning and was now going to be used for something Sue was working on with her Cheerios.

"So... that's it," Sam summarized. "No more glee."

"Until next September," Mr. Schu clarified.

"Sugar already bailed," Artie whined.

"Can I just say what everyone is thinking?" Tina asked. "This is Marley's fault. 'New Rachel' my butt. I knew Rachel Berry. I was friends with Rachel Berry. And you, Marley, are no Rachel Berry."

"Preach," Artie agreed.

Blaine couldn't find the energy to remind them that _he_ was supposed to be the new Rachel. That wasn't the point.

"Guys, guys!" Finn scolded. "Enough. It's not like it's over. The holiday concert is later this week and we're going to be preparing for it all week long. If this is our swan song, let's make it the best one it can be."

"You really expect us to go up in front of the whole school and parade our loser-dom for everyone to see?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah, Kitty does have a point," Artie said. "We agreed to do the show when we thought it would be on the heels of another Sectionals victory. Now, it just feels like a pity party."

"I love to sing and dance as much as anybody," Tina added, "but, without a competition to prep for, it's hard to get motivated."

"I understand that we need a little shift in perspective," Finn allowed, "but let's just enjoy this week and look forward to our big comeback next year."

"That's right," Mr. Schu agreed.

"What about those of us who won't have a 'next year'?" Sam asked.

The silence that fell over the group was heavy and awkward.

"I'm really sorry," Finn said helplessly.

The group dissipated without another word, and Blaine felt sad as he left the choir room. Glee club had ended so abruptly. There was no real resolution. It was just gone.

And the school year wasn't yet halfway over. What was he going to do instead of glee? Being student body president and leader of the Secret Society of Superheroes club kept him busy enough, but those things didn't involve singing or dancing. He wanted to perform as a career, so he needed to find a way to continue performing now that glee club was gone.

"Hey," he said to Tina as they walked down the hallway, "what if we joined the Cheerios?"

"What?" she scoffed.

"I'm serious!" he argued. "With glee club over, don't you want to do something to stay in shape and keep competing as a part of a team?"

"Yeah," Tina agreed. "But the _Cheerios_?"

"Kurt and Mercedes were Cheerios, right?" Blaine reminded her.

She laughed. "Oh, god," she remembered.

"Let's ask Coach Sylvester, at least," Blaine suggested.

Tina nodded. "Meet you by her office tomorrow morning before school?"

"Perfect," Blaine agreed.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Tuesday, Kurt heard from Rachel that someone had mentioned to her that their little sister had received her NYADA letter – an acceptance – and Kurt started to worry about the status of his application. He had read on the NYADA blogs that applications for second semester admission were, generally, sent out over a few weeks, but the fact that someone had gotten their letter and he hadn't made Kurt very uneasy.

He decided to check on the status of his application when he stopped by NYADA to have lunch with Rachel.

"Madame Tibideaux?" Kurt knocked on the doorframe to her office as he walked into the room. "I hope it's alright that I'm dropping by your office... I'm not sure that you, uh, remember me, but –"

"What can I do for you, Mr. Hummel?" Carmen asked without looking up at him.

"Oh," Kurt was pleasantly surprised that she remembered him. "Uh, I applied for the second semester–"

"I received it," Carmen interrupted. "I reviewed it."

"And the accompanying video?" Kurt wondered.

"Of you doing the acoustic version of Wham!'s _Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go_?" Carmen clarified.

"What'd you think?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"I thought exactly what I thought the first time you auditioned for me last spring," Ms. Tibideaux replied. "Here's a very talented young man who knows how to sell a number."

Kurt felt a spark of hope.

"But," Carmen continued, "who is devoid of complexity and depth."

"What?" Kurt managed, his hope immediately replaced by distress.

"You gave me surface," Carmen explained, "when I was looking for soul. We are training _artists_ here, Mr. Hummel. Performers who are not afraid to show their vulnerability and, yes, even their heart."

"Madame Tibideaux, I– I have all of those things," Kurt argued as respectfully as he could.

"I rarely give anyone a second chance," Carmen said, her voice stern, "and, when I do, it is on my terms. Now, thank you for your continued interest in NYADA, but, as you can see, I'm busy preparing for the Winter Showcase. Good afternoon, Mr. Hummel."

Kurt knew he was dismissed. He turned and walked out of the room, shocked and upset.

Without saying it directly, she had just told him he wasn't getting in.

He went back and forth between embarrassment and anger as he replayed the conversation in his head. He had thought that choosing a slower, simpler song for his video audition would demonstrate his ability to do more than grand, showy numbers. Instead, it seemed to have reinforced Carmen Tibideaux's opinion that he was not worthy of NYADA.

Rachel was outraged as Kurt told her about the brief meeting over lunch.

"She doesn't even know you at all!" Rachel fumed. "You have _plenty_ of depth. Ugh!"

"Well," Kurt said, hating himself, "if it doesn't come across in my performance, then maybe she's right."

"No!" Rachel argued. "Don't say that, Kurt."

He rolled his eyes and felt himself tearing up again.

"Look," Rachel said, reaching across the small table to grab Kurt's hand, "you are _not_ giving up, okay? She didn't say 'no' –"

"Except she basically did," Kurt interjected.

"– and, even _if_ she does," Rachel continued, "you can reapply. Or you can apply to another school. Or you can go audition without any school at all and one day Carmen Tibideaux will be kicking herself when your name is shining above a Broadway theater!"

Kurt shook his head.

"This is good," he lied. "I needed to hear it, you know? I _like_ fashion. So, what's wrong with 'settling' for my second choice if it's still something I love?"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning before school, Blaine and Tina met outside Sue's office to inquire about joining the Cheerios.

"Coach Sylvester?" Blaine said as he led the way into the room. "Can we... are you busy?"

"I'm always busy, Young Burt Reynolds," Sue said, working out on her elliptical machine. "What do you want?"

"Well," Blaine straightened up and smiled at the coach, "we were hoping to join the Cheerios."

"Sit down," Sue instructed.

Blaine grabbed a chair and started to turn it around to face the elliptical machine at the back of the room, but Sue stopped him.

"I don't like people watching me while I work out," she disapproved. "It raises my blood pressure."

So, Blaine and Tina sat down facing Sue's empty desk and listened to her talk from behind them.

"I'm gonna be blunt," Sue said. "Sixty Minutes is doing a piece on me and that Leslie Stahl is going to bring the heat. I could use a handsome, non-flammable gay to articulate how my defeating the glee club once and for all, and absorbing its budget, is actually the best thing that ever happened to him."

Blaine wasn't sure if he should be flattered or offended.

"My squad's looking a little pale these days," Sue added. "Wouldn't hurt to add a dash of yellow number four to my championship cheer batter."

"Um, that's really –" Tina started.

"So!" Sue said, stepping down from her elliptical machine. "I will allow you to join my championship squad. It'll make me look good, it'll keep you two from doing something stupid like starting a knitting club or some kind of non-profit group to promote spontaneous acts of kindness or something equally as disgustingly nice, and, much to my satisfaction, it will really piss off Will Schuester."

Blaine and Tina exchanged a cautious glance.

"Report to the locker room to pick up your uniforms," Sue instructed them, "and be at rehearsal at four o'clock sharp."

They obeyed, and Tina laughed when she came out of the locker room and saw Blaine waiting for her in his new uniform.

"Very nice," she approved.

"You, too," Blaine smiled. "Shall we?"

They walked down the hall together, and Blaine was pleased with their decision. At least they would be able to dance as part of the Cheerios. They could sing in their own time to keep their voices strong.

"Oh, _hell no_," Artie disapproved as he saw them in their Cheerios uniforms for the first time.

"What happened to you?" Tina asked. Artie was wearing a strange uniform.

"I joined the marching band," Artie explained. "I'm the drum leader. What happened to _you_?"

"We joined the Cheerios," Blaine explained. "We had to do something. It's our senior year; we wanted to compete. We want to be part of a team."

"And Coach Sylvester just let you?" Artie asked skeptically.

"It was way easier than I thought," Tina admitted.

"I get what you're saying," Artie admitted. "It's weird to suddenly feel like you're not a part of anything."

"That's why we joined the basketball team," Ryder said as he and Jake arrived, dressed in basketball team uniforms.

"Oh, no," Jake corrected, "that's why _you_ joined the basketball team. I joined the basketball team because I'm good at basketball."

There was a loud crashing noise from behind Jake and Ryder, and the group looked that direction to see Unique trying to roller skate down the hallway.

"Uh..." Tina voiced everyone's confusion.

"I joined the McKinley floor hockey team," Unique explained as Jake and Ryder helped her over. "If I slip a wig under the face mask, nobody will be the wiser. Hallelujah!"

"Who knew this school had so many clubs?" Tina realized.

"I joined the interfaith paintball league," Joe added as he wandered up to the group. "Where Christians, Jews, and Muslims can shoot at each other safely."

"Well, it looks like we've all sort of moved on," Blaine said as he looked around at the group. "Which just leaves one question. When are we going to tell Finn?"

"I guess sooner rather than later might be best," Artie said guiltily.

"I think he booked the auditorium for glee this afternoon," Tina remembered. "So... I guess we tell him then?"

The news did not go over well with Finn.

"I can't believe it's been like, what, two days?" he scolded after the group informed him of all of their new activities. "And you've all gone in completely separate and totally insane directions."

"We lost Sectionals," Tina reminded him. "Our season is over. You can't be upset that we've moved on. It's the healthy thing to do."

"Is it, really?" Finn argued. "Is it the healthy thing to do to take orders from Sue Sylvester for the rest of the school year?"

Blaine wished that he didn't feel so guilty. It _did_ make sense to join other groups if glee club no longer existed. But none of them had wanted glee club to end.

"And, Artie, man," Finn continued, "you basically dragged me out of that tire shop, telling me that this club was part of my destiny somehow! What did you even join? Your costume is ridiculous! It looks like a peacock died on your head."

"It's called a plume," Artie informed him.

"Whatever!" Finn said. "Okay, look, I'm not gonna waste all six minutes I was able to book the auditorium for yelling at you guys."

"Six minutes?" Joe questioned.

"Yeah," Finn confirmed. "Empress Sylvester swooped in and carved the reservation hours into tenths. So, the only other time I was able to get was 9:54 Friday night. And I'll be here, ready to rehearse, and I hope you will, too. Because, if you don't, I think you're going to regret missing that opportunity for the rest of your lives."

"I'll definitely be here," Marley said.

"Yeah, well, we'd all be here if you hadn't face planted at Sectionals," Tina snapped.

"Tina," Finn said sternly, "enough."

Tina turned and walked off the stage, and the rest of the group slowly followed until Finn, Marley, and Blaine were the only three left.

Blaine was conflicted. He wanted to stick with New Directions. But, with the others unwilling to be part of the club, there wasn't really a New Directions to be part of.

He was careful not to make eye contact with Finn or Marley as he turned and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt spent most of Thursday and Friday trying to keep Rachel calm about the rapidly-approaching Winter Showcase. One second she would be extremely confident, and the next she would be a weepy mess of nerves. By Friday evening, when Kurt was helping Rachel into her gown in one of NYADA's music rooms, she seemed to have reached an equilibrium. She was surprisingly calm.

"You look gorgeous," Kurt approved as Rachel spun around, showing off her glittery dress. "You should win on style alone."

"Thank you, Kurt," she smiled, skipping over to kiss his cheek. "And thanks for coming."

Kurt heard the "even though it seems unlikely that you're going to get into NYADA" that went unsaid.

They walked together to the door to the Round Room where they Showcase was about to start.

"I..." Rachel hesitated as Kurt reached for the door. He paused to look at her.

"I need a minute alone," she requested.

Kurt nodded and slipped into the room without her. He found a seat where he could save both Rachel and Brody a chair beside him and waited for the competition to begin.

"Welcome to the New York Academy of Dramatic Art's annual Winter Showcase," Carmen Tibideaux addressed the group. "While this is a competition, it is also a celebration. Each year, our faculty chooses ten students who exemplify the best of what we are trying to achieve."

As she introduced the first performer – a dancer – Kurt wondered if Rachel would come into the room soon. He knew she was probably nervous, but he really, _really_ didn't want her to be out in the hallway when her name was called.

She didn't come between the first and second performers. Or between the second and third. When the fourth performer finished, Kurt jumped out of his seat and ran out of the room to find her. It was her turn next.

"Hey!" he called to Rachel, who was standing with Brody on the stairs outside the Round Room, "As sympathetic as I am to this particular act of the rom-com... Rachel, you're up!"

Rachel and Brody rushed up the stairs and followed Kurt into the room just in time.

"Our next performer is from the freshman class," Carmen Tibideaux announced. "Please welcome Miss Rachel Berry."

Kurt and Brody rushed to their seats as Rachel walked to the front of the room.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel introduced herself, "and I'm just going to sing for you."

Kurt had heard Rachel sing _Being Good Isn't Good Enough_ many times – especially over the past week as she rehearsed it for this performance – but never quite like she sang it for the Winter Showcase audience. She was outstanding.

The crowd agreed; she received a standing ovation. "Encore!" Brody shouted.

Someone else echoed the sentiment, and Rachel glanced at Carmen Tibideaux before rushing over to ask the band if they knew the second song she wanted to sing.

"This is my favorite holiday song that I'd like to sing for you today," Rachel said as she returned to the center of the room.

She sang _O Holy Night_, and it was just as brilliant as her first song. Kurt was so proud of her as he watched her sing. She belonged here.

The crowd erupted in cheers again as soon as the song ended, and Kurt jumped to his feet to applaud his friend. Rachel rushed over and embraced Kurt and then Brody.

"Rachel," Carmen Tibideaux said as she walked to the center of the room, "that was wonderful. No, it was superb."

Kurt was too emotional about how amazing Rachel had sounded to feel uncomfortable when Carmen's gaze fell on him a few times.

"And now, we're going to have a brief intermission," she explained. "And, when we come back, if he thinks he's ready, we'll have a performance from Mr. Hummel."

Kurt felt a rush of surprise and fear that he hadn't felt since the moment he had been unexpectedly crowned prom queen at his junior prom. There was a sudden hum in the room as everyone looked around, trying to see who "Mr. Hummel" was, and Kurt felt a familiar instinct to get away.

He fled the room, out the door to the staircase that led to the lobby. He could hear Rachel rushing after him, trying not to call attention to them as she called his name. He could barely understand what she was saying.

"Carmen Tibideaux is an insane person!" Kurt cried as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Asking me to sing in front of the entire NYADA faculty? And all those theatrical luminaries? Why would she do that?"

"She's giving you a second chance at your audition!" Rachel said. "She just wants to see how you perform under pressure!"

"I'm gonna fail, that's what's going to happen!" Kurt wailed.

He wondered if she had planned this. Planned to put him on the spot to teach him a lesson after his visit to her office.

He wanted Blaine.

"I... I have nothing prepared," he said desperately.

"Oh my god," Rachel scolded. "You have an entire repertoire!"

"I guess I could do... _Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again_?" Kurt considered.

"No _Phantom_," Rachel disagreed. "Not in front of this crowd."

"_With One Look_?" Kurt suggested.

"_Sunset Boulevard_?" Rachel said skeptically. "Same thing."

"_Being Alive_?" Kurt said, trying not to start crying as he thought about singing _anything_ in front of so many important people without any time to rehearse.

"_Yes_," Rachel gasped. "Oh my god, I just got chills. That's perfect!"

"There's only one problem," Kurt realized. "I think that's a song that Carmen hates. And I can't do it without a costume or props!"

"You don't need any of that stuff!" Rachel scolded.

"Yes, I do," Kurt resisted. "You know that I'm at my best when I have my careful assortment of bells and whistles. My steel scaffolding or my gold lamé pants."

"Kurt," Rachel said, walking over to place a calming hand on his shoulder, "you said it yourself. That is exactly what Carmen does not want to see."

He knew she was right, but he felt agonizingly alone as he considered that he was going to have to stand still in the middle of the room and just _sing_.

"You know when you were your absolute best?" Rachel remembered as she sat down on a bench by the wall of windows. "My favorite performance ever? When you sang _I Want To Hold Your Hand_ in the choir room. It was so, just, simple and emotional and, I don't know, I get chills every time I think about it. Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do," Kurt told her. "But things were different. My dad was in the hospital. I dedicated it to him. Who am I supposed to dedicate this to? Carmen?"

"To yourself," Rachel said as Kurt's mind suggested Blaine.

Kurt took a deep breath as the lights in the lobby flickered to let them know it was time to return to the Round Room.

"Oh god," he gasped.

"No," Rachel said sternly, jumping to her feet and grabbing his hand. "No panicking. You can _do this_, Kurt."

Kurt squeezed her hand.

"You're going to nail this and I'm going to write an entire chapter about this epic night in my memoir," Rachel said seriously.

Kurt couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up from somewhere deep inside him.

"See?" Rachel beamed. "You _know_ you can do this. This is your moment. Come on!"

She led the way up the stairs. When they reached the door to the Round Room, Rachel stopped and stretched up on her toes to kiss Kurt's cheek.

"Break a leg," she whispered before disappearing through the door to find her seat.

Kurt straightened his jacket, took a deep breath, and opened the door. A student was waiting for him; she asked him to wait for a moment while Carmen introduced him. From where they were standing, Kurt could only hear what was going on in the main room.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Carmen Tibideaux addressed the audience, "we will now have a special guest performance from Mr. Kurt Hummel."

Kurt walked from the door to the center of the room, acutely aware that every pair of eyes in the room was trained on him. He tried not to panic. He could panic later. He had to focus.

"Hi, um, I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt said to the audience as he reached the center of the room, "and I'll be auditioning for the role of... NYADA student."

There were so many important faces staring back at him from the crowd. Carmen Tibideaux, the entire faculty of NYADA, and multiple benefactors and former students who were very influential in the world of the dramatic arts. Kurt wished that he was up on a stage instead of standing right in front of them. This felt so intimate.

Like the choir room.

"Tonight, I'm going to perform a song that I've loved since I was six," Kurt explained. "But, um, I think, for the first time in my life, I finally understand what it means."

He glanced back at the band and the music began. Kurt tried to relax. This was just like glee club. An opportunity to express his feelings through song. He could do this.

_Someone to hold you too close_

_Someone to hurt you too deep_

_Someone to sit in your chair_

_To ruin your sleep_

He focused on just singing as he began. Making sure that he sounded his best. But, as he thought about the lyrics as if he had never heard them before, he started to think about Blaine.

_Someone to crowd you with love_

_Someone to force you to care_

_Someone to make you come through_

_Who'll always be there_

_As frightened as you of being alive_

_Being alive_

It felt strange to take this step toward NYADA without Blaine by his side. Blaine had always been there, ready with an encouraging word if Kurt ever doubted himself. Even when Blaine had been bedridden, terrified of his upcoming surgery, he had made sure to celebrate Kurt's achievement of being a NYADA finalist. And Blaine had been there to catch Kurt when his NYADA dreams had been shattered by a rejection letter at the end of the school year.

_Somebody hold me too close_

_Somebody hurt me too deep_

_Somebody sit in my chair_

_And ruin my sleep_

_And make me aware of being alive_

_Make me alive_

Kurt had been alone before he found Blaine. Used to doing things alone. Dealing with things alone. It had been hard, sometimes, but it had also seemed normal. It was just the way things had always been. But now, being alone after being together with Blaine for so long felt empty. Like nothing mattered quite as much because Blaine wasn't around.

_Make me confused_

_Mock me with grace_

_Let me be used_

_Vary my days_

_But alone is alone_

_Not alive_

He felt tears pooling in his eyes as he connected to the lyrics in a way he never had before and sang out his emotions to finish the song.

_Somebody crowd me with love_

_Somebody force me to care_

_Somebody let me come through_

_I'll always be there_

_As frightened as you to help us survive_

_Being alive_

_Being alive_

_Being alive_

He closed his eyes as he sang out the last note and knew that he had done it. He had nailed his second chance.

Rachel was crying. Carmen Tibideaux was on her feet, applauding.

Kurt couldn't hold back a few tears as everyone cheered for him. It felt like he was living in a fantasy. A fantasy in which Blaine had just helped him advance as an artist without even knowing it.

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel," Carmen Tibideaux said as she walked toward him. Kurt quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks and offered a little bow to the audience before rushing into Rachel's arms.

"That was unbelievable!" she gushed in his ear as they embraced. "You're amazing."

"Bravo," Brody applauded, offering his hand as Kurt sat down. Kurt reached across Rachel and shook Brody's hand, so full of adrenaline that he was trembling uncontrollably. As he settled into his chair, Rachel grabbed his hand. He smiled at her, remembering the night when they had gone to Dayton to the NYADA mixer and had cried in the car because they felt so ill prepared. It felt like a different lifetime.

Five more students performed, and then it was time to announce the winner. All ten NYADA students who had performed left the room and each faculty member wrote his or her top choice on a piece of paper. As someone tallied the votes, Kurt felt a tap on his shoulder.

He twisted around in his chair and found a young man with blonde hair sitting two rows behind, reaching over an empty chair to grab Kurt's attention.

"Spectacular performance," he said kindly. "You'd have my vote."

Kurt felt lightheaded and overwhelmed. "Thank you so much," he stammered.

"Okay!" Carmen Tibideaux announced, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the room. "Momentarily, the student who we, the faculty, feel has best represented NYADA tonight - the Winter Showcase winner - will return to the room. I ask that you give them a warm welcome and offer your congratulations."

She took her seat, and Kurt had to concentrate on not bouncing in his chair with anticipation. It could be Rachel. She had been the only student asked to perform an encore.

Rachel, beaming her brightest smile, walked into the room, and Kurt leaped to his feel and roared his approval with the rest of the crowd.

"Thank you," Rachel said as the applause quieted. "Thank you so much. Madame Tibideaux. Everyone."

The room grew silent as tears filled Rachel's eyes.

"It was such a privilege to sing for all of you tonight," she said. "It's such a privilege to be here... in this city, at this school, learning from the best in the world. And," she looked at Kurt, "I'd like to thank my best friend, Kurt, for always believing in me and for adding his beautiful voice to tonight's celebration."

The room applauded, and Kurt blew Rachel a kiss. She laughed.

"Thank you," she said again as Carmen Tibideaux walked over to stand beside her.

"Miss Rachel Berry, everyone," Carmen smiled, giving the audience one more chance to cheer for Rachel.

And then it was over. By the time Kurt and Rachel finished shaking people's hands and mingling with the crowd, it was almost midnight. But Kurt had to call his father.

"I'll be outside," he said to Rachel as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "My dad is not going to believe this!"

Rachel nodded, and Kurt saw her pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket as he pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold nighttime air.

"Hello?" Burt answered, obviously newly awake. "Kurt? You okay?"

"I'm better than okay!" Kurt whined happily. "I got to perform at the Showcase! And Rachel won!"

It took a few minutes for Kurt to properly explain what had happened and for Burt to accidentally wake Carole up with because he was so excited. Once she was awake, Burt handed the phone to her and Kurt had to re-tell the whole story.

"God, Kurt," Burt said when he got the phone back from Carole. "Look at this life you're living. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt smiled. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too," his father said. "You get home safe tonight, okay?"

"I will," Kurt agreed. "Goodnight, Dad."

"Congratulations, Kurt," Burt said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart!" Carole called just before Burt hung up.

Kurt hurried back inside, happy to escape the cold. Rachel was waiting for him, and they took a taxi home since it was so late. Kurt stared at his phone in his lap as Rachel texted nonstop with someone.

_Rachel won NYADA's Winter Showcase!_ he texted Blaine.

Blaine didn't reply in the few minutes it took Kurt to decide how to tell Blaine about his performance, so Kurt assumed that he was sleeping.

_And I got to sing, too!_ he sent. _A surprise in-person audition. Talk about the adrenaline rush of my life! I sang Being Alive. It went really well, thank god._

He didn't add: _I thought about you the whole time. How you have been responsible for the greatest joy and the greatest pain of my adult life. I wish you had been there._

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine woke up to find Kurt's text messages from the night before waiting for him. He jumped out of bed and ran to his computer to see if he could find more details about the Showcase without having to overwhelm Kurt with questions. Blaine was so excited about their rekindled friendship, but he was trying his best to let Kurt decide how often they communicated.

Rachel had posted a photo of her with Kurt and Brody on Facebook. Blaine couldn't tell if it had been taken before or after the Showcase, but all three looked happy.

He also found an article that had just been posted to NYADA's student-run news site thirty minutes earlier. It outlined the entire night – what everyone sang, in which order, and the atmosphere in the room during each performance – and included a glowing review of both Rachel's and Kurt's performances. The author called Kurt's performance a "delightful surprise" and expressed hope that Kurt would be accepted into NYADA.

Blaine leaned back in his desk chair and wished that he had been there. He knew that, even if he had been in New York, he may not have been allowed to attend the showcase, but it hurt to realize that he had missed Kurt's audition. Kurt's surprise, in-person audition that, Blaine thought, had probably just won him a spot at the prestigious school.

_Oh my god, Kurt_, he replied to Kurt's messages from the night before, _congratulations! I'm sure you nailed it. You're amazing. I love you._

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Over the weekend, Blaine – and the rest of New Directions – received an email from Finn. About why they should still believe in glee club even though the competition season was over. It was the push Blaine and the rest of the students in glee club needed to decide to come back together; none of them had wanted to leave in the first place. They met in the courtyard on Monday afternoon, not caring about the cold, snowy day as they sang together again. It felt great. Blaine was glad that Finn had pressed the issue.

"Hey," he grabbed Finn's arm as the short rehearsal ended and everyone went their separate ways to escape the cold. "Thanks for this, man."

Finn smiled. "I'm glad it worked!" he confessed as they walked toward the parking lot together. "Rachel called me the other night and... she's really an inspiration, you know? Do you, uh, have you...?"

"We're talking again," Blaine understood the question. He tried not to smile too widely as he said the words. "Text messages, mostly."

"That's awesome," Finn approved.

"How's Rachel?" Blaine asked. He had texted her to express his congratulations after the Winter Showcase and had received a _Thank you, Blaine!_ with a string of happy emoticons in return, but Blaine and Rachel weren't in contact much.

"I dunno," Finn admitted. "She sounded good. Really confident in a calm sort of way. But we don't talk much."

"Right," Blaine realized. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Finn clasped a hand on Blaine's shoulder as they reached Blaine's car.

Finn walked away, and Blaine went home feeling content and hopeful about the future. He was still in New Directions. He and Kurt were talking again. Kurt was probably going to get into NYADA. Things would be okay, eventually.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt got home from work on Monday evening, he was exhausted. Somehow, three of Vogue dot com's articles had been deleted less than twenty four hours before they were set to be published to the website, so Kurt and his co-workers had spent an agonizingly long thirteen hour day frantically trying to rewrite and reformat each of the pieces to Vogue dot com's high standards. They were at work so late that Kurt had missed the final train to Bushwick and had to pay for a cab to get home.

He was irritated and tired as he walked into his building, so he yanked the mail out of his and Rachel's mailbox and trudged up the stairs into their apartment to collapse on the couch. He tossed the mail on the kitchen table on the way.

Rachel wasn't home yet. She had texted him a few hours earlier to say that she was going out to dinner with Brody and some of their NYADA classmates, so Kurt knew she wouldn't be home until really late.

After an unknown amount of time spent trying not to fall asleep on the couch, Kurt got up, made himself a snack, and sat down to watch mindless television as he ate. After he washed his dishes, he noticed the pile of mail on the table and grabbed the bunch of paper to see if there was anything interesting in the stack.

Nestled in amongst a few pieces of junk mail and their water bill, there was a letter for Kurt. From NYADA.

Heart pounding, Kurt carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper inside. He stared at it in his hand, folded so he couldn't see its contents, and knew that this moment was going to change his life. If the letter said he was in, he would go to NYADA and get a chance at pursuing Broadway. If the letter said "we're sorry", he would have to let go of his Broadway dreams.

He unfolded the letter and started at the very top of the page, not allowing his eyes to skip down as he read every word.

NYADA's address. The date.

Dear Mr. Hummel.

"Due to your exemplary application and audition, we are pleased to offer you a spot in the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts' musical theater program..."

He was in.

Tears filled Kurt's eyes as he read the rest of the letter. Details about how to confirm his admittance and a short, handwritten note at the bottom from Carmen Tibideaux.

_Congratulations, Mr. Hummel. Welcome to NYADA!_

Kurt stood, frozen in place, and read the letter a second time. It was real. Excitement and nervousness and gratitude filled him up, and he barely heard the sound of the apartment door opening as Rachel returned home from her night out. He only noticed her because the movement of the door and Rachel's body as she stepped into the apartment caught his attention. He lifted his head to look at her as she walked into the room.

"Oh my god," she gasped as she saw him, "what happened?"

"I got my NYADA letter," Kurt explained, motioning numbly at the paper in his hand. "I got in."

"You got in!" Rachel squealed, clutching her hands to her chest in delight before running to him. "Oh my god!"

Kurt caught her in a tight hug and they cried and laughed as they both processed what this meant for Kurt.

"I did it," Kurt laughed shakily as Rachel released him. He was still clutching the letter in one hand. "I did it."

"You did it!" Rachel shouted joyfully, gently taking the paper from him so she could read it. "Oh, _Kurt_..."

They sat down together on the couch, and Kurt felt overwhelmed. To his relief, Rachel seemed to understand and didn't start rattling off a stream of advice or asking questions. She just held his hand and shared his excitement and got up to get him a glass of water when he realized that his mouth was painfully dry.

"Congratulations, Kurt," Rachel smiled as she handed him the water.

"Thanks," Kurt managed.

They both laughed, and Rachel leaned over to hug him again.

"I'm gonna go have a shower!" Rachel said brightly, and Kurt looked up as her just in time to catch her meaningful glance at his phone on the couch beside him.

Kurt stared at the phone, trying to decide who to call. He wanted to call the entire world all at once and scream down the phone at them. He would be a NYADA student in January. As the bathroom door closed behind Rachel and Kurt found himself alone, his stomach felt as if it were attempting to tie itself in knots. He found Blaine's name in his contacts list and initiated the call.

He lifted the phone to his ear, and, as he listened to the ringing, he noticed the time.

It was almost one o'clock in the morning.

Kurt yanked the phone away from his ear to hang up, but he was too late. Blaine's voice, soft and thick from being woken up, answered the call.

"Hello?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at himself for not thinking about the time and returned the phone to his ear.

"Hey," Kurt said, trying to sound remorseful but unable to contain his excitement. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"I love when you wake me up," Blaine said, his voice light and content.

Kurt laughed. "You're not awake."

"I am," Blaine pouted. Kurt heard the bed creak and assumed that Blaine was sitting up.

"Okay," Kurt said, bouncing his knees to release some of the hysterical energy he could feel building up inside him. "I _am_ sorry it's so late, but I... I couldn't wait."

Blaine waited for him to continue.

"I got into NYADA," Kurt blurted in a voice wobbly with emotion. It was not the screeching announcement he had planned to make. He had wanted to stretch it out and tease Blaine along until he could finally shout the news through the phone to Ohio. But, instead, Kurt felt tears in his eyes – a mixture of happy tears and sad tears – and his voice came out soft and emotional instead of triumphant.

Blaine made a noise that sounded like he wanted to say Kurt's name and squeak with excitement at the same time. Kurt closed his eyes, imagining Blaine's huge smile. It made him miss Blaine more than ever.

"You– _Kurt_, of course you did," Blaine choked out, and Kurt could tell he was crying, too. "_Congratulations_!"

"I start in January," Kurt whispered excitedly. "I can't believe this is real."

"I can," Blaine argued. "There's no one else in the world like you, Kurt. And you've worked so hard and been so–" Blaine's voice strangled off and Kurt wished that things were normal between them. Wished that he could teleport to Ohio so they could wrap their arms around each other and laugh and cry and enjoy the good news together.

"– so _brave_," Blaine finished. "I'm so proud of you... I love you."

"I love you, too," Kurt smiled, wiping the tears off his cheeks with his free hand. "Thank you for being so excited for me."

"My best friend just got into the school of his dreams," Blaine teased. "O_f course_ I'm excited! What did your dad say?"

"I haven't called him yet," Kurt admitted.

There was silence on the other end of the call, and Kurt realized that maybe this was leading Blaine on too much. He hadn't even called his _father_ before he called Blaine. Yes, it was ridiculously early in the morning, but he could have waited until daylight before calling anyone. He was so wrapped up in his excitement that he had dialed the one person he always wanted to talk to first.

But they weren't together anymore. And, as much as Kurt knew that Blaine was overwhelmingly grateful for the chance to be Kurt's friend again, Kurt knew that Blaine wanted to be more than friends. Blaine was being extremely cautious not to push the issue, but Kurt could feel Blaine hanging on his every word. Was it fair to Blaine to let him get his hopes up when Kurt wasn't sure yet if he would ever be able to open his heart to Blaine again?

"I mean... it's really late," Kurt added lamely. "So, you know, he's sleeping."

"Yeah," Blaine said softly.

Kurt sighed and twisted around on the couch so that he could lie flat on his back as silence fell awkwardly between them.

"I'm glad you called," Blaine admitted.

"Me too," Kurt agreed. "I don't... I don't want things to be weird."

"It's okay," Blaine tried to reassure him, but the touch of self-loathing in Blaine's voice made Kurt's heart ache. It _wasn't_ okay – not overall – and Kurt wasn't sure if it would ever be truly okay again.

As silence hung between them, Kurt was suddenly aware that Rachel was singing in the shower.

"_...Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on. Once more you open door and you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and on..."_

A tiny laugh bubbled out of Kurt before he could stop it, and he heard Blaine's questioning noise in his ear.

"Rachel oh-so-discreetly went to have a shower so I could call you," Kurt explained. "And now she's singing so I know she's not somehow trying to listen in on our conversation."

"Unless she has the room bugged," Blaine deadpanned.

They both laughed, and the awkwardness faded away as their amusement transitioned to softer giggles.

"You're going to NYADA," Blaine breathed as they calmed down. "_You're going_ _to NYADA_, Kurt."

"I'm a little worried this might be an elaborate dream," Kurt confessed.

"It's not a dream," Blaine reassured him.

This time the silence between them was comfortable, but Kurt felt tears returning to his eyes.

"Thanks for taking my call so late at night," he said quietly.

"I will always pick up when you call, Kurt," Blaine said seriously.

"I'm glad we're talking again," Kurt admitted.

"Me too," Blaine agreed. "Congratulations. You deserve this."

"Thanks," Kurt said. "I'll see you soon, okay? I need to finalize my Christmas plans – I think I waited longer than I should have to look at flights – but I want to see you as soon as I'm home."

"Okay," Blaine whispered. "I love you."

"Love you," Kurt agreed. "Goodnight."

* * *

><p><em><strong>KURT GOT INTO NYADA! HALLELUJAH. And he's talking to Blaine again! Things are looking up.<br>**_

_**Do you ever just wonder... where are everyone's parents? The whole situation with New Directions not having anywhere to rehearse is pretty ridiculous. Send Burt in there to rage at Figgins or something. And what happened to the monetary prize they got for winning Nationals last year? Wouldn't that cover at least a year's worth of "renting" the choir room? I know, it's Glee. Don't think so hard. It was clearly an excuse to get Blaine into a Cheerio uniform, so fine.**_

_**Up next... 4x10: Glee, Actually!**_


	49. 4x10: Glee Actually

_**Now it's Christmas in the Glee universe! Christmas always has nice things in store for Kurt and Blaine...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

A few days before Christmas, Blaine was sitting at the piano in the choir room, trying to whittle down his list of potential audition songs for NYADA, when his phone rang. He leaned forward to glance at it on top of the piano, and the little screen suddenly had his full attention.

Burt Hummel.

Blaine snatched the phone off the piano and answered it as fast as he could.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Blaine," Burt said. "It's Burt. Burt Hummel."

"Hi," Blaine replied, not sure what to say.

"Uh, where are you right now?" Burt asked.

"At school," Blaine explained. "I wanted to use the piano in the choir room."

He had convinced Principal Figgins that, as student body president, he needed a key to the school. So, he could come and go as he pleased, even though the school was closed for winter break.

"Mind if I come over so we can talk in person?" Burt asked.

"Um, sure," Blaine agreed. "Okay."

"See you soon," Burt said.

"Bye," Blaine managed to say before Burt hung up.

Blaine tried to concentrate on his song choices in the seemingly endless stretch of time between the call and when Burt arrived, but his brain kept returning to the fact that Burt was on his way over. Why?

A knock on the doorframe and Burt's voice reached him simultaneously. "Blaine?"

"Hi!" Blaine gasped, standing up so quickly that he slammed the top of his knee on the underside of the piano. He ended up perched awkwardly on the end of the piano bench, rubbing his knee as Burt walked into the room.

"You okay?" Burt asked, trying not to laugh as he gestured at Blaine's knee.

"Oh, yeah," Blaine replied quickly. Blaine hadn't seen Kurt's father since before their breakup, even in passing, so Burt's sudden presence made Blaine incredibly nervous.

"Good," Burt replied as Blaine stared at him, trying to figure out why Burt wanted to see him. Was something wrong?

"Is... is Kurt okay?" Blaine asked tentatively.

"Yes," Burt answered, but he didn't sound as sure as Blaine expected. Blaine braced himself for a lecture as Burt's expression turned serious.

"Relax, Anderson," Burt teased as he grabbed a chair and dragged it over so he could sit down in front of Blaine. "I'm not here to give you a hard time."

Blaine nodded as Burt settled into his chair.

"I hear you and Kurt are talking again," Burt said.

"Friends," Blaine clarified carefully.

Burt smiled. "That's good. He misses you. Hell, we all miss you."

"I'm sorry," Blaine said quietly. Ever since Sam had convinced him to stay at McKinley and Kurt had agreed to give their friendship a second chance, Blaine had been able to see the light at the end of the dark emotional tunnel that he had been stuck in since Kurt had left for New York. But he was sure that the shame of what he had done would live inside him forever.

He wasn't sure if Burt knew about the infidelity. Blaine's parents didn't know. They knew that Blaine and Kurt had broken up, but Blaine had told them it was about the distance and growing apart. He couldn't bring himself to tell his parents that he had cheated on the boy he loved.

"Finn told me... not all the details, of course, but that you've been in a dark place since you got back from New York," Burt said.

"Yeah," Blaine acknowledged sadly, doing everything possible to avoid Burt's eyes.

Burt noticed.

"Look at me, Blaine," he instructed.

Blaine obeyed and was surprised to see nothing but kindness in Burt's expression.

"Kurt needs time," Burt said seriously. "I can't say what he'll want when he finally makes his decision about the two of you, but I know he still loves you very much."

Blaine took a deep breath and blinked a few times to keep his emotions from turning into tears. Burt watched him for a moment before drawing in a long breath of his own.

"There's something I need to tell you, Blaine," Burt said. "And something I want to ask you. A favor."

Blaine nodded.

"Will you come to New York with me to surprise my son for Christmas?"

Blaine's heart rate accelerated as Burt finished his sentence and looked to Blaine for an answer. Why did Burt want to bring him along? Was surprising Kurt a good idea after what had happened the last time Blaine had been in New York? What was going on?

Burt absorbed the confusion on Blaine's face and his expression softened.

"I've got cancer," Burt explained.

Blaine felt as if ice had been injected into his veins. "I– I–" Blaine tried to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he managed.

"Me too," Burt agreed. "But there's a good chance I'll be fine, so no pity, okay? Look..." Burt leaned forward in his chair. "If there's one thing I know, it's that you never regret spending time with people you love. And, no matter if you're friends or boyfriends, Kurt loves you. He's trying to pretend that he's fine with spending Christmas all alone in New York this year, but I know how much he was looking forward to being home. And how much he wanted to see you. So, I talked to Carole, and I want to bring home to my son since he can't get himself home."

"Okay," Blaine agreed without thinking.

Burt nodded, and Blaine suddenly felt lightheaded with nerves and excitement. He was going to get to see Kurt at Christmastime after all. In New York.

"Well," Burt said, pulling a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket, "here's your ticket."

"My...?" Blaine took the paper from him and looked at the plane ticket with his name on it. They arrived in New York late on the 23rd of December.

"I knew you'd agree," Burt said, not bothering to hide a knowing smile. "I already asked your parents, too, so as long as you're game..."

"My _parents_?" Blaine gasped.

"Relax!" Burt laughed, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "I just told them I thought Kurt would like to see you and they agreed."

Blaine could feel his face burning with shame as he thought about Burt talking to his parents. He stared down at the ticket in his hands, trying to comprehend the previous few minutes. Burt had cancer and wanted to go to New York to surprise Kurt. And he wanted Blaine to go with him.

"I don't know what to say," he admitted.

"You've already said 'yes', which is the important part," Burt teased. "You don't have to say anything. Just, maybe... think about what you want to say to Kurt."

"I will," Blaine nodded, standing up as Burt did. He stuck his arm out and Burt shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Hummel. Thank you so much."

As soon as Burt was out of the room, Blaine pumped his fists triumphantly. He was going to New York to see Kurt for Christmas.

They had planned to get coffee together when Kurt was home over winter break, but Kurt's NYADA acceptance had forced Kurt to save his money even more than usual and he had decided to stay in New York rather than pay to fly home. It made sense, but Blaine had been devastated when Kurt had texted him to tell him the change in plans.

Blaine was extremely excited to get a second chance at seeing Kurt.

But his excitement was overshadowed by Burt's news. Cancer.

They talked about it on the flight to New York on the day before Christmas Eve. Burt explained more about the type of cancer he had and the treatment plan his doctor had recommended. Blaine was glad to hear that the prognosis was good, and he tried to be as encouraging as possible.

The conversation shifted to other things. New Directions' surprise loss at Sectionals. How much Blaine (and Carole and Burt) enjoyed having Finn around again. The few times Burt and Mr. Schu had run into each other when Mr. Schu had been in Washington DC on the arts curriculum panel.

A comfortable silence settled between them, eventually, but not for long.

"Blaine," Burt said, and Blaine was immediately on edge as he heard the seriousness in Burt's voice, "I've been toying with whether or not I want to say this, but I think I need to. I can sorta feel you bracing for it every time I open my mouth, anyway, so maybe it's best to just get it over with."

Blaine dropped his gaze to his hands in his lap and didn't respond.

"I know why you and Kurt broke up," Burt said as Blaine's face burned with shame. "And I'm not gonna pretend I'm happy about it."

Blaine couldn't move.

"But I know this," Burt said, his voice a little softer. "It takes a lot of courage to step up and admit that you did something wrong. That you made a mistake. Especially when you know what it's gonna cost you."

He paused, and Blaine knew he was waiting for Blaine to look at him.

"Blaine," Burt pressed.

Blaine huffed out a nervous breath and turned to look at Kurt's father.

"You're a good kid, Blaine," Burt said. "You did a dumb thing and you're trying to figure out how to make up for it, and I respect that. But, I just have to say, as a father; as _Kurt's_ father... never again."

Blaine shook his head in agreement.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Burt teased. Blaine rubbed his face with one hand, embarrassed, and Burt reached over to shake Blaine's shoulder.

"Thank you for not hating me," Blaine said as he let his hand fall into his lap.

"I certainly don't hate you," Burt agreed. "And Kurt doesn't either. You wait and see how his face is gonna light up when he sees you, and I think you'll know how he feels."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

They spent the night in a hotel in Manhattan, and Burt prepared to leave for Bushwick in the late morning on Christmas Eve.

"Alright," Burt said, pausing by the door to look back at Blaine, "you sure you're gonna be okay by yourself until tonight?"

"Yes, sir," Blaine nodded. He was incredibly nervous to set out into such a huge city by himself, but it went hand-in-hand with a large dose of excitement, too.

"I'm gonna try to have him to Bryant Park by... eleven-ish?" Burt reminded him. "I'll keep you up to date with texts and stuff, but that's the general plan. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Blaine agreed. "Thank you so much."

Burt smiled fondly. "Kurt's gonna flip," he laughed. "See you tonight, Blaine. Happy Christmas Eve."

"You, too," Blaine waved. "See you tonight."

Once he was alone in the hotel room, Blaine sprawled out on his stomach on his bed and studied a New York City map on his phone.

He wanted to go to NYADA and explore the campus. He wanted to see Central Park and Grand Central Station and Times Square. He knew he wouldn't have time for the Statue of Liberty on this trip, which was okay with him. He secretly hoped that, one day, he and Kurt could take the ferry to Liberty Island together.

Luckily, there wasn't any snow on the ground, but it was incredibly cold. Blaine was glad that he had brought his warmest jacket and scarf as he stepped out of the hotel into the freezing cold of Christmas Eve in New York City.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"I'm not going home, Rachel," Kurt reiterated as Rachel packed her suitcase to go on a cruise with her dads and tried to convince Kurt to go home to Lima so he wouldn't be alone on Christmas.

"Well, if you're not gonna come to Lima," Rachel allowed, "then my dads and I insist you come with us to the Rosie O'Donnell gay holiday cruise. It's gonna be so much fun! There's even going to be a Jesse Tyler Ferguson lookalike contest."

"Well, in that case, I'm definitely going to have to pass!" Kurt said as Rachel walked over to help him hang a few ornaments on a tiny fake Christmas tree that Kurt had picked up the day before. Burt had sent a box of ornaments – many of their family ornaments – for them to decorate with, but they hadn't wanted to spend money on a real tree this year. So, they had decided to just buy a small, fake tabletop tree and put a few ornaments on it. It was, Kurt thought, a sad sight. He thought he might take it down once Rachel was gone.

"Why?" Rachel whined unhappily.

"Besides," Kurt said, "there's really no reason to go to Lima anyway. My dad and Finn and Carole are visiting Carole's sister in Zanesville and she always has too much eggnog and blacks out. Happy holidays!"

"Well, what about Blaine?" Rachel asked tentatively.

"I talk to him," Kurt reminded her. "But, you know, he knows that I'm saving my money for NYADA now." Kurt was not going to admit to Rachel that he was sad that he wasn't going to see Blaine at Christmas. "And it'll be good to just have some time for myself, you know, and think about things and..."

Someone knocked at the door, interrupting Kurt's attempt to justify spending Christmas by himself. "Can you get that?" Rachel asked, so Kurt wandered over to see who was knocking.

He was surprised when he slid the door open and the person was holding a full-sized Christmas tree. He furrowed his brow and was in the process of wondering if this was what his father had sent as a Christmas present when Burt stepped out from behind the tree.

"Dad!" Kurt gasped, happiness flooding through him as Burt stepped through the doorway and into a hug. "Wha –?"

"Burt?" Rachel realized.

"Season's greetings!" Burt smiled at her.

"Oh my god!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Well, I got a tree," Burt said to Kurt. "You need one?"

"Come in!" Kurt agreed. He was so excited that he could barely speak. His dad was here. In New York. Two days before Christmas.

"Alright, alright! I got it, I got it..." Burt said as he carried the tree into the apartment. "Hey, Kurt? There's a stand sitting outside the door. Will you grab it?"

Kurt stepped into the hallway and picked up the tree stand Burt had brought along before returning to the apartment and closing the door behind him.

"So," Burt surveyed the room, "where do you want it?"

"Yeah, right there's good," Kurt said, motioning to where Burt was already standing by the wall in the living room. _Anywhere_ was perfect, Kurt thought. He couldn't take his eyes off his dad.

"Alright, then!" Burt approved. "Come over here and hold it up for me while I screw it into the base."

Kurt and Rachel hurried over, and they got the tree out of its wrapping and into the base so Burt could screw it in.

"Okay, you can let go now!" Burt told them as he secured the tree to the base. Kurt and Rachel let go of the tree, and it stood on its own.

"Come, let's go look at it," Rachel suggested, and Kurt and Burt followed her across the living room so they could admire the tree.

"Aw, it's perfect!" Rachel whined happily. Kurt had to agree. It was a beautiful tree. Even his small fake tree, still assembled on a table beside their new tree, looked better with the bigger tree in the room.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't imagine you guys celebrating Christmas without a real tree," Burt explained. He turned to Rachel. "You know, his mom used to always buy the tree," Burt remembered. "I would always tell her to wait until I got home from work, but she never could. And then, the first Christmas after his mom died, I totally forgot about it. That is, until I saw little Kurt hanging his own special version of a Christmas ornament on his window shade, Christmas Eve."

"My mom's perfume bottle," Kurt remembered, walking to the box of ornaments to find the glass bottle that they had turned into a holiday ornament. "I always loved the way she smelled."

"So," Burt continued the story as Kurt hung the perfume bottle on their new tree, "I pull him out of bed, I throw a coat on him, I drive straight through a snowstorm right down to the Christmas tree sale. It was the first time he smiled since his mom died."

Kurt remembered that night. When he had realized that morning that his dad had forgotten about Christmas decorations, he had planned to decorate the house for him. But, figuring out how to make his mom's perfume bottle into an ornament had been a struggle for eight year old Kurt, and Burt had figured out what he was doing before he could orchestrate his full plan.

Kurt wondered what his mom would think of his life. He had lived longer without her than with her now, and, sometimes, Kurt felt like he didn't remember her clearly enough. He wished that they could have known each other as adults. That she could've known Rachel. And Blaine.

But, if she were alive, Kurt wouldn't have Carole and Finn in his family. It felt impossible to reconcile wishing that his mom were still alive with how much he loved his step-mother and step-brother.

It didn't really matter, Kurt reminded himself as he looked at his mother's perfume bottle on the tree. She was gone, and no amount of wishing could bring her back. He didn't like to dwell on it.

"No tears on Christmas Eve!" Kurt scolded as he turned around and saw the look on Rachel's face. "This box is full of happy memories, as well. Like our Christmas trip to Dollywood!"

He pulled a Dolly Parton ornament out of the box.

"Oh, yeah," Burt remembered.

"That one, I like," Rachel approved.

"That trip was for me," Kurt explained. "Oh, and this redneck NASCAR trip. That was for you," he said to Burt as he found a racecar ornament in the box.

"Hey, it's still a nice ornament," Burt said as he stood up and took the car ornament from Kurt. "Let's hang 'em!"

Kurt and Burt walked to the new tree and hung their ornaments. Kurt felt warm and more grateful for his father than ever as they took part in one of their family traditions.

"Alright, well, I wish I could stay," Rachel said, "but you can't really be late for a cruise, so..."

"Oh," Burt realized, reaching into his bag to retrieve a small box with a red bow, "oh, hold on... you've got to open this before you go."

"You got me something?" Rachel said, delighted, as he walked over and handed her the present.

"Happy Hanukkah," Burt confirmed. "Merry Christmas."

She pulled a sparkling apple ornament out of the box.

"It's for your first New York holiday season," Burt explained. "You can hang it together."

"Thank you!" Rachel smiled and hugged him.

"And then you can go," Burt allowed as Rachel hurried across the living room to where Kurt was waiting by the tree.

"Aw, Kurt, okay," Rachel said as they found a place for the new ornament, "this is to our very first New York Christmas."

"Yeah," Kurt approved as they secured the ornament and stepped back to look at it. He turned his attention to Rachel. "Hope your cruise is super gay," he smirked.

"It will be," Rachel teased, but her smile turned sentimental as she looked at him.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt," she said, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas," Kurt repeated. "See you next year!"

Rachel laughed as they stepped apart and Burt carried her suitcase to the door. "Have fun, you two!" she grinned before she closed the door behind her.

Once Rachel was gone, Burt pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Kurt.

"Our Christmas present from Carole and Finn," he smiled.

"It's only Christmas Eve," Kurt reminded him as he took the envelope.

"It's a time-sensitive thing," Burt explained, "so you've gotta open it now."

Kurt tore open the envelope and found two tickets inside.

"The Radio City Christmas Spectacular!" Kurt gasped, delighted. "And _tonight_? Dad!"

"Thank Carole and Finn," Burt laughed. "But mostly Carole."

Kurt pulled out his phone and called her immediately, thanking her for the tickets and for her willingness to let Burt spend Christmas in New York. And then he and Burt went to catch the train into Manhattan. They exchanged stories of New York and Washington DC and Lima over an early dinner and had a fabulous time at the Christmas Spectacular.

"I never thought I'd see this day," Kurt admitted as they left Radio City Music Hall and ventured down the street in the cold early evening air. "Us walking down the streets of New York right after seeing a live Broadway musical..."

"Well, the Rockettes might have better legs than me," Burt teased, "but they can't touch my Single Ladies performance."

"That was the best musical I've ever seen," Kurt laughed.

"It's freezing!" Burt said. "I think it's time to check off another Hummel family tradition. Hot chocolate."

Kurt smiled his agreement, and they found a diner nearby where they could get hot chocolate and a plate of fries to share.

"This looks delicious," Kurt commented happily as their food arrived. "Thanks for all of this, Dad."

Burt held up his hot chocolate mug, and Kurt clinked their mugs together.

"Look, Kurt," Burt said as they set their mugs down. "I have something to tell you. And I came here because it's the kind of thing I wanted to tell you face-to-face."

"Don't like the sound of that," Kurt admitted.

"Look, I'm just gonna come out and say it because there's no... _good_ way to say it," Burt continued. "Uh... I have prostate cancer."

Kurt's appetite disappeared as the sick realization of _cancer_ settled into his stomach in its place.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Kurt said as he dropped his gaze to his mug of hot chocolate. His father had cancer. That's why he had come to New York. To tell Kurt in person.

"No, no, hey," Burt responded. "Hey, look at me. Do I look like a guy who's dying? We caught it early. Local stage, no spreading. Cure rate's nearly a hundred percent."

"For healthy people, Dad!" Kurt scolded as Burt grabbed a fry off their shared plate. "You've already had a heart attack!"

"The heart attack is what made me get checkups twice a year," Burt explained.

"It's just really scary," Kurt tried to put his feelings into words, "to think that, when I finally reach my destiny, that you won't be around to see it."

"Hey," Burt said, reaching out to put his hand on Kurt's back. "I will be there. I promise."

They looked at each other, and Kurt could see the conviction in his father's eyes. But they both knew that it wasn't a promise Burt could make.

Kurt sighed as Burt removed his hand from his back. Everything felt different, suddenly. The important things felt more important, and the not-so-important things felt trivial. Kurt wasn't sure what he could do to help his father other than to remain calm and to take care of him as much as he could from far away in New York.

"Look, can I just give you one piece of advice?" Burt broke into Kurt's thoughts. "While we're still talking father to son?"

Kurt gave him silent permission.

"This is three times I've had to stare death in the eye," Burt said. "And you know the one thing I took away from all that? You've got to hold the people you love close to you, no matter what."

Kurt offered a small smile and reached out to put his hand over his father's on the table.

He knew that Burt was talking about Blaine. And, if Kurt was honest, he wanted Blaine more now than ever. He wanted to call Blaine and tell him that nothing mattered except their love.

But it wasn't true. Other things did matter. Like the broken trust between them.

Still, Kurt briefly considered calling Blaine and begging him to fly to New York so they could see each other and talk like they planned.

"Let's go home," he said to Burt, instead. "Back to the apartment. The tree still needs more ornaments."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine wandered around NYADA's campus for an hour, soaking in the atmosphere and the architecture. Most of the buildings were locked for the winter holiday, but there were plenty of windows to look through and plenty of outdoor space to explore. By the time he decided he should probably head to Times Square or risk having to skip it, Blaine knew he would fit in at NYADA. It felt right.

Unfortunately, the happiness of that realization was quickly dampened when Blaine accidentally walked past Callbacks on the way to the subway station.

Memories of that night – the emotions, the song, the moment he confessed and everything changed between him and Kurt – flooded through Blaine's mind, but he forced himself to stop outside the bar and look in through the window. The bar had just opened, but there were already a few people inside. A girl was playing the piano, but wasn't singing, and Blaine stood there and watched her for a few minutes until someone noticed him and waved. Blaine ducked his head apologetically and turned and walked away.

He had been trying to avoid thinking too much about what might happen when Kurt saw him. But now, with the image of Callbacks fresh in his mind, it was all Blaine could think about.

He wandered around Times Square, taking a few photos on his phone and marveling at everything around him, but his mind was also whirling through potential scenarios. Would Kurt be happy to see him? They had been talking some, and texting quite a bit, since Thanksgiving. And Kurt _had_ planned to see him in Lima over Christmas before he knew that he would be staying in New York. But Blaine was nervous that his surprise appearance – so immediately after the news of Burt's cancer – might not be a good thing in Kurt's mind.

Once he was so cold that he couldn't feel his face or his fingers or toes, Blaine ate at McDonalds and then just sat there and let his mind run away with him to kill time in a place with heat.

As anxious as he was, there were also exaggeratedly positive scenarios in his mind. Maybe Kurt would be ready to start again. Maybe he would see Blaine and run over and throw his arms around Blaine's neck and kiss him until neither of them could breathe.

Blaine shook his head and rubbed his face. That wasn't going to happen. At best, Kurt would be happy to see him. But this trip wasn't about rekindling their romance. It was about making sure that Kurt had a nice Christmas with his father and his best friend.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When they returned to the apartment, Kurt and Burt finished decorating the new tree before Burt settled into a chair in the living room and Kurt made himself some tea.

"Dad, you okay?" Kurt asked from the kitchen. "Do you need a pillow or tea? Water?"

"No, Kurt... stop, come on," Burt scolded. "Let's focus on happy things. Like our Christmas traditions."

Kurt walked into the living room to sit on the couch near Burt.

"I am looking forward to watching basketball on Christmas Day while you pretend you watch with me," Burt said.

"You mean when I secretly read Vogue?" Kurt remembered.

"It was never a secret," Burt teased. "No, like our other Christmas traditions," Burt continued his list of happy things. "Like on Christmas Eve, where we each exchange one gift."

"My favorite part," Kurt admitted, knowing that Burt had seen the gift bag Kurt had placed under the small table beside the couch. "Alright, you first!"

"I saw that," Burt laughed as Kurt grabbed the bag and handed it to him.

It was a new baseball hat with "NYADA" embroidered on the front.

"Nice!" Burt approved as he removed his old hat and put the NYADA hat on, instead.

"I know it's cheesy," Kurt admitted, "but I thought you'd like it."

"Screw cheesy," Burt announced. "I love it! In Mexico they would call me _Señor Queso_."

He reached into the bag again and pulled out the second half of the present: a grey NYADA shirt.

"Aw, man... I love it, man," Burt smiled as he held the shirt up to his body. "You're gonna kick ass at that school," Burt said confidently.

"That's the plan," Kurt said softly, looking at his hands. He didn't want to think about that yet. He was so nervous.

"Alright, my turn," Kurt said instead, hoping to distract himself.

"Okay, so, my gift to you is really big," Burt said. "It's too big to put under the tree."

"Curiosity peaked," Kurt admitted.

"Okay, so, you can pick it up at this address," Burt said, handing Kurt a slip of paper, "and, you know, if you don't like it... you can return it."

Kurt looked at his father and Burt just stared back at him.

"Right _now_?" Kurt realized.

"Yup," Burt said happily.

Kurt blinked a few times and folded open the little strip of paper to read the address.

"This is in Manhattan, right?" Kurt gasped. "Dad, it's late... I'll just go –"

"Nope," Burt interrupted. "You'll go now. Tomorrow, it'll be too late."

"_Too late_?" Kurt said, completely baffled.

"Too late," Burt confirmed.

An excited giggle bubbled up from inside Kurt, and he shook his head in amusement as he stood up. "Okay then, let's go."

They bundled up and took the train to Manhattan. Kurt spent the entire ride trying to pry details from his father, but Burt was calm and unwilling to give even the smallest of hints. Was it an exhibit at a museum? Maybe. Was it fireworks? Perhaps. Why was it available so late at night but not the next morning? Wait and see.

Then, in what felt like a stroke of genius, Kurt put the address into his phone to see if the location offered any clues.

Bryant Park.

Was it a Christmas lights display? Possibly. Was it a late-night street fair? Maybe. Was it something he could take home with him? No comment.

As they finally emerged onto the streets of Manhattan through Grand Central Terminal, Burt tugged on Kurt's arm.

"You go on," he said. "I'll meet you there."

"_What_?" Kurt gasped. "How am I supposed to know...?"

"You'll know," Burt said cryptically.

Kurt narrowed his eyes, trying to look as stubborn as possible.

"It's that way," Burt offered, sweeping his arm out to point in the direction of Bryant Park.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself," Kurt pouted. "I may not like it."

"Maybe not," Burt acknowledged, but the smile on his face suggested that he thought otherwise.

Kurt drew in a deep breath and turned and walked away.

He spent the short walk trying to figure out what could _possibly_ be waiting for him in Bryant Park at close to eleven thirty at night on Christmas Eve. Something he would recognize as his present.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine was glad he had a wristwatch as he skated slowly around the rink in Bryant Park, because, otherwise, he knew he would have worn his phone battery out checking the time as he waited for Kurt to arrive. Burt had texted him to say that they were on their way. Kurt would arrive any minute.

Blaine was nervous.

What if Kurt was upset? Blaine's sudden appearance would definitely bring up memories of the last time Blaine had surprised him in New York, and _that_ had ended with Blaine's crushing confession. Or, what if Kurt had decided that he didn't actually want to see Blaine? What if Kurt had been secretly relieved that he couldn't return to Lima for Christmas because he had changed his mind about getting together to talk? Maybe Kurt had decided that he was going to move on and this was all going to end horribly.

As Blaine scanned the crowd for any sign of Kurt, he reminded himself that Burt was sure that Kurt would be happy to see him. Blaine had to trust that Kurt meant it when he said he wanted them to be friends again.

Despite his anxiety about how _Kurt_ was going to feel when they saw each other, Blaine was incredibly eager to see Kurt. They hadn't seen each other since Kurt had opened up to the possibility of rekindling their friendship, and Blaine wondered how things would feel between them. Would Kurt be comfortable with Blaine around?

Suddenly, he saw Kurt approaching through the crowd, and all the questions and worries melted away and were replaced by a surge of happiness and anticipation.

Kurt looked confused as he reached the area beside the skating rink and twisted around, looking for some clue that would explain why Burt had sent him to this location. Blaine skated over to the edge of the rink and leaned on the wall.

"Package for Kurt Hummel!" he called.

At the sound of his name, Kurt spun around and his eyes fell on Blaine.

"Blaine?" he gasped. He looked confused and surprised and delighted as he stuffed a small piece of paper into his pocket and hurried over.

"Surprise!" Blaine teased, throwing his arms out. "Your dad called me out of the blue and wanted to fly me out here just so I could see that look on your face. And it's pretty priceless."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was so surprised by Blaine's sudden appearance that he couldn't think of what to say.

"Actually," Blaine clarified, "he told me everything. And I promise I'll keep an eye on him for you."

A little of Kurt's enthusiasm waned at the suggestion. Part of him liked the idea of Blaine being there for his father, but another part of him wasn't sure. They weren't together anymore. Should their lives still be so connected? And, despite knowing that it was absolutely ridiculous, Kurt felt a tiny stab of jealousy that Blaine would be around his father and Kurt wouldn't.

"B-but the reason why I'm _here_," Blaine said, sensing Kurt's small hesitation, "is because he didn't want us to miss out on another important holiday tradition."

"Our Christmas duet," Kurt realized.

Blaine looked at him for a moment, and his eagerness faltered slightly.

"You are happy to see me," Blaine wondered, "right?"

Kurt's heart felt heavy in his chest as he saw the doubt and the hope in Blaine's eyes.

"Yeah," he said, trying to reassure Blaine that he would always be glad to see him. "Yeah. Always."

Blaine didn't look completely convinced, but he looked like he decided to believe Kurt for now. "Well, come on, get your skates on!" Blaine teased, motioning at the area where you could rent ice skates. "It's almost midnight, hurry up!"

They skated together for almost half an hour, singing along to the various holiday songs that blared through speakers around the rink, before the cold got to them and they took off their skates and found some hot chocolate.

"Listen, hey!" Blaine said as the bells of a nearby clock tower rang out the time. "It's midnight. It's Christmas!"

"Officially," Kurt agreed as they paused near the skating rink.

They looked at each other for a moment, and Kurt had to admit to himself that he was even happier than he had anticipated he would be seeing Blaine. It felt good for things to be more relaxed between them again, even if there were little moments of awkward there, too. It felt like meeting a long lost friend who you had known for years but had lost touch with until recently.

Blaine's eyes took on a slightly more intense atmosphere as he studied Kurt's face. "No matter what," he said solemnly, "no matter where, even if we're not... together... we're always going to be there for each other."

It was a declaration and a question. Kurt immediately reached out and drew Blaine into a hug, grateful for Blaine's love. They weren't _together_, and Kurt wasn't sure yet if he _wanted_ them to be together again in the future, but Kurt had missed his best friend.

"Yeah," he said softly to make sure Blaine understood the gesture. He felt Blaine's hand on his back, squeezing him tightly, and he realized that this was the first time they had touched since their breakup. Blaine's body language said that he knew it, too.

Someone cleared their throat behind Kurt, and Blaine pulled quickly out of the hug as Kurt turned to see Burt standing there. Blaine wiped quickly at his eyes as Kurt pretended to scowl at his father.

"Surprise?" Burt teased.

"_Yeah_," Kurt agreed, walking over to hug Burt. "Thank you, Dad."

"Well," Burt said, glancing at Blaine and then turning his eyes back to Kurt. "I'm an old man who can't stay out in the cold as long as the two of you. Let's get back to where it's warm!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

They stopped by the hotel Burt and Blaine had been staying at to get Blaine's things and check out before taking a taxi back to Kurt's apartment.

Walking through the door to the apartment was a heavy moment for Blaine and, he could tell, for Kurt. They hadn't been here together since the moment when Kurt had asked Blaine to leave after their breakup.

"I'll sleep on the couch," Blaine said immediately.

"You can sleep in Rachel's bed, Dad," Kurt agreed. "I'll get some fresh sheets."

Burt decided to take a quick shower before bed, so Blaine helped Kurt put clean sheets on Rachel's bed before accepting a pillow and two blankets – "the windows are pathetically thin, so it might be kinda cold" – from Kurt so he could sleep on the couch.

"Um," Blaine reached out with his voice as Kurt prepared to walk away into his room, "Kurt?"

Kurt stopped and turned around.

"Thank you," Blaine said softly, unhappy with himself when tears sprung to his eyes despite his best attempt to keep them at bay.

"I told you we were going to see each other at Christmas," Kurt teased gently.

Blaine felt like his body was turning to mush as Kurt smiled at him. A real smile. Not guarded or angry or anything but happy.

"Oh!" he remembered, putting a hand out to ask Kurt to wait. "I have... hold on..."

He rushed over to his bag and pulled out a small envelope that he had tucked safely between the layers of clothing.

"No, no," Kurt protested as Blaine walked over and handed the envelope to him, "I didn't know we were– you didn't– we–"

"Just open it," Blaine encouraged, feeling as flustered as Kurt looked. He suddenly wondered if his gift might be too silly. Should he have brought something with more symbolism?

Kurt met his eyes briefly before giving in to his curiosity and opening the gift.

"Oh my god," he laughed.

"It's a gift certificate," Blaine explained the obvious. "To that bakery down the street that you like so much."

"We always get cake there," Kurt agreed, and Blaine was surprised to hear his voice wobbling with emotion. Kurt lifted tear-filled eyes to look at Blaine. "Thank you."

Blaine wanted to hug him so badly that he took an involuntary half-step forward and ended up too close. Both he and Kurt laughed nervously, and Blaine felt his face heating up as he quickly stepped back.

"Merry Christmas, Blaine," Kurt said, his eyes twinkling and his cheeks red with uncertainty.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt," Blaine agreed as Kurt turned and disappeared through the curtain into his room.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next day was casual and pleasant and everything that Kurt had imagined he would miss when he had imagined spending Christmas alone. Kurt took his father along to a store nearby to get a few things to make dinner while Blaine started preparing the food they already had. Carole and Finn called via Skype for a few minutes. Rachel texted Kurt a photograph of herself surrounded by the men of the Jesse Tyler Ferguson lookalike contest, and he showed Burt and Blaine so they could all roar with laughter together. And, once the food was in the oven or waiting, ready, in the fridge, Kurt, Blaine, and Burt sat down on the couch to watch basketball.

Kurt noticed that Burt ended up sitting between him and Blaine. He wasn't sure if that had been Burt's idea or Blaine's, but he didn't mind. It would probably only be confusing to sit so close to Blaine for an extended period of time.

"So," Kurt asked as he grabbed a glass of water and a napkin for his father before joining Burt and Blaine on the couch, "who's winning?

"Celtics," both Blaine and Burt informed him.

The three of them felt silent, and Kurt tried to decide if he wanted to watch the game or read a magazine. He wasn't interested in basketball, but his dad's teasing from earlier in the afternoon about always reading a magazine during Christmas basketball was still on his mind. He knew his father didn't mind, but part of Kurt wanted to prove him wrong.

But he really didn't want to watch the game.

"Okay," Kurt said, giving up and reaching for a magazine, "I tried.

Burt aww'd in triumph while Blaine aww'd in dismay.

"Twenty seconds," Burt said. "Pay up, Anderson. You may have dated him, but I raised him! I know my son."

Kurt didn't give either of them the satisfaction of commenting on their apparent bet. Blaine handed Burt five dollars.

"You couldn't have just toughed it out for just a few more seconds, Kurt?" Blaine teased. "A few more seconds."

Kurt shook his head slightly, more in disapproval than anything.

"So," Burt said, turning his attention to Blaine, "graduating? Plans for the future?"

"Uh, well," Blaine said, "I haven't talked about this with Kurt –"

Kurt looked up from his magazine to find Blaine looking at him.

"– and I wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable," Blaine added, turning his gaze back to Burt, "but I was thinking about applying to NYADA."

For Kurt, it wasn't a surprise announcement. He knew that Blaine wanted to be a performer, and NYADA was the top musical theater program in the country. But he wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of being classmates with Blaine again now that he and Blaine were no longer together.

"Would that be okay?" Blaine asked, turning to look at Kurt again.

He wasn't asking for permission, and there was something in Blaine's eyes that made Kurt pause. Confidence. With only a hint of hesitation. Kurt felt like the question was a test, somehow.

"I think that'd be great," Kurt reassured him.

It was the answer Blaine was looking for. "Me too," he said, nodding slightly as he tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

As Blaine and Burt turned their attention back to the basketball game – chatting casually about the teams and how the game was progressing – Kurt thought about what would happen if Blaine got into NYADA.

They would see each other all the time. Blaine would only be a semester behind Kurt, so they could even have some of the same classes.

The idea appealed to Kurt more than he wanted it to. It had been their dream before they broke up; ever since Kurt had traveled to New York with New Directions when he and Blaine had been newly in love, they had planned to be in the city together. To live and go to college together in New York.

And it was so comfortable having Blaine around again. Two months of not talking and bitter emotions and anguish had turned into casual conversation and friendly affection and lingering doubt.

The lingering doubt was always there in the back of Kurt's mind. Of course Blaine was easy to be around. He had always been easy to be around. Of course their conversation flowed easily. They had been best friends for more than two years; inseparable boyfriends for most of that time. But Blaine had _cheated_. Wasn't that supposed to overshadow everything?

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When the basketball game ended, Kurt put on a Christmas record and instructed Burt to rest on the sofa while he and Blaine set the table and finished preparing dinner.

Blaine was so glad he had come with Burt to New York.

He had worried that things would be strange with Kurt. That, somehow, the spark they had always shared would be gone. But it was still there. Kurt was more reserved than he had been when they were dating, but they still had a connection. Blaine could feel it, and he knew Kurt could feel it, too. Kurt was still holding back, still harboring pain from what Blaine had done, but Blaine felt more confident than ever that things would, eventually, work out between them. His best friend was still with him. His boyfriend just needed a little more coaxing before he was ready to love Blaine again.

Blaine sang along to the record as it filled the room with music and couldn't stop watching Kurt as they finished preparing the meal. This was the kind of warm, loving situation he had thought might be lost forever after his breakup with Kurt.

"_Through the years, we all will be together. If the fates allow. Hang a shining star upon the highest bow and have yourself a merry little Christmas now._"

Kurt walked over and took the magazine that Burt was reading out of his hands, motioning for him to come eat. Blaine pulled out a chair for him before he and Kurt joined Burt at the table.

They ate and chatted, about their lives and the state of the world and about holiday traditions and their plans for New Year's Eve. Kurt was going to attend a party with Isabelle and his Vogue dot com co-workers. Blaine and Burt would be back in Lima; Burt joked that he would probably be asleep well before midnight, and Blaine wasn't sure what he was going to do. He thought he might see if Sam had plans.

It was the best Christmas dinner Blaine had ever been a part of.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As dinner wound down, Blaine's phone vibrated.

"It might be my parents... yeah..." he said apologetically as he looked at the small screen. "Excuse me, please."

"Hello?" he answered as he stood up and offered an apologetic shrug. "Yeah... Merry Christmas, Mom. Yes, it's– yes. I am."

He slid the apartment door open and retreated to the hallway to talk to his parents.

As soon as the door slid shut behind him and all Kurt and Burt could hear was the muffled sound of Blaine's voice, Burt reached out with his foot and nudged Kurt's leg.

"You happy?" he asked.

"Of course I'm happy," Kurt answered with a short laugh. "Do you know what I would be doing at this very moment if you hadn't come? I'd be lying on the couch in my pajamas reading a magazine and imagining what everyone else was doing to celebrate. This?" Kurt motioned around. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had."

Burt's answering smile was huge, but, as they fell silent and listened to Blaine's voice from the hallway, Burt stared at Kurt just long enough that Kurt knew he wanted to say something. Kurt raised an eyebrow, silently urging his father to say what was on his mind.

"Are you glad I brought him?" Burt asked seriously.

Kurt hesitated. Things with Blaine were so complicated. But was he glad that Blaine had come for Christmas?

"Yes," Kurt replied.

"I thought having him around might, you know," Burt shrugged, "help ease the blow of what's going on with me. I didn't want this Christmas to be all about cancer."

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt said, offering his father what he hoped was an upbeat grin. It _was_ nice to have Blaine around, but Burt's cancer was never far from Kurt's mind.

"So," Burt said, "what's the –"

"Overstepping," Kurt warned.

"Okay," Burt allowed, smiling again. "I'm just happy that you're happy."

"I am," Kurt said.

"He's happy too," Burt said, as if he couldn't help himself. "Happy to be here."

Kurt took a deliberate sip of his drink, hoping to signal that he wasn't interested in a father-son talk about his relationship with Blaine, but he was spared by the sound of the door sliding open.

"Sorry," Blaine said as he reappeared. "She wanted to know everything we've been up to and I didn't want you to have to sit quietly and listen to me ramble."

"How're your parents?" Burt asked.

"They're good," Blaine said as he sat down. "They wanted me to tell you guys 'Merry Christmas' from them."

"And Cooper?" Kurt couldn't resist asking. Blaine turned and met his gaze, and Kurt was happy to see a sparkle in Blaine's eyes.

"Haven't heard from him yet," he said. "He's probably at some fancy party or something."

Kurt hummed in agreement, and he didn't miss the way Blaine's eyes lingered on his face as he stood up to start clearing dinner off the table.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt emerged from his bedroom the next morning, Blaine was already dressed and was pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

As he looked at Blaine's back, Kurt felt a sudden urge to sneak over and wrap his arms around Blaine's waist, but he shoved the feeling away. That would only complicate things. Kurt wasn't sure yet if he could allow himself to be that casual and open with Blaine again.

"Morning," Kurt mumbled instead, rubbing his eyes and feeling grateful that he knew Blaine well enough to be able to shuffle past him in his pajamas without feeling embarrassed.

"Hey," Blaine smiled.

Kurt moved on to the bathroom and returned to his bedroom to get dressed, and when he emerged from his room for the second time that morning he felt much more awake. Blaine was sitting on the couch – drinking his coffee and looking at something on his phone – but he glanced up as Kurt walked into his line of sight.

Blaine didn't have to say anything for Kurt to know why he had been up first. Blaine wanted to be awake in case Kurt wanted to talk.

"I was going to go and get some breakfast, but I wasn't sure what your dad would want," Blaine explained as Kurt walked to the kitchen.

Kurt hesitated, but he knew that they had to have a serious talk at some point. And his father and Blaine were leaving in a few hours. There was no more time to put it off.

"Want to go out for breakfast?" Kurt asked, turning around to look at Blaine.

"Sure," Blaine agreed immediately. He stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket.

"We'll bring something back for my dad," Kurt decided, rummaging through a drawer in the kitchen to find a small notepad and a pen. He scrawled a short note for his father – _Out to breakfast with Blaine. Back soon. Will bring food._ – and then led the way out the door and down the stairs to the street.

They chatted about insignificant things as they walked quickly through the cold to a small diner that Kurt and Rachel had discovered soon after moving into their apartment.

"They make great coffee," Kurt pointed out as they sat down at a small table in the corner.

"Mmm," Blaine hummed appreciatively.

"In case one cup this morning wasn't enough," Kurt teased.

"Never!" Blaine gasped.

They both laughed, and Kurt wished that they didn't have to talk about serious things. Since they had reignited their friendship, Kurt had found himself thinking fondly of Blaine more often than he thought negatively of him, and he didn't want that to change. He _liked_ Blaine. Talking about what had happened was going to dredge up ugly emotions.

They ordered their coffee from a young waitress Kurt didn't recognize and a loaded silence fell between them as she walked away.

"I miss you," Blaine finally admitted, his face and voice full of sadness.

"I know," Kurt acknowledged, reminding himself not to say anything without thinking first. "I miss you, too. But it's hard for me to imagine... _us_ again. Because of what happened."

"Because of what I did," Blaine corrected. "It's okay, Kurt. And I know I'm a broken record, but I am so, _so_ sorry."

"I never thought this would happen," Kurt admitted. "Especially after last year with Chandler. I know this is going to sound really harsh, but I don't feel like I really _know_ you anymore. The Blaine I love... he wouldn't..."

Kurt had to stop to think and reign in his emotions, and when he risked a glance at Blaine he saw tears in the other boy's eyes.

"I'm never going to pressure you," Blaine said seriously, his voice only a little wobbly, "but I would relish the chance to show you who I am again."

Kurt nodded.

"And... I'm not going to pretend I want to be 'just friends' forever," Blaine continued, "but if that's what _you_ want..."

Blaine blinked and the tears in his eyes flooded over onto his cheeks. "More than anything, I just want you to know that I'm not _that guy_," Blaine reached up with both hands and wiped at his eyes. "I did a terrible thing, and I'm going to live with the emotional consequences of that decision for the rest of my life, but I'm not... I don't think..."

It was Kurt's turn to wipe away tears as he interrupted.

"You're not a bad person, Blaine."

Blaine started to really cry then, and he buried his face in his hands in embarrassment as their waitress brought their coffee in to-go cups and quickly departed with a kind, understanding smile at Kurt.

"Sorry," Blaine mumbled, his breath hitching as he reached out and grabbed his coffee to pull it closer.

"It's okay," Kurt said quietly. He grabbed his drink and stood up. "Should we walk instead?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed.

Blaine insisted on paying for their coffee, and they set off down the sidewalk toward a small park nearby. The silence between them was casual, but Kurt's mind was whirling.

It bothered him that it hurt so much to see all the pain in Blaine's eyes. Part of him _wanted_ to hate Blaine. Blaine had _cheated on him_. It was on everyone's unforgivable list. On _Kurt's_ unforgivable list. Infidelity. After everything they had been through and all the trust that they had built together, Blaine had slept with someone else. And Kurt was _so_ angry. And _so_ hurt.

But he was also _so_ in love. It still made his heart ache to see the devastation in Blaine's eyes.

It was impossible to imagine _Blaine_ – so loving, brave, and upbeat – being unfaithful. And it was _that_ Blaine who Kurt loved and missed so much. Sometimes he couldn't sleep because his brain wouldn't stop contemplating the idea that he might not ever have _that_ Blaine back in his life because of one terrible, hurtful moment.

It was the decision he had to make. Could he forgive – _actually_ forgive – the moment of infidelity and trust Blaine again? Or was the damage permanent?

"How about..." Kurt suggested as they made it to the edge of the park and found a bench to sit on, "...let's take a break."

There was anguish in Blaine's gaze as he nodded over the rim of his coffee cup, but there was acceptance there, too.

"Take the pressure off," Kurt clarified. "I... I like texting you and keeping in touch. I meant it when I said that you're my best friend. You have been since the day we met."

Blaine nodded again, and Kurt reached out and pulled one of Blaine's gloved hands off his coffee cup so he could squeeze it.

"I feel pressure – _not_ from you, from me – to _decide_," Kurt explained. "About us. And, somehow, that pressure is making it difficult for me to make a decision. So, for now, can we really just be friends?"

Blaine stared down at their joined hands.

"Just friends," he repeated.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said before he could stop himself.

Blaine's eyes flashed up to meet Kurt's, and the sadness was replaced by gravity.

"Please don't ever feel sorry," Blaine said, his voice strong and steady. "I did this to us."

"I should've realized that I was ignoring you in favor of the exciting things going on in my new life. Just like you worried I would," Kurt admitted his regret. "And I'm not saying that justifies... what happened. But I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Blaine replied softly. "I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry that I didn't try harder to tell you how alone I felt. I just... I felt _empty_. Like nothing mattered in my life while everything mattered in yours. I don't know what was wrong with me. I'm so sorry, Kurt."

Kurt swallowed. "Can I... ask something about– you know...?" he managed.

He had to know.

Blaine nodded.

"Who was it?" Kurt asked.

Blaine shook his head, disgusted with himself. "He was a stranger," Blaine confessed. "Someone who I met online who I didn't even know at all."

"I want to know his name," Kurt pressed. He could feel the hysterical anger bubbling to the surface again, and he tried to fight it down. He _needed to know_.

"Eli," Blaine said.

Something about knowing made the whole situation feel both better and worse for Kurt. It wasn't Sebastian. It wasn't anyone they knew. But was the fact that it was a _stranger_ any better?

"Why didn't you just _wait_ for me?" Kurt asked before he could stop himself. He felt tears burning in his eyes as he saw his pain mirrored in Blaine's eyes. "You were coming in two weeks. You couldn't... wait?"

"I wanted to," Blaine said immediately, his voice unsteady. "I can't even describe how much I was looking forward to visiting you in New York and just wrapping you up in my arms..."

Blaine had to stop to compose himself, and Kurt didn't know how to express what he was feeling so he just waited.

"I felt like you didn't want me anymore," Blaine tried to explain. "And I felt so numb that I just wanted to feel _something_. It was disgusting. I was disgusted with myself while it was happening and have been disgusted with myself every second since."

Blaine took a sip of his coffee, and Kurt watched him as he continued.

"It didn't make me feel any less alone," he clarified. "It just made me feel more alone than ever because I knew I was going to lose... you."

Kurt reminded himself that he needed to hear this. They had to be honest if they were ever going to be able to trust each other again.

"I..." Kurt said, "I always wanted you. I missed you all the time."

"I'm so _sorry_," Blaine said miserably.

"But," Kurt allowed, "I knew that I was... neglecting you. Sometimes. Ignoring you in favor of something new and fabulous. I _know_ I'm like that, but I just told myself it was okay because... I don't know why. Because I convinced myself that everything was fine."

"I appreciate you saying that," Blaine said.

They looked at each other and Kurt was glad that they had managed to get through the heavy part of the conversation without losing their tempers.

"Maybe," Kurt offered a gentle smile, "no more apologizing."

"I'm not sure you understand how sorry I am," Blaine admitted, studying Kurt's face as he spoke.

Kurt hesitated. He was pretty sure he _did_ know how sorry Blaine was. It was written all over Blaine's face.

"I planned to transfer back to Dalton," Blaine said suddenly.

"You... excuse me?" Kurt gasped.

Blaine dropped his eyes to their joined hands again and shook his head as he remembered. "Everything at McKinley reminds me of you. And of how I betrayed you and hurt you. And then the Warblers stole our Nationals trophy and I went to get it back... and it felt so _good_ being there."

Kurt clamped his jaw shut to keep from asking if Sebastian had been there.

"So, I decided to transfer back," Blaine confessed, his face flushed with shame and cold. "I cleaned out my locker at McKinley and planned to take the rest of the week off from school all together and then move back to Westerville on Monday."

Kurt was so surprised that he hadn't heard about this that he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Sam..." Blaine paused to take a deep breath, "Sam stopped me. And I realized that I couldn't go. I couldn't run away from my problems again."

"I'm offended that Dalton doesn't make you think of me," Kurt teased, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. Blaine looked completely broken, and Kurt realized that maybe Blaine was right when he said that Kurt didn't know the extent of his sorrow.

Blaine smiled down at their intertwined hands.

"It does," he countered.

They were both silent for a moment, and Kurt thought about their time together at Dalton. When everything had been simple. When they had been newly in love and giggly and flirty and free of all the emotional baggage they carried now.

"Whew," Kurt breathed. "Okay. Is that...it?"

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Blaine inquired.

Kurt considered it.

"No," he realized. He squeezed Blaine's hand. "Thanks for this," he said, locking eyes with Blaine. "I feel..."

"I know," Blaine agreed. There were tears in his eyes again, but they looked like tears of relief more than tears of pain.

Kurt shivered involuntarily and realized that he hadn't been drinking his coffee. He took a long sip, but the drink wasn't hot enough to warm him up.

"We should go back," Blaine said, wiping the tears off his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Your dad's probably waiting for us."

"For the food I promised him in the note, more like it," Kurt teased. He was relieved when Blaine's smile reached his eyes.

Kurt stood up, pulling Blaine off the bench with him before releasing his hand.

"So... are we okay?" Blaine asked tentatively. "Friends?"

"Yes," Kurt concurred. "We're okay. Best friends."

Blaine smiled his approval. "Best friends."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

A few hours later, Blaine and Burt had to leave.

"Okay, well..." Burt cleared his throat as he stood in the doorway of the apartment with his bag at his feet, "I love you, Kurt."

Kurt launched himself forward into his father's arms and closed his eyes as Burt squeezed him in a tight hug.

"I love you, Dad," he managed to choke out through his tears.

As Burt released him, the realization that he might not see his father for months – and that Burt would be dealing with cancer treatment without him – hit Kurt so hard that he suddenly felt frantic and short of breath.

"Make sure you eat well, okay?" he blurted out, trying to think of all the things he would say on a daily basis if he still lived with his dad. "And I'm going to call Carole and demand that she reports back to me about how you're doing so you can't lie when we talk. And don't let the idiots in Congress stress you out because we all know they're just overcompensating for their lack of brains. Maybe you should take some time off, actually. And –"

"Kurt," Burt scolded quietly.

"– I don't want you to go," Kurt admitted miserably.

Burt pulled him into another hug, and Kurt sobbed into his father's chest for what felt like an hour.

"I'm sorry," he moaned unhappily as he finally got himself together enough to feel a little embarrassed. "I'm okay. Please don't worry about me. You need to just focus on getting better..."

"I'm gonna worry about you, Kurt," Burt said simply. "And you're going to worry about me. That's what we do. But both of us are worrying for nothing, because it's all going to be fine."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, wishing that he could really believe it.

"Alright," Burt said, reaching out to briefly clamp a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Well, you two say goodbye... I'll wait downstairs."

Kurt had completely forgotten about Blaine. As the other boy walked over from wherever he had been waiting in the apartment to stand beside Kurt in the large doorway, Kurt felt a new whirlwind of emotions. They were friends again. Best friends with no expectations except friendship. But it was still so confusing to look at Blaine. Was the warmth he felt when he looked at Blaine real, or was it a remnant of his feelings from before their breakup? Kurt knew he had a lot of soul searching to do before he could decide what role he wanted Blaine to play in his future, but he was sure of one thing. He was glad Burt had decided to bring Blaine along. It had been good to spent time with Blaine and remind himself that Blaine was a nice person. A real person with complicated emotions and intentions.

With a little nod at Blaine, Kurt turned back to his father one more time.

"I love you, Dad," he said.

"Love you, too, Kurt," Burt said, and Kurt was surprised at the twinkle in his father's eyes. Kurt narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Burt just shrugged and flashed his eyes briefly above Kurt's head before offering a wave goodbye as he turned and walked away down the hallway.

Kurt glanced above his head to see a tiny piece of holly tacked to the top of the doorframe, and he laughed.

"That's not even mistletoe, _Dad_!" he shouted after Burt's retreating figure.

"Close enough!" Burt called back, sounding incredibly pleased with himself as he disappeared down the stairs.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned to face Blaine, who was smiling widely. Kurt's stomach fluttered involuntarily.

"I..." Kurt took a deep breath in an attempt to compose himself, "I'm glad you came."

"Me too," Blaine agreed. He turned his head for a moment to look into the apartment, and Kurt knew they were thinking the same thing. This was a much better visit – a much better parting – than the first time Blaine had come to New York.

"Good luck applying to NYADA," Kurt said. "Let me know if you need song or costume suggestions."

Blaine smiled. "I will," he agreed. "Good luck _at NYADA_!"

Kurt couldn't stop the huge smile that spread across his face at the reminder. "Thanks," he said.

The ensuing silence hung in the air long enough to feel a little awkward, but Kurt didn't know what else to say. He was feeling extraordinarily emotional, so he didn't trust himself not to pour his innermost thoughts out to Blaine if he opened his mouth again.

Blaine stepped toward him and Kurt's heart stammered in his chest, but Blaine tipped his head at the last moment and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt," he said softly, and he stepped out into the hallway and was gone.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I loved Kurt and Blaine's dynamic in this episode... very comfortable but also kinda shy or uncertain. As they would be after such a tumultuous few months! When Blaine asked Kurt if he was happy to see him... EMOTIONS. And really spectacular acting from both Darren and Chris, as usual. When Blaine asks Kurt about NYADA there's so much more in his eyes than just that simple question. He wants to know if Kurt wants him around in the future. And he's so pleased when Kurt answers in the affirmative.<strong>_

_**And Burt knows what's up. :) I love him. Father of the century, that one.  
><strong>_

_**Up next... 4x11: Sadie Hawkins.**_


	50. 4x11: Sadie Hawkins

_**Alright, this is where the Glee universe timeline starts to get screwed up. The finale of season four is Regionals, which should happen in mid-March (at the latest). So, everything that happens between now and the end of the season has to wedge into the January, February, half-of-March timeline. Which is difficult because three episodes from now is Valentine's Day and then we have to somehow fit the remaining eight episodes into four-ish weeks. IT DOESN'T WORK. So, let's just be really flexible with the timeline and pretend it makes sense. ;) Things are gonna get **_**really**_** confusing next season if they try to do the final few weeks of the school year in the September-December first half of the season. I don't want to think about it. :D**_

_**Also, brace yourselves. This is the start of insane Tina. This episode isn't actually SO bad in that regard... pretty awkward when she sings to Blaine, but also kind of hilarious**_**.**_** But this is just the beginning of her crazy, so...  
><strong>_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On the first day back to school after winter break, Blaine was trying to read his history book in the library after school when Sam suddenly appeared and shoved the textbook away so hard that it flew off the table.

"Dude, look at this!" Sam demanded, placing an iPad where Blaine's book had been. "This is Hunter Clarington two years ago. Look how skinny his head is!"

Blaine tried to recover from the surprise and focus as he glanced down at the photo of Hunter. Sam sat down in a chair across the small table.

"Okay," Sam continued as the photo morphed into a more recent photograph of the new Warbler, "this is him now. Look how much thicker his head is!"

"So, maybe he started working out," Blaine assumed.

"What, doing skull-widening exercises?" Sam scoffed. "Dude, human growth hormone! HGH! Same thing happened to Mark McGuire and Kirstie Alley and Drew Carey and Star Jones and Aretha Franklin and Cedric the Entertainer..."

Blaine stopped listening as he watched Sam. He was so _cute_ when he got overly excited about conspiracy theories. And his lips were so...

"Blaine? Blaine!" Sam called his name, snapping him out of his fantasy. "Dude, this is serious!"

"Uh– yeah, I, um, I don't know," Blaine admitted his doubt about Sam's theory. He glanced at a clock on the wall and realized that they were almost late for the week's student council meeting. He stood up, and Sam followed his lead.

Blaine picked up his book off the ground and put it in his bag as he and Sam left the library.

"Look, I'm telling you, it's been keeping me up at night," Sam argued as they walked. "Something weird's going on with the Warblers. They're doing all those weird flips and superhuman jumps at Sectionals –"

"Exactly," Blaine interrupted. "That's why they won."

"And where was round-faced Warbler?" Sam questioned, undeterred by Blaine's skepticism. "You said he was there when you went back to Dalton, but come Sectionals? Poof! He's gone."

Blaine had noticed Trent's absence at Sectionals. But maybe he had been sick? Blaine had scoured his Dalton friends' Facebook profiles for clues after the competition, but he hadn't found anything suspicious. Trent hadn't posted anything for the three days surrounding Sectionals. He must've been ill.

"So, what're you saying?" Blaine asked.

"I think they cheated at Sectionals," Sam said urgently.

"Sam, you can't make accusations like that without any kind of evidence," Blaine smiled at Sam's enthusiasm.

"Well, then I'll find some evidence!" Sam declared. "Do you have any lip balm I can use?"

"What?" Blaine said, turning to see that Sam had stopped a few feet away and was standing in the middle of the hallway, waiting.

"Conspiracy theories make my lips get all chapped," Sam explained as he walked toward Blaine. "Come on, dude, it's not weird. We're like brothers."

As Sam spoke, Blaine barely heard him because, suddenly, all he could focus on were Sam's lips.

He recovered quickly as he realized that Sam was waiting for him to share his lip balm. "Yeah, um, sure," Blaine said hurriedly. He had some chapstick in his pocket.

"Thank you," Sam said as he took the lip balm and smeared some on his lips. "Mmm."

Blaine just stared at him.

"Guys, you're late!" Tina's voice broke him out of his infatuated stupor. What was wrong with him? He loved Kurt. He missed Kurt. And Sam was straight, anyway, so having a crush on him was a waste of energy.

"I know," Blaine agreed, taking the lip balm back from Sam and hoping that he didn't look as flustered as he felt.

They walked into the classroom where the rest of the student council was already waiting.

"Sorry," Blaine apologized as he sat down. He picked up the gavel and cracked it on the sounding board. "This meeting of McKinley High's student council is now in session. First order of business: Secretary Cohen-Chang, will you please read the minutes from last week?"

"Sam did a Daniel Craig impression for forty-five minutes," Tina reminded them.

"I'll have it shaken and stirred too," Sam said in Sean Connery's voice.

"That was fantastic," Blaine complimented. "Thank you, Secretary Cohen-Chang. Treasurer Motta, if we could go through the budget appropriations we were going through last –?"

Tina raised her hand.

"Yes, Tina?" Blaine said.

"It is now officially a hundred and forty-two days until prom," Tina explained, "where all the hot girls get immediately snatched up by all the hot guys and the sort of hot girls get asked out by the sort of hot guys. And then all the rest of us have to sit around and wait for all the nerds and the freaks and the burnouts and the losers to work up some courage and ask us out to the most awkward night of heavy petting we're likely to get until we wake up in a nursing home getting groped by an orderly."

Blaine didn't know what to say.

"Okay, well, for the record," Sam spoke up, "I think you're totally, sorta, hot. Like, if I was, like, in a bunker with you I would totally hit that."

"Tina, what are you suggesting?" Blaine asked.

"I propose the first annual McKinley High Sadie Hawkins dance," Tina announced.

Blaine froze.

The first, and last, time he had attended a Sadie Hawkins dance, he and his date had been beaten up for being gay. Blaine had spent the night in the emergency room having his broken wrist and multiple bruises and cuts attended to, and it had scared him so severely that he had decided he couldn't go back to school. It was the reason he had transferred out of public school to the safety of Dalton.

"It's what you call a dance where the girls ask the guys," Tina clarified as Blaine reminded himself that things were different now. Attitudes were slowly changing, and he was stronger now. More capable to defend himself.

But the idea still made him uneasy. He didn't want to spend the whole night remembering what had happened in his past.

Plus, who would he go to the dance with?

His mind suggested Sam, and Blaine pushed back. No. Sam was straight.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Blaine said, hoping to stop the idea so he wouldn't have to be stuck at a Sadie Hawkins dance with nothing but his bad memories and an empty chair by his side.

"Why not?" Tina asked. "It was the topic of discussion at the last meeting of the Too Young To Be Bitter Club."

Blaine couldn't articulate the reasons why he didn't want to have a Sadie Hawkins dance, so he just shook his head and hoped that Tina would drop the idea.

"All in favor of a dance where the girls ask the guys?" Tina asked the room.

"Wa-wait," Blaine protested. "Wait a second. H-Hold on, just one –"

"It's official!" Tina said as everyone but Blaine voted to have the dance. "Get ready for the first annual McKinley High Sadie Hawkins dance!"

Despite his hesitancy, Blaine also found amusement in the fact that he had just been overruled. He looked from Tina to Sugar to Sam.

"Sorry," Sam said.

Blaine shook his head and resigned himself to one night of misery to satisfy his friends.

They moved on to other topics. They determined that they were on track to stay on budget for the year. They explored the idea of trying to find healthier cafeteria food, but quickly realized that it would cost them more money than the school had to offer. They briefly discussed possible prom themes, but the conversation quickly morphed into a brainstorming session for the Sadie Hawkins dance.

"If someone's already been asked to the dance," Sugar wondered, "can I pay them to leave their date and go with me?"

"We should make 'empowerment' the theme," Tina suggested. "It's about time the guys at this school found out what the girls are made of!"

"Wait," Sam asked, "if this is, like, a reverse dance, does that mean everything's reversed? Do guys have to wear, you know, dresses and wrist flowers and stuff?"

Blaine couldn't stop the laugh that escaped from his lips as he imagined Sam arriving in a dress while his date wore a suit. His laugh triggered the rest of the group to laugh with him, but Sam just looked confused.

And really adorable, Blaine couldn't stop himself from thinking.

"No," Blaine reassured him as the laugher died away, "it's not like that."

Sam looked relieved, and Blaine took the moment of silence to end the meeting.

"I'm sure Tina will come up with something amazing," he said, shooting Tina an approving glance. He picked up the gavel and struck the sounding board. "Meeting adjourned."

"Dude," Sam whispered to Blaine as they left the room, "what're we gonna do about this Warbler thing? Maybe we should break in again and draw some of Hunter's blood while he's sleeping? I bet we could find a recipe on the Internet for some kind of gas that would knock him out without killing him."

"No," Blaine said immediately. "No. Too risky. We need to do something covert."

"A secret mission," Sam approved.

"I'll call Trent," Blaine decided. "And we'll see where it goes from there."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt's first day at NYADA was a whirlwind. Blaine texted him that morning, wishing him good luck, as did his father and Carole. He arrived on campus right on time and, despite thinking that he knew the space fairly well after visiting Rachel there for months, immediately got turned around and almost missed the start of his first class. After that, things went more smoothly, but Kurt quickly realized that college wasn't much different from high school.

As a new student arriving in the middle of the school year, Kurt stuck out. Everyone else had already found their group of friends. Their _thing_ at NYADA.

Kurt knew after his first class that he wasn't going to find friends through his actual classes. Everyone was nice to him, and he liked most of his professors, but there was always the air of competition in NYADA classrooms. They were all training for the same thing, and there weren't enough roles in the world for them all to be equally successful. It meant that they were all in competition, all the time. So, Kurt decided that he should look into joining a club or two so he could find people with similar interests outside of the competition zone.

He had assumed that Rachel would fold him into her group of friends, but she was too wrapped up in Brody to spend much time with Kurt in any setting. She had returned from her holiday cruise with a tan and an attitude that Kurt recognized as Rachel on a mission. She wanted Brody and had quickly let him, and everyone else, know. Kurt had planned to ask her if she and Brody were dating one afternoon during the first week of the year, but he had come home from grocery shopping to find them making out on the couch, so there was no need.

Kurt and Rachel still spent some time together when they were both in the apartment, but it consisted mostly of Rachel gushing about Brody and occasionally asking Kurt something about NYADA when she remembered that he was just starting at the school of their dreams.

Kurt tried not to let her attitude hurt his feelings; she was infatuated with Brody. Of course she wanted to spend time with him. But Kurt wished that she would make more time for her best friend, too.

"Alright, Brody has an audition for _Magic Mike: the Musical_," Rachel said as she and Kurt hurried up the stairs in one of NYADA's main buildings one afternoon during the first week of the new semester, "so I'm gonna go help him – I'll see you at home later and I love you!"

She kissed him on the cheek and ran away.

As Kurt wandered, alone, toward the door, he noticed a bulletin board with "NYADA HAPPENINGS" printed across the top. He paused to look at it. Maybe joining a few extracurricular activities would help him feel more at home at his new school.

He read a few of the flyers. The Elizabethan Society. The Grand Guignol Club. The Tennessee Williams Play Reading Group.

And the Adam's Apples. The flyer had an image of a guy singing on it, so it drew Kurt's attention.

"What's Adam's Apples?" Kurt wondered out loud.

"NYADA show choir," a cheerful voice piped up from behind him. "You should join; it's super fun!"

Kurt glanced behind him, but the man was already walking away. Kurt turned his attention back to the Adam's Apples flyer.

Did he want to do show choir in college? He did miss New Directions. He didn't miss high school, overall, but the camaraderie in glee club was something he wished he had appreciated more. Especially now that he had very few friends around.

But, Kurt argued with himself, show choir had been his thing in high school. Maybe it was time to branch out and do other things.

He didn't sign the flyer on the bulletin board, but he kept the Adam's Apples in the back of his mind as he walked away.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine put his phone on speaker and called Trent on the way to school. Trent sounded happy to hear from him and, at first, Blaine asked him about casual things so it wouldn't feel like an interrogation. After Trent told him about the new renovation of their old dorm building and about one of Blaine's favorite teachers at Dalton leaving to teach at a university in California, Blaine knew he had to get to the point.

"So," he said, "I'm sorry you were sick for Sectionals."

"What?" Trent asked.

"Sectionals," Blaine repeated. "You weren't there."

"Oh," Trent said, and Blaine knew that Sam was right. Something was going on.

Blaine waited.

"I quit the Warblers," Trent admitted.

"Why?" Blaine asked intently.

Trent told him that the Warblers were using testosterone shots to bulk up so they could do more acrobatic stunts at Sectionals. It was Hunter's idea, but everyone else had gone along with it.

"I just couldn't!" Trent explained after he explained the situation. "It's not the honorable thing to do, and was scared of what it might to do my body."

"You did the right thing," Blaine reassured him. "Now, I need to ask you a favor."

"Okay," Trent allowed.

"If the show choir board hears about this, and we can prove it, the Warblers will be disqualified for cheating," Blaine explained. "But we're going to need _proof_."

"You mean me," Trent realized.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Blaine admitted. "The Warblers..."

"I'll do it," Trent said.

Blaine told him that he and Sam would look into the situation more now that they knew the details of the Warblers' cheating. Maybe they wouldn't need Trent's testimony and he could stay out of the whole thing. Blaine was worried that Trent might become a target at school when the Warblers realized he had been the one to call them out.

"Why don't you come to McKinley on Saturday," Blaine suggested. "We're having a dance that evening, so there will be plenty of people around. You can just slip in, unnoticed. And it'll be dark, too, so you're even less likely to be seen."

"Okay," Trent agreed. He sounded sad.

"Hey, man," Blaine said, "thanks so much for doing this."

"I'm glad you called," Trent said. "See you Saturday."

Trent ended the call, and Blaine finished the rest of the drive to school in silence. It felt good to know that New Directions would have another chance to prove themselves at Regionals, but it felt horrible to know that the Warblers were irreparably broken.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

By the end of the school day, Blaine was feeling better about the situation. Sam had been excited when Blaine told him about the phone call with Trent. And, at lunch, Blaine had managed to get behind the cafeteria counter and grab some extra tater tots for Tina. It had been a good day, overall.

Glee club was meeting in one of the science classrooms that afternoon, so Blaine met up with Tina and Sam to walk there together.

"I want to sit under Venus!" Sugar exclaimed as she walked into the room just ahead of Sam and saw the planets of the solar system hanging from the ceiling.

"I want to sit under Uranus," Sam commented.

Blaine and Tina laughed.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, confused. Nobody answered him.

"So," Finn said from the front of the room, "this week in glee club, it's ladies' choice. Inspired by the Sadie Hawkins dance."

"Which I thought of," Tina reminded the group. "It was my idea."

"Yes, thank you, Tina," Finn acknowledged. "And every girl will sing to whoever they want to take to the dance," he explained the week's lesson.

"Well, I, for one, love this lesson," Kitty said from the doorway. "I've got a song I wanna sing to somebody."

"Good," Finn approved. "Good, that's what I want to hear! Sadie Hawkins is all about empowerment, so don't be shy, okay?"

"Oh," Kitty said as she walked into the room and sat down next to Marley behind Blaine and Tina, "I won't be."

Something thumped behind Blaine, and he turned to find Marley with her head lying on her folded arms on the table.

He considered asking what was wrong, but he decided against it. She probably didn't want to talk about it in front of the whole group, anyway.

"Also," Finn continued the discussion about the Sadie Hawkins dance, "we're going to perform at the dance, as usual... so, I'm thinking the boys should do a number and the girls should do a number."

"Maybe they could be songs about female empowerment?" Blaine suggested.

"Yes!" Finn pointed at him. "Great idea! And then, also, if any of you want to sing solos, that'd be cool, too."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt was in a good mood. He had decided that he was probably going to join the Adam's Apples, and the idea of making new friends lifted Kurt's spirits. He was tired of relying mostly on Rachel and, sometimes, Isabelle and his co-workers at Vogue dot com, for all his social interaction.

"I can sing high and sing low," Kurt sang to himself as he made breakfast and poured himself some tea, "I can sing high and sing low..."

Rachel emerged from her room as he was getting ready to carry his tray to the living room. She was whispering something Kurt couldn't understand as she tied her hair back.

"Would you like some tea?" Kurt sang.

"Yes, I would," Rachel agreed, "but shhhh!"

Kurt suddenly realized what she had been whispering at him. "He's still sleeping."

"Brody's here?" Kurt gasped. "Did he spend the night?"

"Yes," Rachel whispered, excited. She and Kurt walked together to the living room, and Kurt glanced into Rachel's room as they passed but couldn't quite see Brody sleeping in her bed. "We had dinner last night at Balthazar," Rachel explained, "and he insisted on taking me home. And, you know, the train ride back to Manhattan is really long, so I just invited him to stay over!"

"Rachel Berry, I am scandalized!" Kurt teased, but he _was_ a little surprised. He was glad he had been asleep already when they got back to the apartment.

"Well, I just... I seized the moment!" Rachel said as they sat down on the couch. "I really– I like him and I'm tired of second-guessing something that feels so right."

"Mmmmhmmm," Kurt hummed.

"Mmmmhmmm," Rachel echoed happily as she sipped her tea.

"Well, as long as you're happy and I have a white noise machine," Kurt allowed, "I guess I'm happy, too."

"How are you?" Rachel asked, "How was your first week?"

"I was good," Kurt allowed, although the week wasn't over yet. "You know, a little lonely. But, I was thinking, to meet people, I would join the show choir called the Adam's Apples."

A small part of him hoped that Rachel would jump at the chance to join with him – giving them something to do together – but, instead, Rachel looked horrified.

"Oh, no, no, no," she scolded. "No. Listen to me. There is a _very rigid_ performing arts hierarchy at NYADA and show choir is, like, it's the lowest of the low. It's beneath stage managers and carpenters. That is social and career _suicide_."

"But," Kurt protested, "at McKinley..."

"We're not at McKinley anymore," Rachel scolded. "And we're done being underdogs. If you want to join a club, just do anything but the Adam's Apples. That's what all the future chorus kids do. If you do show choir in college, alright, you might as well be doomed to a life of playing a dancing teapot at Disneyland."

Kurt let out a disappointed sigh as he took a sip of his tea. He hated social hierarchies. Why couldn't he just be in show choir if he wanted to be in show choir? And why did people at _NYADA_ look down on students who wanted to sing and dance for fun?

"I guess I'll do the Tennessee Williams Play Reading Group," Kurt mumbled.

"Yes!" Rachel approved. "That's very respectable."

Respectable, Kurt thought, but not what he really wanted. Maybe it would be fun, though. At the very least, it would help him improve his acting skills.

He and Rachel settled into silence while Kurt ate breakfast and Rachel drank her tea. One he was finished eating, Kurt glanced at the time and decided to go ahead and leave for class before Brody woke up. He wasn't in the mood to watch Rachel and her new boyfriend acting all couple-y when Brody woke up.

"See you later?" he asked Rachel as he picked up his bag.

"Yeah," she agreed, smiling at him from her seat on the couch. "Probably kinda late, though, because I think we're going to try this place on the Upper East Side for dinner."

Kurt nodded his understanding and stepped out the door before rolling his eyes. He was never going to see her again at this rate.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

With the Sadie Hawkins dance fast approaching, the girls of New Directions were all excited about singing to their potential dates. At the start of glee club the day after the assignment had been given out, New Directions gathered in the men's locker room for rehearsal and, Blaine assumed, for at least one Sadie Hawkins proposal. He knew Marley had a huge crush on Jake. And he wondered who Sugar was going to ask. Or maybe Brittany would ask Sam. Blaine hoped that he wouldn't have to be around for that particular serenade. It made him feel a strange twist of jealousy in his stomach that made him feel embarrassed and a little insane.

To his surprise, it was Tina who stepped to the front of the room with Finn.

"Alright, so, Tina is ready to present her solo and make her choice," Finn informed the group. "Gentlemen, prepare yourselves for Tina Cohen-Chang."

"Thank you, Finn," Tina said as Finn sat down with the other students. "For my song, I will be performing _I Don't Know How To Love Him_ from _Jesus Christ Superstar_. It's about the pain of unrequited love, and –"

Finn interrupted her, reminding her that they didn't have the room for long, and Tina halted her explanation and began the song.

"_I don't know how to love him. What to do, how to move him. I've been changed. Yes, really changed. In these past few days, when I've seen myself, I seem like someone else._"

Blaine listened intently as she sang, happy that she was getting to ask whoever had clearly been on her mind when she suggested the Sadie Hawkins dance in the first place. Halfway through the song, Tina stepped closer to where Blaine was sitting and made eye contact with him, and Blaine smiled encouragingly.

But she didn't look away. She continued to sing the song to him, and Blaine started to feel a little awkward.

She turned and walked away after a moment, and Blaine thought she was probably just nervous. She had glanced at Artie briefly, and Blaine knew Tina and Artie had dated a few years earlier, so maybe she had just temporarily lost her confidence.

"_He scares me so. Oh, I want him so. I love him so._"

As Tina finished the song, Finn immediately started clapping. "Okay, let's hear it for Tina!" he exclaimed. "Yeah!"

The group applauded, and Blaine leaned toward Artie. "That was great, right?" he asked happily.

"Yeah," Artie said, sounding more confused than impressed.

Tina walked up to Blaine.

"So, Blaine," she said, "will you go to the dance with me?"

Blaine's brain went completely blank with surprise. She wanted to go with _him_? But she knew he was gay. If she had wanted to go with him as a friend she would've just asked him before instead of singing a song about...

_Oh_, Blaine realized. A song about unrequited love. About him. Tina had a crush on him and he hadn't even noticed. But she _knew_ he was gay. Why was she asking him to the dance like this?

"Oh, uh..." Blaine tried desperately to think of something to say. A way to let her down gently. "Wow, uh, _Tina_..."

He could feel himself blushing, and he glanced around, wishing that someone else would say something. Crack a joke or ask someone else to sing or _something_.

"I don't know what to say," Blaine admitted. "Um... no. Thank you, but... no– no, thank you."

Tina's face fell as he rejected her offer, and Blaine felt guilty and embarrassed.

The door flew open and the football team started to come into the room as Tina stared at him.

"I'm sorry," Blaine added as the rest of New Directions remained silent.

"Well, uh, looks like rehearsal's over for today!" Finn said quickly over the noise of the arriving football team.

Blaine stood up and opened his mouth to apologize again, but Tina turned and rushed away.

"Whew!" Artie laughed nervously, and the rest of the group seemed to share his secondhand embarrassment. Blaine could tell that everyone was staring at him.

He turned and rushed out of the room.

How had he not noticed that Tina had a crush on him? They had been friends since Blaine's first week in New Directions, when they had been partnered together for _You Can't Stop The Beat_. Everyone had known that day that he was Kurt's boyfriend. Everyone _knew_ he was gay, so he had never even considered the idea that any of his girl friends had serious feelings for him.

It felt strange to realize that she had planned the whole Sadie Hawkins dance as an excuse to ask him to be her date.

Blaine walked to his locker and started packing his books into his bag as he wondered how he had ended up in this situation. He had a crush on someone who would never return his feelings, and he was also that person to someone else. All at once. It was not a good feeling.

As he looked at the photos of Kurt on the door of his locker, Blaine missed Kurt more than ever. Things had been simpler when he and Kurt were dating. At least it felt that way now that everything was so complicated.

He was lost in thought when Tina suddenly appeared behind him. "I owe you an apology," she said. Blaine turned to look at her, surprised.

"I also think you sort of owe me an apology," Tina continued, "because that was maybe the most humiliating moment I've experienced in glee club. And that's saying something."

Blaine didn't know what to say. He _was_ sorry, but he had been uncomfortable, too.

"But still," Tina added, "I'm sorry. I forgot that story you told about your old school. How the whole reason you transferred to Dalton was because you got bullied at a Sadie Hawkins dance. No wonder you don't want to go. I apologize."

Blaine had always been vague about what had happened at the Sadie Hawkins dance with his friends in New Directions. He didn't want everyone to always know him as the boy who had been beaten up at a Sadie Hawkins dance. Only Kurt knew the whole story of what had happened. Everyone else just thought that "bullying" at the dance had been the last straw that had pushed him toward a more comfortable environment.

"Thank you, Tina," Blaine accepted the apology as he turned back to his locker, "but that's not why I can't go to the dance with you."

"Then what is the reason?" Tina asked, her voice shifting from apologetic to suspicious.

"I... I can't tell you that," Blaine dodged as he put a book into his bag. "It's– it's really embarrassing."

"I swear to God I won't tell anyone," Tina declared.

She had put herself out there to ask him to the dance, so Blaine decided to be honest.

"I have a crush on somebody and I don't want to go to a dance where everyone's going to be romantic there but me," he blurted as he turned back around to face her. He leaned back against the row of lockers.

"Who?" Tina asked immediately.

Blaine reached over to close his locker. He was not going to tell her. He hadn't told anyone. He didn't want anyone to know because it was never going to be real, anyway. It was, and always would be, all in his head.

"Who is it?" Tina pressed.

"It's a guy and he's straight and he doesn't know that I like him..." Blaine tried to explain.

"I swear to God I won't tell anyone," Tina continued to insist.

"I'm not some predatory gay," Blaine stressed, "so nothing's gonna happen –"

"Who is it?" Tina asked. She was upset. "Tell me, Blaine. You can trust me."

Blaine slid down against the lockers until he was sitting on the floor.

"It's Sam," he confessed, embarrassed.

Tina look surprised, and Blaine braced himself for her judgment.

"It's so stupid," he whined. He _felt_ stupid. How had he allowed himself to develop such an uncontrollable crush on a guy who, Blaine thought, was rapidly becoming his closest friend in Ohio?

"No, it's not stupid," Tina said as she sat down beside him on the ground. "I know what it's like to have a crush on someone who's never going to love you back."

Blaine considered that. She had a crush on _him_. He had always had to navigate girls flirting with him and expressing interest, but none of his friends had ever confessed to having a crush on him. It was strangely flattering and also a little weird. Blaine wasn't sure how to process everything he was feeling, but he knew that he would never be able to reciprocate Tina's feelings for him.

"I know it's all just a fantasy," Blaine said, talking about his crush on Sam. "I mean, I'm proud of our relationship. I'm proud the gay guy can be friends with the straight guy. I'm proud of showing the school that. I just– I don't want to jeopardize our friendship, you know?"

He felt like there was no way to win in this scenario. Either he confessed to Sam and risked ruining their friendship and maybe the friendships he had formed with the other guys of New Directions, or he kept his mouth shut and went home feeling lonely and confused every night. He had just started to get past the crushing loneliness of Kurt's absence, and now this.

"Blaine, you miss Kurt," Tina reassured him. "You need some place to put your love, right?"

"I guess," Blaine agreed. He had never thought about it that way.

"And then there are those lips," Tina added as if she couldn't help herself.

"Those lips," Blaine agreed, smitten at the thought. "Yes, those _lips_. And when he does all those impressions?"

"It's like pure crushable crack!" Tina laughed.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Okay," Tina broke the silence and stood up. "Here's what we're gonna do about your very human and moving dilemma. We're going to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Together. We'll go as best friends and we're gonna have the most fun night ever. Okay?"

Blaine looked up at her. He didn't want to go at all. But maybe he should. And what would it hurt to indulge Tina's crush for one night? She knew he loved Kurt. That he had a crush on Sam. That he was gay. Blaine's worst nightmare was for Sam to find out about his crush and to think badly of him for it, so Blaine wanted to make sure that Tina knew that _he_ didn't judge _her_ for her crush.

"Okay," he agreed as Tina helped him up.

The next day, Blaine had to endure a steady stream of good-natured teasing from his friends about accepting Tina's proposal after so awkwardly turning her down in front of the group. He brushed off the jokes and tried not to let himself feel embarrassed about the whole situation, but, by the end of the day, he was ready to go home and just be alone.

After finishing his homework, Blaine cleaned his room and rearranged a little. Mostly, he was excited about moving all of his photos of Kurt to his nightstand so he could see them every morning when he woke up and every night before he fell asleep.

As he lay in bed that night and stared at the photos, he wondered what Kurt was doing. They had been texting casual messages back and forth, usually just once or twice each day, about Kurt's new classes at NYADA, but Blaine was actively trying to say as little about his own life as possible. What was there to say? "I miss you like crazy but I've also developed a severe crush on Sam, which is very confusing." "Tina has a crush on me and we're going to the Sadie Hawkins dance together." "Oh, and, by the way, we're having a Sadie Hawkins dance and it makes me miss you more than ever because I want you to be here to go with me."

He couldn't say any of those things. So, he tried to be content with hearing all the new things Kurt was experiencing at NYADA. His first acting class. His first dance class since he was a little boy. It all sounded amazing to Blaine, and he tried to reassure himself with the thought that he would be there in less than a year.

Even if NYADA didn't work out, Blaine knew he was going to New York after graduation. And he was going to find a way to earn Kurt's forgiveness so that they could start again. And everything would be perfect.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Despite Rachel's warning about the Adam's Apples, Kurt couldn't stop thinking about it. At the start of his second week at NYADA, he paused by the bulletin board again after class and looked at the signup sheet.

He had casually asked a few of his classmates about NYADA's show choir, and most of them had reacted neutrally. He had only gotten two enthusiastic responses; one positive, from a girl whose older sister had been in the group the year before, and one negative, from a boy who told Kurt that the Adam's Apples was where the losers of NYADA went to die.

But still, Kurt thought, plenty of people had said that kind of thing about New Directions. And it would be so fun to sing in a casual setting again.

"You're thinking about signing up, aren't you?" the same blonde young man who had commented about the Adam's Apples the week before suddenly appeared beside Kurt. His face was friendly and Kurt was intrigued as he realized the stranger had a British accent.

"Oh, uh... maybe?" Kurt allowed. "I... you are?"

"Adam," he introduced himself. "A senior and founder and fearless leader of the Adam's Apples, the group you are very seriously considering joining."

Kurt smiled and extended his hand.

"I'm Kurt," he said.

"Kurt Hummel," Adam clarified. "Your winter showcase performance was breathtaking."

Kurt couldn't believe that the head of the NYADA show choir knew who he was. He was feeling more and more comfortable with this new acquaintance with every second.

"And now you're here," Adam continued, "and you're wondering where you fit in. And how can college be so much like high school? And you want to join my group, but you're worried that it's a step backwards. And no, I'm not a mind reader. I'm just astute, like you. We need you. We. want. you."

He was so _friendly_. He was everything Kurt was hoping to find in a new friend. But Kurt couldn't shake Rachel's warning out of his mind. He didn't want to put himself back at the bottom of the social food chain. He was a Vogue dot com intern and a full time NYADA student. He was finally a respectable person.

"Well, I'm very impressed you said that all in one breath," Kurt teased, turning to walk away, "but I don't think I'll be joining."

"Man, a hard sell!" Adam exclaimed, following him. "I respect that, but I'm not willing to go down without a fight!"

Kurt turned and started down the stairs, but he paused to let Adam finish.

"Come hear us sing," Adam asked. "No strings attached. No secret timeshare condo Ponzi scheme. Just our voices and your ears."

Kurt couldn't resist.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Excellent!" Adam said, smiling widely. "You're on the right track; our auditorium's downstairs. Lead the way!"

They walked down the stairs together, and Kurt had a delayed realization.

"You spoke to me at the Winter Showcase," he realized. "That was... thank you."

"I meant it when I said I would've voted for you," Adam complimented as they reached the floor and Kurt let Adam lead the way. "You were a standout."

Kurt blushed and dropped back a few steps as they reached the auditorium.

"I present to you," Adam said as they walked through the door and Kurt saw a group of students waiting for them on the stage, "the Adam's Apples!"

Their song was an acoustic version of _Baby Got Back_, and Kurt was charmed. He found a seat and laughed his way through the performance and realized that it felt good being in the room with the students of the Adam's Apples. It felt like a group that didn't take itself too seriously, which was something Kurt was missing. He liked the competitive vibe of NYADA – it was great motivation to work hard – but he wanted _friends_. Somewhere to belong where he didn't have to prove himself all the time.

"Bravo!" Kurt applauded when the song was over. Adam and the others bowed dramatically and Kurt couldn't stop smiling.

"So," Adam asked as he wandered over, "what do you think? Are we the biggest bunch of losers you've ever seen in your life, or what?"

"Possibly," Kurt agreed with a smile. He stood up.

"Well," Adam said as he turned and strolled purposefully back toward the stage, "I'm sorry you feel that way..."

Kurt had to swallow a nervous lump in his throat before he stepped into the aisle and followed Adam.

"Change of heart?" Adam teased without turning around.

"You're all very endearing," Kurt said.

Adam turned around, and Kurt's heart thudded irregularly in his chest as the other boy smiled at him.

"Welcome to the Adam's Apples, Kurt Hummel," he said, extending a hand.

Kurt shook his hand, but, when he tried to pull his hand back, Adam didn't let go.

"Sorry," he winked. "It's a tradition."

Suddenly, the whole group was around him, crushing him in a group hug. Kurt couldn't even manage to feel embarrassed that he was crushed against Adam's chest as the warmth of belonging washed through him. He had found a place to belong. To make friends. Suddenly, everything about NYADA felt brighter and more worthwhile.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As the week progressed, Blaine found himself looking forward to the Sadie Hawkins dance less and less. He was fine with going with Tina as her friend, but he _wished_ that he could go with Kurt.

Or Sam.

He couldn't get the fantasy of going with Sam out of his mind. Sam was on his mind all the time. His eyes and his lips and his body and his impressions and his enthusiasm.

But Sam was going with Brittany. His girlfriend.

Then, while Blaine was feeling particularly sorry for himself one afternoon, he got an unhappy text from Kurt.

_You're having a Sadie Hawkins dance this weekend? Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me?_

Blaine couldn't decide if he wanted to feel good about Kurt's concern or annoyed about the question. _Maybe because you're not my boyfriend_, Blaine typed into his phone and immediately erased.

_I didn't want you to worry,_ he sent, instead. _It's fine. I'm going with Tina, as friends._

_Are you actually fine or just saying that because you don't want me to worry?_ Kurt replied.

Blaine thought about it. The real answer was "a little of both". He didn't anticipate that he would have a huge meltdown or any kind of incapacitating flashbacks, but he still felt uneasy about going to the dance. Partially because of his past and partially because of the loneliness he knew he would feel when he was dancing with Tina all night when what he really wanted was to dance with someone he loved.

_Actually fine_, he reassured Kurt. _It'll be weird going to a dance without you, though._

Blaine thought it was probably an overstep of their "just friends" rule, but he had to say it.

_It'll be fun with Tina!_ Kurt replied after a few minutes. _But text me during the dance if you need to, okay?_

_Okay_, Blaine texted back. _Thanks_.

He added a smiling emoticon and sent the message.

Since Christmas, he had stopped saying "I love you" at the end of every conversation. He wanted to – he meant it every time – but now he was always very aware of what Kurt had said to him at Christmas about feeling pressured to decide about their relationship. They were _friends_ now, at Kurt's request. Nothing more. And Kurt and Blaine had never tacked "I love you" to the end of their text messages before they had started dating.

Every so often, though, Blaine let himself type the three words t the end of his messages. So Kurt wouldn't forget.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Telling Rachel that he had joined the Adam's Apples didn't go well for Kurt. She scolded him and told him that he could possibly be flushing his entire career down the toilet. Then she got teary and her anger turned to worry. And then she got angry again before finally settling into a state of denial.

Fortunately for Kurt, Rachel had other things on her mind to distract her from Kurt destroying his career. Specifically, Brody.

"Okay," Rachel said as she read a text message from her new boyfriend as she and Kurt walked down the sidewalk after class one afternoon, "so Brody said he's gonna meet me at the library to go downtown. Do you want to come?"

"Oh, no thanks," Kurt declined. "I don't want to be a haggy third wheel on you guys' date."

"No, you won't be!" Rachel protested.

Kurt shook his head. He would be and they both knew it.

"Alright, you know what I can't wait for?" Rachel said as they walked. "I can't wait for you to find the new man of your dreams and then me, you, him, and Brody can all go on double dates together and it will be so much fun! I really feel like it's gonna happen soon."

Kurt imagined him and Adam on a date with Rachel and Brody. He could see it, and it made his heart pound with nervousness and excitement.

"Actually," he confessed, "there is someone that I have my eye on."

"Oh my god, who is it?" Rachel gasped. "Raul Esparza?"

Kurt laughed. "No, I wish," he teased.

"Because that would be great," Rachel commented.

"No, he goes to school with us," Kurt explained. "But, I don't know. Lately, things have been happening and I'm just kinda trying to figure out if he likes me."

"Oh my god," Rachel clutched his arm, "all the details. Now!"

"Well," Kurt explained, "I was waiting for class the other day, just sitting on the ground reading _Cat on a Hot Tin Roof_, and he walked by... and he said I would be perfect for Brick."

Kurt felt a flattered blush on his face as he remembered. "He said I looked like a young Paul Newman."

"He did _not_!" Rachel squeaked, delighted.

"There's more," Kurt admitted, trying not to get too carried away. "I was practicing after dance class yesterday and he came in and complimented my form. Twice."

"Oh my god, he is totally crushing on you!" Rachel exclaimed. "What is his name?"

"I don't want to jinx it, okay?" Kurt admitted. "I mean, he's twenty two, sophisticated, handsome... there's no way he wants to be with me."

"Oh god, Kurt," Rachel scolded. "You are a catch, okay? And now that, you know, things with you and Blaine are good and you're finally over the break up, I think it's really time for you to put yourself out there, you know?"

Kurt wasn't sure. Things were definitely over between him and Blaine. Kurt was comfortable with their current friendship. Without the pressure of a romantic reconciliation. He still had feelings for Blaine, but that was to be expected, right? They had dated for so long. Kurt had been closer to Blaine than anyone else he had ever known.

And Kurt had never dated anyone else. Adam seemed interested, so, why not? They were both single. They could go out on one date, at least. Kurt couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Look, if this guy doesn't want to ask you out, then _you_ ask _him_ out!" Rachel stressed as they paused by a crosswalk where Rachel was going to leave him to meet Brody. "I promise you, it will be worth the risk. There's nothing like being in love in New York!"

She kissed his cheek and brushed past him to cross the street toward where Kurt saw Brody waiting for her.

"Love?" Kurt said skeptically. "Already?"

"What can I say?" Rachel called over her shoulder. "Things move fast here. It's not like high school."

"Says the girl who almost got married before graduation!" Kurt had to shout back at her.

"Seize the moment!" Rachel called back, ignored his teasing. "Do it! It'll be worth it!"

Kurt thought about it as he watched Rachel run across the street and into Brody's arms.

He deserved to be that happy again. With someone. And he hadn't felt this way about anyone since he first met Blaine. Somehow both shy and bold all at once. Tongue-tied and very physically aware of the other boy's presence.

Kurt spent the night tossing and turning in bed, trying to decide what to do. He had been to a few Adam's Apples rehearsals. Everything was going really well. It was as comfortable as Kurt had imagined, and it was nice to be singing again in a space that wasn't a classroom with a teacher and a bunch of fellow students sizing him up. And Adam _was_ flirting with him. So, why not?

He had never asked anyone out before.

On Friday morning, as he rode the train to Manhattan, Kurt decided that he should go for it. This was New York. He had come here to find himself and to better himself. It was time to push past his shyness and just _ask_. Adam was so nice; if he didn't want to go out, he would just decline and that would be that.

And, Kurt thought, this would help him move past his feelings for Blaine. It was time to mend his broken heart and move on with his life. If things went well with Adam, he would know that he could live without Blaine. If things didn't go well with Adam, he would consider whether or not Blaine deserved a second chance.

Kurt couldn't concentrate in his morning classes. All he could think about was what he should say. Should he admit his crush and then ask if Adam wanted to go out? Should be pretend he was just casually asking Adam if he wanted to hang out and see how that went before saying something that suggested a _date_?

By the time his third class of the day ended and Kurt walked out of his classroom and saw Adam talking to someone a few feet away, Kurt had decided to just say whatever came to his mind. It was just a question. Kurt tried not to think about how rejected he was going to feel if Adam turned him down.

Kurt knelt down to pretend to tie his shoe and wait for Adam to finish talking to whoever he was standing with.

"Oh, hey, Kurt!" Adam's voice preceded his arrival as he rushed over to where Kurt was kneeling. "I was just thinking about you."

Kurt stood up.

"Thoughts on a Sondheim super mash-up?" Adam asked. "Like, epic to the power of epic. We'll all probably die while singing it. You in?"

"I'm in," Kurt agreed, absorbing some of Adam's energy.

As Kurt opened his mouth to ask Adam if he'd like to grab a coffee together sometime soon, Adam turned and started down the stairs.

"Hey, Adam?" Kurt was proud of himself when he called after Adam instead of panicking and shutting down.

Adam stopped and turned around at the bottom of the short staircase.

"I was wondering," Kurt said, "would you ever want to get a drink or a coffee sometime?"

Adam smiled. "Yeah, that'd be great!" he agreed.

"Great," Kurt echoed, trying to hold in the excitement that was suddenly surging through him.

"Here," Adam suggested, stepping toward Kurt, "let me give you my number."

Kurt handed Adam his phone and Adam added himself as a contact before handing the phone back to Kurt with a smile.

As he watched Adam's retreating form, Kurt allowed himself a silent squeal of triumph. He had just asked a guy out. An older guy. A sophisticated, popular, British guy. And Adam had accepted.

Adam wanted to go on a date with him.

Kurt had to run to get to his dance class on time, but he welcomed the exercise. He was giddy with nerves. How did this work? He had Adam's number but Adam didn't have his, so it was clearly Kurt's move. How long should he wait before texting Adam to set up their date? A day? Or was that too long? Maybe he should text him in a few hours so it was clear that he was interested. Or would that make him seem too clingy?

He decided to wait until that evening when he got home. That way it would seem like he had been busy all day but was eager enough about their future date to text as soon as he got home.

_Coffee this weekend sometime? – Kurt,_ he sent as soon as he walked through the door to his and Rachel's apartment.

To his delight, Adam responded almost immediately. _Sunday?_ he asked. _I can come out to Bushwick, if you like. Haven't been out there in ages!_

Kurt couldn't stop smiling as he replied. _Sounds perfect. Meet you outside the station in Bushwick at noon?_

He wasn't sure if he was ready to have a date in the apartment yet. They should try coffee first.

_Perfect_, Adam sent back. _It's a date!_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Saturday evening, Blaine got dressed up and drove to Tina's house to pick her up for the Sadie Hawkins dance. He complimented her on how beautiful she looked – not a difficult task, because she _did_ look gorgeous – and posed for a few photos for her parents before they headed to school for the dance.

Blaine had a hard time finding any enthusiasm until he and Tina walked through the door to the gymnasium.

"Tina, these decorations are incredible!" Blaine gushed as he saw the way everything was decorated in white and blue, like a snowy winter wonderland.

"Well, Sadie Hawkins dances are sometimes called snow balls, so that's where I got the idea for a snowflake theme," Tina explained.

Blaine was delighted. "I'm really glad that you invited me to this," he said. The atmosphere was light and fresh. It felt good.

"No post-traumatic stress disorder from before?" Tina asked.

"I thought there might be," Blaine admitted, "but no."

"I'm thrilled," Tina replied.

Blaine was thrilled, too. He had been through a two proms since his Sadie Hawkins incident, and he realized that surviving those dances, with Kurt, had really helped him to put the whole thing behind him. As much as he would ever put it behind him. He wondered if he would ever go to a big, glitzy event without thinking of his first Sadie Hawkins dance.

Tina offered her hand, and she and Blaine walked through the crowd toward where the rest of the guys of New Directions were gathered on the stage.

"We'd like to dedicate this song to all the strong, proud, and empowered ladies who stuck their necks out to make this happen," Artie said into his microphone. Blaine squeezed Tina's hand.

"This week," Artie continued, "you showed us what it feels like to wait anxiously by the phone that never rings. The horror when all your friends get asked to the dance and you don't, and you have to sit there and –"

Blaine let go of Tina's hand and hopped onto the stage to join the other guys. He grabbed a microphone headset and interrupted Artie.

"Alright, cool, thank you Artie," he said. "This one's for all the powerful women out there."

Blaine slipped his suit jacket off as the music began, and he had a blast singing _No Scrubs_ with the other boys of New Directions. The crowd loved it and, by the time the song ended, Blaine could hardly remember why he had ever not wanted to attend the dance.

After the song, he and Tina got some food and drinks and sat down to eat and so Blaine could cool off.

"You look so cute when you're sweaty, though," Tina complimented as they ate.

Blaine laughed. "Well, thank you," he smiled at her.

They finished eating and Blaine slipped his jacket back on before offering a hand to Tina.

"Shall we?" he asked formally.

She giggled and accepted, and he led her to the dance floor as the music picked up from a slow song to something with more energy.

"This is so nice!" he admitted as they danced. This was the kind of dancing that was fun with anyone. Nothing romantic.

"It is, isn't it?" Tina said, "I told you this would be fun!"

"You were so right," Blaine agreed. "You know, I love your new attitude these days. It's so empowered!"

"I love your... everything," Tina said. "You're perfect."

"Oh, Tina Cohen-Chang," Blaine teased as he dipped Tina. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Right here," Tina said as they stood up.

She looked really happy, Blaine thought as she stared at him. This had definitely been a good idea.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind, and Sam's voice was in his ears.

"We need you!" Sam demanded. "Huge breakthrough in the case! Let's go!"

Blaine turned to follow him, wondering if he had missed a text from Trent.

"Wait!" Tina protested. "Blaine and I were just about to –"

"About to what?" Sam asked.

"– to keep dancing," Tina said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Tina," Blaine said. "This is bigger than all of us. I've gotta go."

"Did you not hear me?" Sam shouted, urging him to hurry up.

Tina started to say something, but Blaine decided he would talk to her about it later. After they talked to Finn about the Warblers.

"Let's go!" Sam called.

They rushed away from Tina and out of the gymnasium into the hallway.

"Trent!" Blaine exclaimed happily as he saw the Warbler waiting for them. He hurried over for a hug. "Thanks so much for coming."

"If you had just come back to the Warblers, none of this would've happened," Trent whined.

Blaine shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said. "Thanks for trusting me enough to do this."

Trent nodded.

"Okay," Sam whispered loudly, "I texted Finn and he's waiting for us in the locker room. Round-faced Warbler, you wait in the shadows. We will let you know when the moment is right."

Trent nodded again, and Sam led the way into the locker room. Blaine patted Trent on the back briefly before he and Sam continued into the room without the Warbler.

Finn was there waiting for them, straddling a bench with an iPad in his hands, and Sam explained the whole situation. The Warblers' crazy acrobatics at the competition. How much bigger they looked than photos from just a few months earlier.

Finn was skeptical.

"Look at the pictures, Finn," Sam urged. "It's not just Hunter! Half the Warblers have gained ten pounds of muscle since they joined the team!"

"I already looked into this," Finn explained. "This is a weight training regimen that they stole from Vocal Adrenaline."

"You can't just go from being a twig to Jean-Claude Van Damme in a few months," Blaine countered. "Tell him, Sam."

"Look, the average male gains up to two pounds of muscle per month," Sam informed Finn. "Fact!"

"And that's without cheating," Blaine clarified. "We looked it up online."

"Also," Sam said, throwing his leg over the bench to sit down across from Finn, "look at this cell phone video that Artie and Joe Hart took down at the Lima Bean the other day."

He showed Finn a video on the iPad of Hunter Clarington having a raging meltdown over Splenda in his coffee.

"Now _that_ is 'roid rage and you know it!" Sam announced when the video ended.

"Look... chapter seven, sub-section sixteen, rule four, line nine," Blaine said, bringing the show choir rules book over so Finn could see it. "'Any team using performance enhancing drugs – including amphetamines, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, or Four Loko – will be automatically disqualified from competition.'."

"The rule is retroactive," Blaine explained. "So, if we can prove that they used at Sectionals, they'll have to forfeit and we'll win! Glee club is back!" He turned to Sam for a high five. "Blam!"

"Guys, what you are asking me to do here is beyond serious," Finn said. "The Warblers are, like, one of the most respected glee clubs in the country. To accuse them of _this_ when all we have for proof is photos of some dudes' heads and a cell phone video? Look, I want glee club back just as much as you guys, but this isn't enough. We need more real proof."

"We have some," Blaine informed him.

He looked at Sam, and they snapped their fingers simultaneously.

"Me," Trent explained as he walked into the room from behind Finn.

"I knew when Trent didn't perform with the Warblers at Sectionals that something was up," Blaine said as Finn twisted around to look at Trent.

"Yeah, he is kinda like the sunshine of the group, isn't he?" Finn recalled fondly.

"Isn't he?" Blaine agreed.

"Blaine and I joined the Warblers together," Trent explained. "It was a band of brothers. A group joined by harmony and honor. And then Blaine left and Sebastian came. Then Hunter. They just chipped away at everything that was good and special about us. Winning was everything. You took the shots or you didn't perform. Singing with the Warblers is my life, but I couldn't do it. My hormones can't handle heroic doses of testosterone. I don't even shave yet! The Warblers mean everything to me, and it's _killing me_ to betray them like this."

"You're not betraying them," Blaine reassured him. "Hunter betrayed the Warblers. You're saving them."

"Yeah, that's what they said about Brutus. And Cassius," Trent said. "Look, if I go public with this, then the Warblers' reputation? It's ruined. Forever. Years of honorable melodies and harmonies all forgotten."

"Look, the Warblers' reputation was ruined the second they decided to cheat to win," Sam countered. "Fact!"

Blaine could see the hesitation in Trent's eyes, and he understood. It pained him, too, to know that the Warblers were going to suffer as an organization because of this crazy scandal.

"So, what do you say?" Finn asked. "Will you do this? Will you testify against the Warblers?"

Trent took a deep breath and looked at Blaine.

"Yes," he agreed.

"Yeah!" Sam cried, throwing his hands in the air in triumph. "We're totally going to Regionals! Sorry dude," he added, realizing that Trent had just been stripped of that opportunity.

Blaine walked over to Trent. "Thank you," he said. "You're doing the right thing."

"We miss you," Trent told him. "And I know you're not coming back, but I wish you could."

"Let's just remember the good times," Blaine suggested, "okay?"

Trent nodded.

"You want to come to the dance?" Blaine smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It's beautiful in there, and –"

"Dude, no!" Sam interjected, walking over to stand with them. "This is still a covert mission. If any of the Warblers find out Trent was here, they'll have a head start at figuring out a way to lie themselves out of this!"

Blaine turned an apologetic gaze on Trent.

"It's okay," Trent agreed. "I should probably get back, anyway. I told everyone I was going to dinner with my parents, so they'll probably start to wonder why I've been gone so long if I'm not back in the next hour or so."

Blaine hugged him goodbye, and then he, Sam, and Finn returned to the dance.

"Hey, dude," Sam said to Blaine as they re-entered the gym, "you up for some dancing?"

Blaine's heart thudded in surprise and he snapped his head to the side to look at Sam.

"What?" he gasped.

Sam motioned at the room. "Let's dance the night away!" he said loudly.

Blaine laughed nervously and tried to calm down. Of course he and Sam weren't going to dance together. That fantasy was going to have to stay in Blaine's mind.

Sam turned and walked away, back to Brittany, and Blaine looked around for Tina. He saw her standing by the punch bowl and rushed over.

"Tina!" He called as he approached. "Excuse me," he added to a couple as he bumped past them.

"Hey," Tina greeted him. "I thought you split."

"No," Blaine reassured her. "No, not at all. We were just dealing with some glee stuff."

"Anything good?" Tina asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Blaine said. "But, if it works out, we may have just saved the glee club."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Tina smiled.

Blaine ducked his head before returning his gaze to her face. If her crush on him was anything like his crush on Sam, she wanted to dance with him. So he should let her live in her fantasy for one song.

"I know I can't possibly leave here without having at least one slow dance with you," he said.

He stepped toward the dance floor and held out a hand. Tina took it, and Blaine led the way into the crowd.

They ended up directly beside Sam and Brittany and, as Blaine pulled Tina into his arms for the dance, he felt a pang of loneliness.

He had a crush on Sam. He wanted to hold Sam's hand and maybe kiss him if Sam wanted to and to be able to let their bodies touch when they were doing stuff for the Secret Society of Superheroes club. It was a fantasy, and Blaine knew it. Knowing that he would never have any of those things, even for one moment, was a lonely feeling.

And missing Kurt felt like someone had torn part of his heart out and taken it away.

Coming to the dance with Tina had been fun. Dancing with Tina was lovely. But it was nothing like being wrapped up in Kurt's arms. Holding Kurt close to him so they both felt safe and at peace and loved. He imagined how excited Kurt would've been for this Sadie Hawkins dance; a chance for Blaine to fight the last of his lingering demons from his past and an excuse to dress up. And Kurt would've been insulted at the idea that people saw him as the "girl" in their relationship and the expectation that, as a result, he should ask Blaine to the dance. Kurt would've refused to sing a song to ask Blaine to the dance, but, when they were alone, he would've giggled and gotten down on one knee to propose that they go together. And Kurt would've been proud of Blaine for helping to find a way to save the glee club.

When he got home that evening after the dance, Blaine fell into bed and texted Kurt. It was after midnight, but he knew that Kurt could just ignore the message if he was already in bed.

_Sadie Hawkins Dance: complete! It was nice. Tina did a beautiful job planning the whole thing. Hope your evening has been wonderful!_

To his surprise, his phone lit up almost immediately with a phone call from Kurt.

"Hello?" Blaine answered.

"Hi!" Kurt said, and Blaine closed his eyes as he heard the smile in Kurt's voice. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, before the dance. I've been at work all day; I've taken on a lighter load at Vogue dot com now that I'm full time at NYADA, but Isabelle said it would be helpful if I come in sometimes on Saturday and do some of the organizational stuff when nobody else is around. It's actually kinda fun to be alone in the office," he laughed.

Blaine smiled. "Don't work too hard," he teased.

"Tell me more about the Sadie Hawkins dance," Kurt requested. "It was all fine?"

"It was," Blaine confirmed. "No flashbacks or anything. But it was so gorgeous. All white and blue and snowflake themed. You would've loved it."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed.

Blaine wanted to say how much he missed Kurt. How the dance hadn't been the same when he couldn't dance with the love of his life. But he didn't. Something in Kurt's voice was so upbeat that Blaine didn't want to bring up anything that might dampen his mood. And he had promised that they would just be friends. Truly _just_ friends, so Kurt could decide if he could live without Blaine.

"Where are you?" he asked, instead.

"Just about home, actually," Kurt said. "A perk of agreeing to work on Saturday: Isabelle pulled some strings so Vogue dot com will pay for me to take a cab to and from the office."

"Nice," Blaine approved.

"So you're really okay?" Kurt asked, his voice soft and concerned. "You'd tell me if things hadn't gone well, even a little, right?"

"Yes," Blaine said, "I would. But everything was fine. Don't worry," he teased gently.

Kurt hummed an affirmative.

"Oh... uh, and" Kurt said, his voice suddenly taking on a nervous tone, "there's something I wanted to tell you."

Blaine waited.

"I, uh... joined NYADA's glee club," Kurt told him.

"Really?" Blaine smiled. "What're they called?"

"The Adam's Apples," Kurt said. "I've been going all week, but I didn't, uh, want to mention it until I was sure I was going to stick with it."

"That's great, Kurt!" Blaine approved. "Should be a perfect way to make like-minded friends, right?"

"Right," Kurt agreed.

"Speaking of glee club," Blaine remembered, "Sam and I may have found a way to get us back into Regionals!"

"What?" Kurt gasped. "But the Warblers won at Sectionals."

"Exactly," Blaine agreed. "But they cheated."

"They cheated," Kurt responded skeptically.

"They did!" Blaine said vehemently. "They've been using steroids to bulk up so they're more acrobatic. At first I didn't believe it, either, but Trent wasn't at Sectionals... so, I asked him if we could talk about it. And he confirmed the drug usage."

"Are you serious?" Kurt asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Blaine replied.

"Wow," Kurt commented. "But... now you get to go to Regionals! That's great!"

"As long as we can get the show choir board to hear us out," Blaine clarified. "Finn's going to submit the paperwork on Monday morning."

"Well – yeah, this is it. Yes, thank you – sorry, I'm home," Kurt explained, "I hope it works out! Too bad Nationals aren't in New York this year. I'd be fun to see everyone."

"We haven't even made it past Regionals yet," Blaine laughed.

"I know," Kurt teased, "but you're going to make it to Nationals. I just know."

"I appreciate your vote of confidence," Blaine smiled.

"Well," Kurt said, "I should go. I'm home now and it looks like the lights are on in the apartment, so Rachel must still be up..."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "Thanks for calling."

"I'm really glad tonight was a good time," Kurt said sincerely. "Put those demons to rest."

"Yeah," Blaine nodded even though Kurt couldn't see him. "Goodnight, Kurt."

He heard the apartment door sliding open as Kurt said "goodnight" and ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Rachel was sitting at the table as Kurt came through the door. She was on her laptop, typing furiously.

"Hey," Kurt greeted her. "You're up late."

"Hi!" she smiled widely. "How was work?"

"Fine," he allowed. "I'm gonna sleep all day tomorrow, though."

She hummed her acknowledgement, distracted by her laptop. Kurt got a glass of water and an apple and sat down across from her at the table.

"You know," Rachel said out of the blue, "if we had a third roommate, our rent would be so much less per person. Six hundred instead of nine hundred."

"Congratulations on your math skills," Kurt teased. "But let's not. This is our calm, safe haven and throwing a stranger into the mix..." he shook his head.

"Well," Rachel said, too casually, "maybe we can find someone who we know?"

Kurt looked at her and knew that something was up.

"What did you do?" he asked, already cringing as he waited for her response.

"I asked Brody to move in with us," Rachel confessed with a huge smile that Kurt knew was an attempt to make him excited about the idea.

"You _what_?" Kurt snapped.

"Well, I mean, he's here all the time," Rachel argued. "And it's a long train ride and I know you like him just fine so don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?" Kurt said, getting angrier with every passing second. "Like you just invited a guy to move in with us _without even asking me_? Rachel!"

"Oh, don't act all horrified," Rachel said, returning the anger. "What about how you want Blaine to move in here next year? So that's okay, but –"

"One," Kurt interrupted, "that was before we broke up, and, two, that's not even remotely the same! This isn't Finn or Blaine or someone we know really well. You hardly even know this Brody guy!"

"How would you know?" Rachel retorted. "You're not with me every second of every day. Just because _you_ don't know him very well doesn't mean that I don't! We've known each other for four months!"

"Do you hear yourself?" Kurt shouted. "You've known him for four months. That's great – be his girlfriend – but you're talking about moving in together! After _four months_!"

"It's not like _that_," Rachel countered. "We can make a third room between yours and mine and he'll just be a third roommate!"

"_No_," Kurt said.

"I'm not asking," Rachel snapped.

"You cannot invite someone to live here without my permission!" Kurt informed her.

"Yes I can!" Rachel shouted, jumping out of her chair and slamming her laptop closed. "And, if you don't like it, you can just move out!"

She turned and marched into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Kurt stood up, abandoning his apple on the table, and stormed into his section of the apartment, pulling the curtain closed behind him.

He was overwhelmed. Everything at NYADA was so new. He was experiencing attraction toward another guy in a way he hadn't since he first met Blaine. He had just joined a new glee club.

And now Rachel had asked her boyfriend to move in with them without even consulting Kurt first.

He liked the idea of a third roommate in terms of the money situation. Paying less in rent would mean more money for tuition and textbooks and food and possible plane tickets home to Ohio to see his father. He had been nursing the idea of another roommate for a while.

But he didn't want their third roommate to be Rachel's boyfriend of less than two months.

Or did it really matter?

Kurt sat down on his bed and dragged his hands through his hair in frustration. Brody was around a lot, anyway. And he seemed nice enough. The only major problem for Kurt would be avoiding listening to Rachel and Brody's sexual escapades, but he could invest in a huge bag of earplugs and turn his white noise machine to its top volume.

The alternative was to force the issue with Rachel and cause a huge fight, which Kurt _really_ didn't want. He liked feeling comfortable in his own apartment.

But would he feel comfortable with Brody living there? He wasn't sure.

He heard Rachel emerge from the bathroom and decided to attempt a compromise.

"Okay," he said as he shoved the curtain aside and walked back into the kitchen where Rachel was waiting for him, "here are my conditions. No sex on any surface that isn't your bed. My room is off limits at all times. And he better keep the bathroom as spotless as it is right now."

"_Kurt_," Rachel breathed happily.

"And," Kurt added as Rachel walked over and threw her arms around him, "if he's not actually going to spend every night in his own bed, I'd rather you two just share your room and save us all the trouble of hanging another curtain."

"Okay!" Rachel beamed at him. "Well, he's gone back to Manhattan for tonight, but let me call him and I'll see if he can bring some of his things tomorrow..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The fact that Rachel invited Brody to move into the apartment without even asking Kurt. Not okay.<strong>_

_**Alright, let's talk about Adam. I like him. I like him a lot, actually. Such a sweetheart! **_**Obviously**_**, I want Kurt and Blaine together again. Eventually. But, what happened between them was pretty much the heaviest thing that can happen to a relationship, so, more than anything else, I'm glad to see that Kurt is clinging to his self-respect and is having a really hard time actually forgiving Blaine. From now until the end of the season, I think Kurt is waging an internal war between the part of him that knows that Blaine is the love of his life and the part of him that is desperately trying to protect himself from more pain. So, he convinces himself that he's cool with being "just friends" with Blaine because he needs to believe that in order to pull himself out of the emotional black hole that Blaine's infidelity threw him into. Which brings us back to Adam. I think Adam's great for Kurt. If Blaine had never existed (GASP, I KNOW), I think Kurt and Adam could be very happy together. But, Blaine does exist, so poor Adam doesn't really stand a chance. They only date for maybe a month and a half-ish (assuming they're separated by the finale).**_

_**All of that said, if you freaking hate Adam and that whole storyline, that's fine! But it's canon, so we're going to try to make sense of it here. :)**_

_**Up next... 4x12: Naked!**_


	51. 4x12: Naked

_**So very sorry about last week, guys! We now return to regularly-scheduled posting. :)**_

_**I really like this episode. The "naked" theme is very well done. Physical nakedness. Emotional nakedness. Good job, Glee!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Sunday morning, Kurt was up early.

He was going on a date.

It took him an hour of sifting through his clothes to decide on an appropriate outfit. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard, especially when Adam's style was so laid back, but he wanted to look nice. And he had to find something that looked great with his warmest jacket; it was incredibly cold outside.

Brody had stayed at his old apartment the night before to pack and prepare to move his things to Bushwick, so Kurt's only company as he got ready was Rachel. She was overjoyed with the prospect of Kurt's potential new boyfriend.

"I can't believe you won't tell me who he is!" Rachel whined from her seat on the couch as Kurt made sure he had money in his wallet and that his phone was fully charged.

"I don't even know if this is going to go well or if it's going to be a huge disaster," Kurt explained.

"Oh, please," Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course it's going to go well! You look especially handsome today, by the way."

"Thank you," Kurt grinned.

"What's his name?" Rachel pressed.

"Adam," Kurt confessed, unable to reign in his excitement.

"Adam!" Rachel shrieked. "As in... the _Adam's_ Apples?"

"Yes, indeed," Kurt confirmed in a British accent.

"_Kurt_!" Rachel gasped. "Oh my god."

"If you even think about opening your mouth to say anything negative about Adam's Apples," Kurt threatened, "bad things are going to happen to you. Bad, bad things."

But Rachel looked elated.

"Can we go on a double date?" she asked happily.

"I haven't even gone on a solo date with him yet!" Kurt scolded as he reached for his coat and scarf. He couldn't stop smiling. "But maybe. Eventually."

Rachel squealed with happiness and jumped off the couch so she could hug him and kiss his cheek.

"Good luck!" she beamed at him. "I'm going to be with Brody in Manhattan until at least four o'clock this afternoon, so..."

"That's not happening," Kurt clarified.

"Well, just in case!" Rachel teased. "Now go! Have fun! Bye!"

She all but shoved him out the door, and Kurt was on his way to meet Adam at the train station.

The walk to the station felt twice as long as normal because he was so nervous about being late. To his relief, he arrived a full ten minutes before Adam's train was set to arrive. So he waited.

When Adam finally appeared, his face lit up as he saw Kurt.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully, jogging the final few steps to where Kurt was standing. "Or it should be 'good afternoon' now, I suppose?"

"Hi," Kurt smiled.

They walked together to a coffee shop that Kurt had passed one day as he explored the neighborhood, but had never visited. It smelled good as they walked through the door. And it was warm. Kurt was surprised at how relaxed he felt. This was his first _first date_ in almost two years. And he had never had a first date quite like this. With someone he barely knew. He and Blaine had been friends first.

The coffee was average, but the conversation was wonderful. It flowed easily, as Kurt told Adam about himself and Adam returned the favor. Kurt learned that Adam had come to NYADA as a sophomore, transferring from a performing arts school in England because he felt stuck as an artist and had wanted a change of scenery. He had started the Adam's Apples immediately upon enrolling at NYADA, and had quickly found a group of students to make up a decent show choir. And, just as quickly, he had realized that many of the other students at NYADA thought he should never have brought show choir to NYADA at all. But it hadn't bothered him, because he enjoyed the Adam's Apples so much.

Kurt told Adam about his family. How his mother had died when he was still a little boy and his father had raised him alone until Kurt had introduced him to Carole and they had fallen in love. He explained, to both of their amusement, his crush on Finn before they were step-brothers. And about the highs and lows of his high school experience.

And Kurt told Adam about Blaine.

He felt like he had to. It was impossible to explain how he survived high school without mentioning Blaine. So, although he was nervous to mention an ex-boyfriend on a first date, he managed to work his relationship with Blaine – the extremely vague version – and their breakup into the conversation without making things awkward.

Adam confessed that he had only ever had one serious boyfriend before, too. They had dated the year before Adam moved to New York and had separated because they realized that they wanted different things out of life. And, much to Kurt's (and Adam's) amusement, Adam told the story of his first – "and only!" he clarified – girlfriend. He had dated a girl for five months when he was fourteen, until he had broken things off with her and had come out.

They were still laughing about it as they wandered back down the street toward the train station so Adam could ride back to Manhattan.

"So, um..." Kurt said as they walked, struggling to keep his voice casual, "do you want to do this again? Sometime."

Adam laughed. "Certainly," he agreed. "I was just working up the nerve to ask you the same, so, clearly, we are well-matched."

Kurt ducked his head, delighted, as they reached the station and Adam grabbed one of Kurt's hands.

"Thanks for this," he smiled.

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said, squeezing Adam's hand. "See you Monday?"

Adam nodded and let go of Kurt's hand, and Kurt watched him walk away until he disappeared through the station doors. Then, Kurt turned and ran the few blocks home to tell Rachel all the details.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Finn called the show choir board early on Monday morning and shared the information Sam and Blaine had gathered about the Warblers' drug use. To Blaine's surprise, the board took the accusation seriously, and, by the time the evening news aired, the Warblers were disqualified from Sectionals.

_New Directions is officially headed to Regionals!_ Blaine texted Kurt as he got ready for bed.

_Congratulations!_ Kurt returned. _That was fast!_

_Yeah_, Blaine explained, _I guess they went over to Dalton almost immediately after Finn called and did a blood test on a few of the Warblers. The results spoke for themselves._

_Blood doping in show choir_, Kurt responded, and Blaine imagined him rolling his eyes.

_Insane_, Blaine agreed. _But it's a second chance for us to go to Regionals, so we'll take it!_ _How was your weekend? How's NYADA?_

_NYADA's growing on me_, Kurt replied. _Have you heard anything about when you're supposed to audition?_

_Not yet_, Blaine sent back. _Trust me... when I know, you'll know._

Kurt responded with an emoticon that was smiling a huge, toothy smile, and Blaine smiled with it.

_I'm headed to bed_, Kurt said. _Congratulations again on making it to Regionals!_

_Accidentally_, Kurt added with a winking emoticon.

Blaine sent a face with its tongue sticking out. _Remind me not to invite you_, he teased.

_Goodnight_, Kurt replied, and Blaine wondered where Kurt was in his apartment. What was he wearing? How was his hair styled?

_Goodnight_, he echoed. _I love you._

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As their text message conversation ended, Kurt glanced up at Rachel across the table.

"Was that Adam?" Rachel smiled at him over her laptop as he put his phone down.

"Blaine," Kurt corrected. "The Warblers have officially been disqualified... New Directions is back in the running for Regionals."

"Wow," Rachel appreciated the news, but her eyes were still full of curiosity about the text message conversation.

"What?" Kurt narrowed his eyes at her.

"You just had a really fond look on your face..." Rachel said.

"He's my best friend, okay?" Kurt said, snappier than he planned.

"Have you told him?" Rachel wondered.

"Told him what?" Kurt asked, although he knew exactly what Rachel meant.

"About Adam," Rachel clarified carefully.

"No," Kurt said, trying to sound confident in his decision.

Rachel nodded and dropped her gaze to her laptop screen. Kurt got up from the table to head into the bathroom and brush his teeth.

He didn't need to tell Blaine about Adam, right? They had only been on one actual date so far. That didn't make them _boyfriends_, did it? He and Blaine definitely weren't boyfriends anymore, so why did it matter, anyway? Kurt could do whatever he wanted with his love life without consulting Blaine. And Blaine could do the same without asking Kurt.

The thought of Blaine finding someone else bothered Kurt more than he wanted it to.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and asked himself if it was okay to keep his new relationship with Adam secret from Blaine.

Probably not. They weren't dating anymore, but Blaine was still his best friend. And Kurt knew that Blaine would be devastated if he learned about Kurt's situation with Adam from someone else.

But what if things with Adam didn't work out? Having a good time together during Adam's Apples rehearsals and one lovely coffee date didn't mean that they were the perfect match. So, telling Blaine – telling _anyone_ other than Rachel and Brody, who basically had to know because they all lived together – at this stage was premature.

Kurt decided to wait until the end of the week. If, after another date or two, things with Adam continued to feel good, he would tell Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Glee club on Tuesday afternoon was full of energy as Finn wrote "Regionals!" on the whiteboard.

"Alright, people, we are back!" Finn announced. "First of all, big props to Sam and Blaine for all their hard work to make this happen."

Blaine twisted around to look at Sam, who was sitting in the row behind him, and they fist bumped in celebration.

"But, there's no time to celebrate," Finn cautioned. "We just lost three weeks of prep time for Regionals and we still have to raise $400 to pay for the bus to get to the competition in Indianapolis."

"It's the Paris of Indiana," Artie commented fondly.

"I propose a bake sale," Finn announced. "I mean, it worked last time."

"Well, that's because Puck spiked the cupcakes with Mary Jane," Artie reminded him.

"I'd be willing to cut off my hair to sell it for extra cash," Joe suggested.

"To who?" Kitty scoffed, "Jamaican kids with Rastafarian cancer or as rigging on a haunted pirate ship?"

"I could sell more of my semen," Sam suggested.

"This is silly," Tina protested. "I know exactly how we're going to get the money."

She stood up and walked to stand beside Finn at the front of the room.

"The 'Men of McKinley' calendar!" she announced. "Let's face it, this is the cutest crop of glee club boys we've ever had."

"That's great!" Marley agreed. "And it's January, so it's the perfect time to sell them."

"There are six guys," Tina said, "so each one can take two months. I think Blaine should definitely be December. You can do a Santa thing, but sexy. Sexy Claus."

Blaine didn't dignify her suggestion with a response.

"I'm in as long as I can take my shirt off," Sam said in Matthew McConaughey's voice.

"Wait, why does it have to be just the men?" Artie protested. "Why can't we objectify the girls, too?"

"Because girls are the ones who buy stuff," Kitty said. "We are responsible for the consumer-driven economy. Those Twilight books are poop on paper and we've turned them into a billion-dollar industry."

"Team Jacob!" Unique announced.

"This could actually work," Finn realized. "Tina, you're in charge! You can set up the photo shoots... everyone else, pick your months and work on your concepts."

"Good job, Tina!" the group applauded.

Blaine was indulging in a fantasy about Sam without his shirt on when Sam clasped a hand on his shoulder from behind. "Dude, this is gonna be awesome!" he said.

"Yeah," Blaine managed to choke out.

"We should totally wear our superhero costumes for October," Sam suggested. "Although," he realized, "that would give away our identities, wouldn't it?"

Blaine laughed and Artie rolled away, so Sam dragged his chair down to Blaine's level so they were sitting beside each other.

"I totally want to do August and July," Sam said. "Best months for the least amount of clothes. Oh yeah."

The other boys gathered around, and the debate began about who would take each month. Joe wanted to do April because of Easter. Ryder wanted to do February because it was the month most associated with romance and he thought it would be a popular month for the girls of the school. Jake wanted to do October because he loved Halloween.

By the end of the afternoon, they had it all worked out, but Artie informed them that they wouldn't have access to the necessary equipment until early the following week.

"Alright," Sam said triumphantly as Finn dismissed the group and everyone started to wander out of the room, "one week to get as ripped as possible, dudes! We've got this."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine was gathering his books for the day out of his locker when Tina walked up to him.

"Hey, Blaine," she greeted, "will you please go to the mall with me after school? I want to go clothes shopping."

"Sure," Blaine agreed. It sounded like a fun afternoon, and he knew they needed some fabric to make some of the costumes for the calendar.

The doors opened at the end of the hallway, and Blaine glanced over Tina's shoulder as the movement caught his eye and saw Sam walking into the building. Wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, a pair of sunglasses, and some short Ugg boots.

"Oh, sweet merciful lord," Blaine said in disbelief.

Tina turned to look, too, and Blaine recovered from his initial shock enough to realize that it was freezing cold outside.

He closed his locker and walked toward Sam. Tina followed.

"Sam, what are you doing?" Blaine wondered as they walked up to each other. "It's January."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked. "It's hot out there. You know, sun's out. It's, like, way above freezing."

Blaine thought he knew what was going on. He had heard about Sam's extremely low SAT scores the night before when Marley had texted him the bad news.

"Are you sure you're not overcompensating a little?" Blaine suggested.

Sam removed his sunglasses. "Overcompensating for what?" he asked.

"Your SAT scores," Blaine clarified. "We all heard that you tanked. But don't worry; there are re-tests."

"You know what, dude?" Sam snapped. "Like, if you choose to be jealous of my hardcore rockin' bod', that's on you."

Blaine was opening his mouth to reassure Sam that he was just trying to be supportive when Tina interrupted.

"For the record," she said, "Blaine has an awesome body and a perky and delicious behind that looks like it got baked to perfection by some sort of master chef."

Blaine wondered if maybe he was letting Tina's crush get out of hand.

"Thanks, Tina," he said before turning his attention back to Sam. "Sam, I'm just looking out for you," he explained. "I'm trying to be your friend."

"Well then, put down the Haterade and come to my seminar this afternoon!" Sam suggested.

"Your seminar?" Blaine had no idea what Sam was talking about.

"Yeah, for the Men of McKinley calendar," Sam explained. "It's a one-hour course entitled 'Modern Centerfold: Techniques that Work for Today's Hot, Young Posers'."

He put his sunglasses back on before brushing past Blaine and Tina. "3:30," he added. "Locker room. No chicks!"

Tina said something, but Blaine was so distracted as he watched Sam walk away that he didn't hear her. "What?" he asked as Sam disappeared around a corner.

"You're still coming shopping this afternoon, right?" Tina repeated.

"Oh," Blaine remembered. "Well, uh... I should really– this is for the calendar, so..."

Tina rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," Blaine said guiltily.

"It's _fine_," Tina whined as the bell rang that signaled the start of the school day. "At least we'll get some awesome photos for the calendar next week."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The first few days of Brody living with Kurt and Rachel in the apartment were uneventful. Brody liked to sing in the shower, which was annoying because he liked to shower very late at night, but, other than that, he was neat and easygoing.

On Wednesday morning, Kurt was eating his cereal at the table when Brody emerged from Rachel's room. Kurt barely noticed him, lost in thought about a test he had in a few hours for one of his classes, until Brody sat down at the table and Kurt glanced up to offer a silent greeting.

Brody was completely naked.

Kurt did a double-take and was trying to wake up his brain enough to do _something_ when Rachel walked out of her room.

"Good morning!" she said brightly, leaning down to kiss Brody.

She didn't even seem to notice that he wasn't wearing any clothes. In the middle of their shared space. Sitting on one of their shared chairs.

Kurt glared at her as she grabbed a banana off the center of the table.

"What?" she asked, as if she were daring him to challenge Brody's lack of clothes.

"Your boyfriend's bare ass in on one of my vintage flea market chairs!" Kurt snapped.

"Hey, I'm not ashamed of my body," Brody said calmly. "And I wanted to show Rachel that I support her choice, completely."

"Thank you," Rachel smiled at him before looking at Kurt. "I was cast in a student art film and I'm going to be doing a topless scene in it," she explained casually.

"No, you're not," Kurt moaned unhappily.

"Rachel looks smokin'," Brody commented.

"Rachel is a serious actress, _Brody_," Kurt scolded, trying not to lose his temper. "She doesn't _do_ nudity."

"Look, as performers, that's a question that we're all gonna have to face," Brody said, as if Kurt just didn't understand the situation. "If you want to win an Oscar, you have to show your boobs. Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly. Cathy Bates."

Kurt rolled his eyes and adjusted the milk carton on the table to block parts of Brody he wasn't interested in seeing.

He looked at Rachel and wondered how he could feel so isolated from her. They had been dear friends a year earlier, nervous and excited about the future together. Now, he felt like he barely knew her, and it was really starting to grate on his nerves.

"I don't get it," Kurt voiced some of his concern to Rachel. "A year ago, you were all plaid skirts and 'do you think Finn likes me?'. And now you're slutty Barbie asking misogynist Ken to move in with you. Doing pornos. What's happening to you?"

"I'm growing up, Kurt," Rachel condescended. "Maybe you should try it, too."

She stood up and touched Brody's shoulder before moving to grab her bag.

"And it's not a porno; it's a good movie," she added. "And I'm going to do it with or without your support."

She left the apartment without another word, and Kurt just watched her go.

"You know," Brody said as he stood up and Kurt made a point to avoid looking at any part of him, "it's not very nice to shame someone for what they choose to do with their body."

"Oh, _please_," Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend that you're supporting this because you think it's what Rachel _really_ wants."

"It's just work," Brody said, raising his voice a little so Kurt could still hear him as he walked into Rachel's room to get dressed. "Even if she doesn't _want_ to do it – wouldn't _seek out_ a topless scene – if this job is a stepping stone toward her dreams, who're you to say that she's wrong to go for it?"

"I'm her best friend," Kurt returned. "I think I know her a little bit better than you. One day, when she wakes up from this 'look at me, I'm such an adult doing such adult things' _phase_ that she's currently stuck in, she's going to regret doing a topless scene in some random student film. And it'll be too late to take it back."

"You don't know that she'll regret it," Brody argued. "Maybe she'll feel empowered for being brave enough to show the world her breasts because she's proud of her body."

"Rachel has a beautiful body," Kurt agreed. "Of course she'll probably feel empowered for a few days after she does it. Especially because she equates boldness with strength of character lately. But what about a year from now? How's she going to feel then? Or when her children find –"

"People focus too hard on avoiding regret, anyway," Brody interrupted. "We all have to do things we don't want to do to get where we want to go. That's life."

"Don't talk down to me," Kurt rolled his eyes and shoveled his final spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Well," Brody said, reemerging from behind the curtain with his clothes on, "we're not women, anyway, right? We'll never understand how it feels to bare our boobs for a camera. So maybe we should just let Rachel make her own decisions."

"As long as they're decisions you agree with," Kurt mumbled.

"Could say the same to you," Brody said, not unkindly. He grabbed his bag. "Anyway, I'm gonna go catch Rachel at the station. Later."

"Have a great day!" Kurt said sarcastically as Brody stepped out the door.

As soon as he was alone in the apartment, Kurt jumped up and found some disinfectant spray to clean the chair Brody had been sitting in. He also made a mental note never to sit in that chair again.

He thought about his conversation with Brody as he showered and got dressed. He agreed, in a general sense, with the idea that Rachel was, and should be, allowed to do whatever she wanted with her body. Doing a topless scene wasn't a threat to her health or anything. But the whole scenario worried Kurt because Rachel wasn't _herself_ lately. It felt like a phase fed by her newfound popularity and confidence after winning the Winter Showcase and starting a relationship with Brody, and Kurt didn't know how to respect her independence as an adult woman while also putting his foot down about the topless scene.

He wished he had someone to talk to about the whole situation. This wasn't something he could talk about with Finn. He didn't want to ask Blaine about it because he was still trying to figure out how his feelings regarding Blaine and his feelings for Adam could co-exist. And, really, he felt like he needed to talk to a girl. Maybe Brody was right about not understanding what it felt like to expose a female body. He needed to find a woman who would understand what Rachel might be feeling. Someone she would feel comfortable confiding in but also someone who would offer a critical opinion.

Santana, Kurt thought.

Or maybe Quinn.

He decided to call them both.

Santana immediately suggested that she should fly to New York to stage an intervention. Kurt had imagined something simpler like a phone call, but he agreed, mostly because Santana was so insistent. Quinn was on board with the plan as soon as Kurt explained the situation, so, by the time Kurt rode the train into Manhattan for class, both girls were making plans to arrive by the end of the day.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That afternoon, Blaine walked into the locker room to find Sam, Ryder, and Jake waiting for him.

"Welcome, Mr. Anderson," Sam greeted him as Agent Smith from _The Matrix_.

Blaine laughed, charmed, and was glad that he had to walk around the corner to his gym locker to change into looser clothes so the other guys wouldn't see him blushing. By the time he was ready to go, Artie and Joe had joined the group for Sam's seminar.

"Alright!" Sam clapped his hands once as he addressed the group. "Welcome to 'Modern Centerfold: Techniques that Work for Today's Hot, Young Posers'! First up: yoga."

"Yoga?" Ryder said skeptically. Sam ignored him.

"These here are yoga mats," Sam motioned at the ground.

Everyone chose a mat, and Sam led the group in a short yoga routine. Blaine was glad that he had been working on flexibility so much lately to improve his dancing skills, because it made the yoga easy and relaxing.

The other guys were not feeling Sam and Blaine's satisfaction with the exercise.

"Why are we doing this, again?" Jake wondered after a few minutes.

"It's broga – yoga for bros," Sam informed him. "All about getting in the best possible shape for the calendar."

"Well, not everyone in here looks like they're on The CW," Artie said. "Some of us are more PBS. Does the calendar _really_ need to be shirtless?"

Sam stood up. "Afraid so, dude," he told Artie. "But don't sweat it because, in no time, we'll all be centerfold ready, thanks to White Chocolate strip tips."

He led the group to the sinks and talked to them about making sure that they shaved their bodies before the photo shoot.

"And who says you can't pack a little extra?" Sam suggested as his second tip. "I like baby socks. Now, just make sure the sock is clean so you don't get any athlete's foot on your junk."

Sam reached into his pants to add the baby socks, and Blaine decided he was not going to follow that particular tip. It was too much.

"Alright," Sam said when he was finished situating the baby socks, "next: aerobic exercise! Flexibility's nothing if you don't have endurance, am I right?"

Sam took them to the auditorium and gave them sauna suits to put on over their clothes so they would sweat more than normal as they ran up and down the auditorium stairs.

"Great job, great job!" Sam encouraged the group as everyone's legs started to burn and Blaine started to wonder if the sauna suits were safe. "Alright, that's enough!"

He led the way back to the locker room.

"The third and final half of today's seminar," Sam announced a few minutes later, once they had all changed out of their sauna suits and dried off, "is anaerobic exercise. Don't ask me to spell it, though. But it's all about _muscle_!"

They lifted weights until they were so exhausted that they could barely move and, by the end, Sam seemed satisfied.

"Good work today, boys!" he encouraged as the group gathered their things to leave. "Let's keep this up all week! And don't forget to eat plenty of protein and watch those calories!"

"You should be a personal trainer," Blaine smiled as he walked past Sam on the way to the door.

"See ya tomorrow, man," Sam said, still focused on jumping rope.

"Don't overdo it," Blaine cautioned as he paused by the doorway. He kept his tone light, but he was a little worried that Sam might work himself too hard and nobody would be around to help him if he collapsed.

"I'm cool," Sam nodded at him.

"Okay," Blaine agreed before turning and walking out the door.

Sam kept the guys of New Directions busy every afternoon after glee club until the day of the calendar photo shoot. They did more yoga. They ran up and down the auditorium steps. They lifted weights. They choreographed a workout to music so they could perform it for the rest of New Directions. And Sam weighed each of the guys every day to make sure they were on the right track. Most of them were already in decent shape and didn't lose much weight, but Blaine enjoyed the physical activity. He was sleeping better than ever.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Quinn arrived first. She hopped on a train immediately after her afternoon class at Yale and made it to Kurt and Rachel's apartment before Kurt got back from NYADA early in the evening. She was sitting on the ground with her back against the locked apartment door when Kurt arrived.

"Quinn!" he smiled, rushing to help her up so he could wrap her in a hug.

"Hi!" she returned the smile as they stepped apart.

"Thank you so much for coming," Kurt said as he unlocked the door and they walked into the apartment. "Welcome!"

"Very nice," Quinn approved as she looked around the apartment for the first time.

"Rachel will probably be back kinda late," Kurt said as Quinn put her bag down. "She and Brody are going out to what I'm sure will be a _lovely_ dinner in Manhattan before they come home."

"It might be best if we get to talk to her without the boyfriend," Quinn suggested.

Kurt chewed on his lip and wondered how he could get Rachel to come back to the apartment without Brody.

"I'll have to think about that," he admitted.

He and Quinn talked about Rachel's situation and about what was going on in each other's lives until Santana arrived about two hours later. As Quinn and Santana tried to figure out what they should say to Rachel, Kurt was saved from having to find a way to keep Brody away during the intervention by a text from Rachel.

_On the train home_, she said. _Brody has to go back to NYADA for a late-night rehearsal for one of his classes, but I'll be home soon!_

"Okay," Kurt explained to Quinn and Santana, "she's on her way back. It's probably best if I'm not here for this, so I'm gonna head down the street and have some hot chocolate with my laptop."

"We've got this," Quinn reassured him.

"Unless she's as crazy as I remember," Santana clarified.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Just try, okay?" he said, mostly to Santana, as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "Text me when it's safe to come back!"

The text from Santana came less than an hour later.

_She's still claiming that she's going to do it but I can tell we planted a serious seed of doubt in her mind. Come back. Bring food._

It was one of the most enjoyable nights Kurt had experienced since moving to New York. Rachel wasn't angry at him for calling Quinn and Santana, but she maintained that she was still planning to do the nude scene. Brody never came home – he texted Rachel to tell her that he was going to crash at a friend's apartment in Manhattan because it was so late – and Kurt, Rachel, Quinn, and Santana had a slumber party like they were still in high school. It was two o'clock in the morning before Kurt realized that he and Rachel had class later that morning and suggested that they sleep. It was another hour before they actually followed through on Kurt's idea.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When the day of the photo shoot for the calendar arrived, Blaine was excited. He had ended up with December – at Tina's request – and January, and he was looking forward to goofing off in the costumes they had picked out. He went first; posing in his Chippendales-inspired outfit for January and a shirtless Santa Claus outfit for December. Then, he watched Ryder, Joe, and Jake posed for their respective months.

"Alright, August is up next!" Tina announced as Ryder finished posing for July. "Artie, are you sure you don't want to pose?"

"No, I'm happy posing with this bounce board over here," Artie said.

"Hey, why don't we do August with a few of the guys?" Tina suggested as Sam got ready to strike a pose for August. "Blaine, why don't you jump in with Sam? You're looking particularly cute today."

"I'll do it, too," Joe offered before Blaine could decline.

"No offense, Joe, but I don't really think you want to be in a shot next to me," Sam said. "My washboard's gonna make you look like a bloated, white Bob Marley."

"I'm as God made me, dude," Joe retorted.

"Look," Sam said to Tina, annoyed, "the reality is you probably should've just done a Sam Evans calendar."

"Yes, and every month we could see you dressed as a different brand of jerk-wad," Artie scolded.

"Guys, we waited too long!" Sam cried. "I lost my pump. I need five minutes!"

He turned and stormed away toward the weightlifting area of the locker room. Blaine rushed after him.

"You got this!" Sam said to himself as he pumped a large weight with one arm. "You got this!"

"You're kind of out of control," Blaine scolded.

"Yeah, well, haters gonna hate," Sam snapped.

Blaine couldn't stand it when Sam got like this. Obsessed with his body like it was the only thing that mattered.

"Will you please stop lifting?" Blaine asked sharply. "This isn't who you are, Sam. You aren't just some body-obsessed muscle head!"

"You don't what it's like," Sam said, putting the weight down so he could focus on Blaine. "You can sing and dance and you kick butt in school and you're all charming and everything."

It was strange for Blaine to hear Sam analyzing him.

"I have to announce my presence with authority the second I walk into a room," Sam continued. "People have to notice me or else they never will."

Blaine didn't know what to say. He always noticed when Sam walked into a room.

"People laugh at my impressions because how I look already has them on board," Sam added.

"Do you _really_ believe that?" Blaine questioned. It sounded so absurd to Blaine to hear Sam saying such negative things about himself. Sam was one of the funniest, nicest people Blaine knew. And his impressions were hilarious.

"It's just a fact," Sam said firmly. He sat down and stared at the floor.

"If you want to make it in this world, you have to be special," he said sadly.

"But you _are_ special," Blaine said, joining him on the bench. "Even without your body."

"No, I'm not, man," Sam said immediately. Blaine was distressed to see tears in Sam's eyes. "It's– it's all I have. I'm exhausted. Watching what I eat all the time. My two-a-day workouts."

"Let it go," Blaine encouraged gently. "Have a burger every now and then. Eat a bag of Cheetoes. Skip your workouts. Sleep in a little. Your body isn't gonna change."

Sam didn't look convinced.

"And, even if you have seven percent body fat, you're gonna see that all of us are still going to love you," Blaine added. "And we're gonna laugh at your impressions."

Sam looked at him for a moment, silent.

"I hate being stupid," Sam confessed.

"You're _not_ stupid," Blaine scolded. "It's _one_ test, Sam. So, you're not good at standardized tests. That _doesn't_ make you stupid!"

"Easy for you to say," Sam returned. "I bet you did really well on the SAT. You're going to go off to New York or somewhere else fancy and, like, make awesome grades in college and be a big star or whatever."

Blaine couldn't deny it. He wasn't sure if he would make amazing grades or if he would make it as a performer, but it was what he _wanted_. He was confident that, if it was left up to his abilities alone, he could make it happen.

"And I'm probably going to end up in some small town, married to some chick and having a few kids and just dealing with some random job that pays just enough to cover my bills," Sam concluded miserably.

Blaine shook his head. "That's not true at all," he scolded. "That doesn't have to be your destiny if you don't want it to be. You can go to college. You're smart."

"You're just saying that because you're my friend," Sam argued.

"I'm not," Blaine replied. "You have great ideas all the time! And you really _get_ people. You knew what was going on with Brittany when she was having her meltdown at the beginning of the year. You knew that something was going on with the Warblers. You... you knew there was something really wrong with me when nobody else noticed."

Sam shrugged and started to respond, but they were interrupted.

"Hey!" Tina stuck her head around the corner. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah," Sam said, waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "We're coming."

Tina sighed in frustration and disappeared. Sam stood up.

"Thanks, man," he said, but Blaine could tell that he wasn't convinced as they walked back to where the rest of the group was waiting.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine stopped by Ms. Pillsbury's office to see if she had any ideas about how he could help Sam avoid the dull life he thought was his destiny. She suggested that there were plenty of colleges that didn't require standardized test scores, but she needed a few hours to gather information about some examples.

Blaine returned at lunchtime and found the counselor ready with a small stack of brochures on her desk. She asked a passing teacher to find Sam in the cafeteria and send him to her office, and silence fell between Blaine and Ms. Pillsbury as they waited for him to arrive.

"So," Ms. Pillsbury asked to break the awkward silence, "how are you? Planning for college?"

"Yes, thank you," Blaine acknowledged.

"Any in particular?" she wondered.

"Um..." Blaine considered lying to avoid potential awkwardness, but he couldn't think fast enough, "NYADA."

"Oh!" she realized. "Oh, well, that's very ambitious! Well done! Um, please let me know if you need any help with your application or anything that you might need to, you know, get done that's college-related."

Blaine nodded his agreement, and the awkward silence returned. Neither one of them wanted to continue talking because talking about NYADA would inevitably mean mentioning Kurt.

"Did you want to see me?"

Sam's voice startled Blaine out of the silence, and he turned toward the door as Sam noticed him.

"What're you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Blaine asked me to look into something for you," Ms. Pillsbury explained. "Come on in. Have a seat."

Sam walked into the small office and sat down beside Blaine. He turned to offer an accusatory look at Blaine, and Blaine shrugged. He couldn't stand by and let Sam give up on himself.

"This is a very small sampling of colleges that don't require SAT or ACT scores," Ms. Pillsbury explained, placing the stack of brochures in front of Sam. "And they're really good schools, Sam. They're schools that recognize that a test score isn't always the best measure of your intelligence."

"Or creativity," Blaine added.

"And you can always take the SATs again if you want," Ms. Pillsbury suggested. "You know, a lot of kids do that."

Sam studied the stack of brochures.

"Yeah, well, let's say I somehow get into college somewhere," he allowed. "I still can't afford it."

"Yes, you can," Ms. Pillsbury countered. "Because, even in this economy, there are hundreds of scholarships out there." She produced another stack of paper for Sam. "What you'll need for these is a personal essay about yourself and your accomplishments."

"Like what? Like my abs and my fish lips?" Sam wondered.

"Like the glee club," Blaine said positively. "Like student council. Swimming."

"Synchronized swimming," Sam corrected him.

"You've accomplished a lot more than you're giving yourself credit for," Ms. Pillsbury said. "But why don't you take that home and, um, just think about it?"

Sam was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Can I go back to lunch now?" he asked. "I'm starving."

Blaine smiled his thanks at Ms. Pillsbury as she dismissed them and followed Sam out the door.

"What the hell, man?" Sam said as soon as they were walking side-by-side down the hallway.

"Are you mad?" Blaine scoffed. "Sam, I'm just trying –"

"No," Sam interrupted. "I'm not mad. I just feel like I should be."

"Look at those colleges over the weekend," Blaine suggested as they entered the cafeteria. "And, on Monday, I'll help you get your essay going. Okay?"

Sam looked at him, and Blaine hated the sadness that he saw in Sam's eyes.

"Fine," Sam agreed. "But only if we get to do it in the science classroom because I love those planets that hang from the ceiling."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

In the end, Rachel didn't do the topless scene. Since their intervention was complete, Quinn and Santana planned to do some shopping on Saturday morning before heading back to Connecticut and Kentucky that afternoon. But Kurt had to say goodbye to them early on Saturday morning because he was heading into Manhattan to work at Vogue dot com all day.

Except for his lunch break, which he planned to spend having coffee with Adam.

He missed a call from Blaine in the early afternoon when he was vacuuming one of the clothing vaults and didn't hear his phone ringing, but he decided to wait until he got home that evening to call him back.

He had to tell Blaine about Adam.

"Hey, you," Blaine answered cheerfully when Kurt made it back to the apartment – happily, empty of his roommates – and called him back.

"Hey," Kurt smiled, his heart pounding with anticipation. "Sorry I missed your call earlier. What's up?"

"Oh, uh, I was collecting positive memories about Sam," Blaine explained. "He's feeling really down lately, so I'm trying to put together a video to remind him how amazing he is. But I think I've got enough, so you're off the hook!"

Kurt felt a lump forming in his throat as he thought about Blaine putting together a video to make Sam feel better.

"Okay," he agreed.

"How's your week been?" Blaine asked. "How's Adam's Apples? Here's a quiz; are they more like our New Directions or our Warblers?"

There was so much happiness in Blaine's voice. Kurt wished that he didn't feel so guilty. He and Blaine had _broken up_. What was he supposed to do, stay single forever? The way Blaine said "_our_ New Directions" and "_our_ Warblers" made Kurt's stomach roll with anxiety. He had to tell him.

"About that..." he said, struggling to think of the gentlest way to say it. "I'm– Adam and I are, kind of– um, have been on a few dates. Recently."

Blaine's silence was unbearable.

"I just... wanted to tell you," Kurt added, wishing that he could explain the complicated reasons why. I wanted to tell you so you'll move on and stop waiting for me. I wanted to tell you so _I_ can move on and stop waiting for you. I wanted to tell you so we can get away from all this pain. I wanted to tell you because we're still best friends and I owe you the truth after everything we've been through together.

"Thank you," Blaine said quietly.

"Blaine –" Kurt started.

"No, it's okay," Blaine said, although his voice suggested that it wasn't. "I'm..."

"You don't have to say anything," Kurt said quickly.

"I want you to be happy," Blaine said.

"I don't want you to be sad," Kurt admitted miserably.

"I wish you could be happy with _me_ again," Blaine confessed in a soft and steady voice. He sounded exhausted all of the sudden, like the news had sucked away all of his energy.

Kurt didn't know how to respond to that without making things worse for both of them, so he didn't say anything.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine sat in the chair beside his bed and listened to Kurt's silence on the other end of the call, he thought about Kurt being with this new guy. Adam. He had seen a photograph of Adam on Kurt's Facebook account the week before in a group photo of the Adam's Apples, so he had a mental image of the tall, blonde young man. Adam looked friendly. He looked like the kind of person who would be good for Kurt.

But, as Blaine imagined Kurt and Adam together – laughing, singing together, flirting, kissing, maybe even going further – a sudden certainty stirred inside him.

Adam would never be as good for Kurt as Blaine.

It felt like the simplest truth in the world, and it filled Blaine's whole body with energy. Kurt was still harboring a significant amount of pain as a result of Blaine's infidelity, so he was trying to protect himself by moving on. He needed to date someone else because he never had before. Kurt didn't know yet that nothing would ever compare to what he had with Blaine. It was a realization Blaine had come to immediately after he had been with Eli, and it was a realization that Kurt needed to have for himself before they could truly reconnect. Kurt needed to remember that they were soul mates.

Blaine decided that he would remember for both of them until Kurt could remember it on his own.

"I still believe in us," Blaine said, pleased to find that his voice matched the confidence that was suddenly pulsing through his entire body.

Kurt started to say something, but Blaine interrupted. "But I'm okay with this," he reassured Kurt. "It's okay."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kurt scolded gently.

"It does," Blaine countered, feeling a mixture of sad and happy tears pooling in his eyes.

They still had a future. Blaine hadn't destroyed it with his betrayal; he had just postponed it. He couldn't deny that it hurt to know that Kurt wanted to see someone else, but Blaine knew that he still had a chance with Kurt. He needed to continue being patient, but he needed to stop _waiting_ for Kurt and start _fighting_ for Kurt. Reminding him, as gently and gradually as Kurt could take it, that they were meant for each other.

"I love you," he said.

He knew Kurt wasn't going to say it back. He couldn't. Not right now.

"Thank you for calling to tell me," Blaine added to give Kurt a way to end the call.

"You really are my best friend," Kurt reminded him.

"You're mine, too," Blaine agreed. "Goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight," Kurt echoed, and Blaine ended the call so Kurt wouldn't have to.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine spent the entire day on Sunday editing together footage of his friends talking about Sam. Artie had filmed everyone at McKinley on Friday after school and Blaine had called Mercedes and Santana to ask them to add their stories to the mix. When it was finally edited together properly, Blaine watched the final video a few times and knew that it would get through to Sam. He couldn't keep denying his value when all of his friends offered such positive, concrete examples of his achievements and his character.

"You ready to write that essay?" Blaine asked on Monday as he walked into the science classroom after school and saw the lack of enthusiasm on Sam's face.

"No, I'm not," Sam said, and Blaine could see the self-loathing in his eyes.

"Well," Blaine informed him, pulling his laptop out of his bag, "I've been doing a little research, um, with some folks that know you really well. And they all seem to think that you've actually accomplished quite a bit."

He put the laptop down in front of Sam and pressed play on the video that was already open on the screen.

Tina told the story of Sam saving the glee club the year before when he had returned to Ohio from Kentucky to be their twelfth member. Artie reminded everyone that Sam had helped to rescue New Directions' Nationals trophy from the Warblers. Tina added that Sam had saved the glee club _again_ by following through on his suspicions about the Warblers' cheating at Sectionals. Santana explained that Sam had inspired her to take up songwriting. Brittany complimented Sam's impressions. Mercedes told the story of Sam helping her find her courage to move to Los Angeles and pursue a music career. And Finn recalled the time when Sam had supported his family when his father lost his job.

"He's a really substantial person," Finn added as the video ended.

"Now _that's_ your essay," Blaine suggested as he reached down and closed the laptop.

Sam was crying as he stood up and pulled Blaine into a hug.

"Thanks– thanks, bro," he choked out.

"Don't mention it," Blaine said softly, relishing the hug and the chance to help Sam remember what a quality person he was.

Sam wiped his eyes as he stepped back. "Oh god," he huffed out a breath, trying to get control of his emotions.

"You're going to have a killer essay," Blaine reassured him, taking him by the upper arm to steer him back into his chair. "Here," Blaine grabbed his laptop, "let's do it on the computer instead of on paper."

"Easier to spell check that way," Sam agreed.

They both laughed, and Blaine studied Sam's profile as they sat down together in front of Blaine's computer.

Sam would never reciprocate his crush, but Blaine was starting to feel okay with that fact. He hoped that Sam would be his friend for the long haul. They had so much in common. Sam was a great friend.

They finished the essay over the course of the next few days, and Blaine went over to Sam's house one day after school to help him fill out applications to a few of the colleges that Ms. Pillsbury had suggested and two that Blaine and Sam found by searching online. Sam's parents invited Blaine to stay for dinner and, after Blaine remembered that his Nightbird costume was in his car, Blaine and Sam spent the hours between dinner and when Blaine had to leave playing superheroes with Sam's little brother and sister.

At school, Sam talked Artie into posing for the Men of McKinley calendar by suggesting that they both do it fully clothed. Blaine was so proud of Sam when he heard the plan that he threw his arms around Sam and hugged him before realizing that maybe he shouldn't have. But Sam had just laughed.

They raised almost the entire amount that they needed to go to Regionals in Indianapolis from sales of the calendar. And, as they held an autograph session to help sell the final few calendars, they decided on a new song to rehearse as a contender for the upcoming competition. A song to celebrate the new year and a new chance to take control of their lives.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was lounging on the couch in the apartment one evening after class and a few hours at work, trying to finish an essay, when he switched over to Facebook to procrastinate and saw a new video from Artie.

_Take this, haters. We're going to Regionals! _the caption said.

He pressed play and was immediately greeted by Blaine's face as the music began. Blaine looked into the camera and pretended to tap on the lens before the video changed to a shot of two of the new students. And then to Artie. And then it continued through all the members of New Directions. They all looked so relaxed and happy as they danced and goofed off for the camera.

When Blaine was the one who began the song, Kurt was transfixed.

"_Another year you made a promise. Another chance to turn it all around. And do not save this for tomorrow. Embrace the past and you can live for now. And I will give the world to you._"

As Kurt watched Blaine singing and dancing with New Directions, he realized that Blaine might move on.

Blaine might, at some point, decide that he had waited long enough. He might find someone else to love.

It was a startling revelation for Kurt. He had decided that he and Blaine were through and, intellectually, he knew what that meant. That they would go on living their separate lives. Find boyfriends who would become fiancés and husbands. But he had never really _imagined_ what it would feel like to see Blaine in love with someone else.

He didn't like the way it made him feel. The sadness and jealousy clashed with the happiness that he felt watching his friends dancing and singing on the screen in front of him. And it clashed with the excitement he felt about his new relationship with Adam.

When the song ended, Kurt closed his laptop and took an Ambien for the first time since Christmas so he could fall asleep instead of lying awake all night arguing with himself over what he should or shouldn't feel.

The next morning when he woke up, there was a large envelope addressed to him sitting on top of the pile of mail that Rachel and Brody had brought in after Kurt had gone to bed. It didn't have a return address, but the postmark was Lima, Ohio.

Kurt tore the envelope open and pulled out a calendar.

"The Men of McKinley" was printed in bold letters across the front, over a photograph of Artie, Blaine, Sam, Joe, Jake, and Ryder in various holiday-related costumes. And in various amounts of clothing.

Kurt thumbed through the calendar, stopping to look at Blaine's two months as they passed. January and December.

It was the last day of January, so Kurt hung the calendar up in his bedroom with the photo of Blaine smiling out at him. It was the first time he had displayed a photo of Blaine since their breakup, but it felt good. Tomorrow, he could flip the page and let the other men of New Directions show off their bodies until December.

Maybe, Kurt thought, by December he would be ready to display Blaine's photograph again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>It's actually canon that someone sent a Men of McKinley calendar to Kurt! It's on his wall in 4x21 ("Wonderful"). :)<strong>_

_**The way Brody so strongly supports Rachel's plan to do the topless scene is especially interesting now that we know that he's selling his body for sex to pay for NYADA! I wonder if the writers knew that fact about Brody at this point in the season.**_

_**It's hard to figure out what the deal is with Adam and Kurt. There's never really any serious explanation of their relationship between now and the end of the season. The closest we'll get is two episodes from now when Kurt will tell Blaine that he's "sort of dating" Adam and Blaine will clarify that it's not exclusive (which Kurt doesn't deny). So, the way I imagine it is that they're going on dates here and there and getting to know each other. By the time they break up (assuming that they're separated by the finale, which may be a completely misguided assumption but I'm sticking with it!), they've only been dating for about a month and a half-ish, so I'm going to assume that they never quite make it to the stage of their relationship where they'd be having sex. Absolutely nothing wrong with sex within the first month of dating if that's your thing, but this is Kurt. Obviously, he's more sexually experienced/less shy now than he was when he and Blaine were navigating sex for the first time, but I still think Kurt needs **_**trust**_** to feel comfortable with sex (which, I think, makes his actions at Mr. Schu's wedding very telling in terms of his state of mind when it comes to Blaine!), and it's hard to have **_**that**_** much trust with someone you've known for less than two months. SO, all of that to say that this is just one of many possible interpretations of Kurt and Adam's relationship and I think I'm going to be purposely vague about them because we just don't know.**_

_**Up next... 4x13: Diva!**_


	52. 4x13: Diva

_**So sorry, guys! My power's been out for an extended period of time twice this week and the Internet was out for even longer because I guess the power outage affected the connection somewhere down the line. So, I've been all out of whack. But things are back to normal now, so on we go!**_

_**Sadly, the "Diva" performance is a fantasy! Actually, I think the students' conversation while Ms. Pillsbury talks (you can hear her talking in the background the whole time) is all a fantasy, too, but I like it so I'm pretending it's real. ;) Also, I don't even know about Tina in this episode. You're way, way out of line, girl. Get a grip.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Monday morning, as Kurt stood at the back of the room in his free sing class watching Rachel take up the entire hour for herself instead of sharing the spotlight, he realized that he had to do _something_.

Rachel was getting unbearable.

Her behavior had been growing progressively more unpleasant every day since her win at the Winter Showcase. Suddenly, she was one of the most popular girls at NYADA, and she loved it. She basked in the other students' compliments and had started completely ignoring Kurt at school in favor of a new group of friends who followed her around with stars in their eyes. At home in the apartment, she had started acting like she lived there by herself. She wouldn't clean the bathroom and she felt entitled to make as much noise as she wanted at any hour of the day. She never did the grocery shopping unless she needed something specific for herself. And, most annoying of all, she was acting as if Kurt existed solely to do things for her. The night before, her phone had rung as she and Kurt were sitting on the couch and, when Kurt had asked her if she was going to answer the call, she had held up a pre-written note card telling him that she was saving her voice and asking him to take a message.

Kurt had just rolled his eyes and let the call go to her voicemail.

Rachel's behavior was starting to weigh on Kurt. He was constantly annoyed at school if Rachel was anywhere in the vicinity and he was starting to dread coming home to the apartment. It didn't feel like _their_ apartment anymore; Kurt felt like he was living at Rachel and Brody's place, and it was very uncomfortable.

Kurt had always secretly worried that this would happen. That Rachel would start to find success and let it go to her head until she was impossible to tolerate. But, now that it had happened, he was quickly realizing that he couldn't take much more of her attitude. He was going to have to do something to rein in Rachel's ego or risk the end of their friendship.

"And I tried to talk to Brody about it," he explained to Adam that afternoon as Adam walked Kurt to the train station after Adam's Apples rehearsal, "but he's basically the whole problem! He just tells me that Rachel is 'finding herself' and that I'm being unreasonable!"

"Maybe she _is_ struggling to find herself, and that's the problem," Adam agreed. "But it's not an excuse to act the way she's acting. Have you talked to her about it?"

"No," Kurt confessed. "We barely talk at all lately, even at home. And, on the rare occasion when she's herself and things feel comfortable, I don't want to start an argument."

Adam nodded. "Maybe an opportunity will present itself soon and you can tell her how you feel."

"Yeah," Kurt said, unsure. He couldn't see them having a calm, mature heart-to-heart about the situation. With him and Rachel, things were always so dramatic.

They walked the final block to the station in comfortable silence, and Kurt realized that all he had done all afternoon was whine about Rachel.

"I'm sorry," he said as they stopped outside the station. "I'm not much fun to be around today."

"I have to disagree," Adam smiled. "I always find myself having fun when you're around."

Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately as a warm fondness settled into his stomach. He reached out and grabbed Adam's hand as he moved to stand in front of him.

"Bye," Adam grinned.

The kindness in Adam's eyes emboldened Kurt, and he stepped forward and initiated their first kiss.

"Mmm," Adam hummed his approval, and Kurt felt the corners of Adam's mouth turning up into a smile as their chests bumped together and Kurt held the kiss longer than he planned.

Kurt was proud of himself when he stepped away from the kiss and didn't immediately dissolve into delighted laughter. He felt energized as he squeezed Adam's hand and released it.

"See you tomorrow," he smiled.

He thought about the kiss the entire train ride back to Bushwick.

His only real experience with kissing was with Blaine. He had kissed Brittany a few times when he had pretended that she was his girlfriend, and Karofsky had forced a kiss on him in the locker room at McKinley, but those kisses didn't count and they had both been before he was with Blaine. After kissing no one but Blaine for so long, Kurt had been worried that it would feel weird to kiss someone else. But it didn't; it felt right, like a mature adult first kiss. His first kiss with Adam wasn't the same kind of first kiss he had experienced with Blaine. Instead of a heart pounding, tender, emotional kiss, it had been sweet and simple and comfortable, but it felt appropriate to their relationship. Kurt wasn't the shy, inexperienced boy at Dalton anymore.

Adam would never know that Kurt, he realized as he contemplated their relationship. Just like Blaine had never known Kurt when he was in the closet. Kurt felt strange as he realized that Adam saw him as a competent, experienced adult.

Rachel and Brody were out late, as usual, so Kurt enjoyed the evening by himself and, when he fell into bed a few hours early just because he could, he couldn't stop thinking about kissing Adam.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday, Ms. Pillsbury was standing with Finn at the front of the room when glee rehearsal began. Once all the students were in their seats, ready to start the week's lesson, she walked to the white board and wrote "diva" in huge letters.

"Diva," Ms. Pillsbury announced as she turned around to face the group.

Tina applauded and Marley squeaked with excitement. Blaine was immediately interested.

"So," Finn explained, "now that we're back in the game, we've gotta come strong. Diva week is all about finding your inner powerhouse. Ms. Pillsbury?"

"That's right," Ms. Pillsbury elaborated. "The online urban dictionary defines a diva as: 'a fierce, often temperamental singer who comes correct. She is not a trick-ass hoe and she does not sweat the haters'."

"Great, so I guess the guys are screwed this week," Jake said skeptically.

"Um, guys can be divas," Blaine corrected him, leaning forward from his seat in the back row to make sure everyone heard him.

"That's right," Ms. Pillsbury agreed. "We all have inner divas. I, myself, have been considered quite a diva at many a local restaurant because I know what I want and I _will_ send a dish back."

Ms. Pillsbury launched into a story about a particularly complicated meal at the Cheesecake Factory, but the students turned to each other to discuss the week's lesson.

"You all might as well quit while you're ahead," Unique said to the other girls of New Directions, "because there are only two ways to spell Unique. And one of them is D.I.V.A. Diva!"

Blaine glanced at Sam as Unique continued her challenge and saw that Sam had his fingers stuck in his ears.

"I have more diva in my little finger than you have in your whole angry inch, Wade/Unique," Tina retorted.

"Tina, you've kind of been talking some ridiculous trash for months, unchallenged," Marley disapproved. "And that stops now."

"Use that finger, use that snap!" Ms. Pillsbury exclaimed as part of her story, and Blaine wasn't sure if she even realized that none of the students were listening.

"Uh, listen," Blaine reiterated to the group, "guys _can_ be divas!"

"You guys, I'm gonna win diva week," Brittany explained. "And do you know how I know that? It's because Lord Tubbington said so in a dream I had this weekend."

Blaine shook his head in confusion and the group turned its attention back to Ms. Pillsbury just in time to hear the very end of her story.

"And that is how I made the manager cry at the Cheesecake Factory," she announced. "By being a diva."

The students applauded briefly.

"I'm not sure that counts as diva behavior," Kitty rolled her eyes.

"Anyway!" Finn said, ignoring her. "The assignment this week is a competition. We want to see your best diva performances. Use costumes. Use props. Show us that diva attitude! _Yeah!_"

Blaine didn't even need to see the other guys' faces to know that most of them weren't planning to take part in the competition.

"Come on..." he encouraged them, "_guys can be divas, too_."

"Not _this_ guy," Jake said critically.

"Maybe it's like... a gay guy thing?" Ryder wondered.

Blaine rolled his eyes and realized that he wasn't going to be able to convince them until he had the opportunity to show them with a performance.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt was awakened by the sound of Rachel doing vocal warm-ups in the kitchen. He tried to ignore her, reaching over to turn on his white noise machine, but she was too loud. And piercing. And annoying. So, he climbed out of bed, got dressed, and wandered out of his room.

"Oh hey, you're awake!" Rachel noticed him immediately.

"An hour before my alarm clock," Kurt mumbled as he walked past her into the kitchen. He noticed that Brody wasn't in the apartment. Had he stayed out all night, again, or had he left early for NYADA?

"Oh, when you're in there, can you make me a little tea, please?" Rachel asked absentmindedly as she gathered things into her bag. "With some honey and lemon. You know, it's really good for my throat."

Something in Kurt's mind snapped as he internalized the request, and he slammed the kettle down on the burner and turned to face Rachel across the room.

"Sure," he said sarcastically, throwing one of his arms out toward the door, "I'll just run down to the store and get you some!"

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Rachel snapped back, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "An incredibly rude 'no' that deserves an explanation."

She marched over to where Kurt was standing in the kitchen, and Kurt could feel the tension that had been building up between them since the Winter Showcase reaching its boiling point.

"Okay, Rachel," Kurt said, ready for an argument, "truth time. You have been a nightmare ever since the Winter Showcase."

"I knew it!" Rachel said immediately. "It was only a matter of time before you became jealous of all of my success."

She grabbed the kettle off the stove and walked over to the sink to fill it with water. "And just when we were getting inseparable!" she added.

"We became close because you became tolerable!" Kurt corrected her, exceedingly annoyed. "But now you've got that weird naked boyfriend and that weird legion of sycophants. Now you are like– you're like an annoying, self-righteous Lima Rachel on steroids!"

"You know what?" Rachel retorted as she set the kettle back on the stove and turned her attention to Kurt. "Let me give you a little bit of truth, Kurt, okay? The only reason why Carmen Tibideaux even let you sing at the Winter Showcase was because she knew that you and I were friends."

"You might have won the showcase," Kurt allowed, ignoring her analysis of why he had been allowed to sing, "but my performance was the one that everyone was talking about. Because I blew you away!"

Rachel glared at him as she put a tea bag in her cup, and Kurt realized how he could challenge her superior attitude.

"And I could do it again," he informed her. "Midnight Madness. You and me, head-to-head."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, babe," Rachel said smugly.

"Oh, why not?" Kurt egged her on.

"Because I already beat you once," Rachel said condescendingly, stepping closer to him. "Diva-off, sophomore year. Remember?"

Kurt had never told Rachel that he lost that competition on purpose. He had always supposed that he would tell her years in the future, over a few drinks, and that they would laugh about it. But now, it was ammunition in the war he was waging against Rachel's ego.

"Only because I threw it," he explained, leaning over to get closer to her. "That high F in Defying Gravity? I can hit that baby in my sleep. I tanked the note on purpose."

"Okay, why would you do that?" Rachel scoffed.

"Because I didn't want to win," Kurt told her, realizing how crazy it sounded now. "I wanted to save my dad the embarrassment of having his son sing a song written for a woman."

Rachel stared at him, incredulous.

"I don't believe you," she lied. "Take that back."

"Can't," Kurt shrugged, feeling victorious. "It's truth time."

"That was my first big win!" Rachel cried, suddenly more distressed than angry. "That was the foundation that I built all of my confidence on for the past two years!"

"Aw, consider it cracked," Kurt told her. "Get ready for diva-off, part two. And, this time, I'm not throwing anything."

He could tell by the look on her face that he had rattled her.

"Enjoy your tea," he couldn't stop himself from adding as he walked past her to get ready to leave for class.

Neither one of them spoke another word as Kurt gathered his things. He glanced at Rachel as he slid the apartment door open, but she was holding her tea in one hand and typing furiously on her phone with the other, so he slipped out the door and closed it behind him.

"I don't know what possessed me to challenge her to Midnight Madness!" he admitted to Adam when they met an hour later on campus. "I'm out of my mind!"

"Give yourself some credit," Adam reassured him. "Rachel's a great singer, but _so are you_! And you've got the added benefit of rehearsing twice a week with the best show choir in the world," he winked.

"True," Kurt teased. "Have you ever done Midnight Madness?"

"No," Adam explained, "but I've been once before. A friend of mine was challenged last year."

"Did they win?" Kurt asked.

"Sadly, no," Adam replied. "But that doesn't mean anything!" he smiled as Kurt scowled at the news.

"I know," Kurt whined. He reached out and grabbed Adam's hand as they walked, his stomach fluttering happily as Adam interlaced their fingers. "I'm just imagining the nightmare that my life will become if Rachel beats me."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine opened his eyes that morning, he groaned unhappily.

He felt terrible.

After he took an extremely hot shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast, he felt a little better, but he was still congested and starting to develop a cough when he arrived at school. He wandered to his locker, unhappy with his body for choosing _this_ week to get sick. How was he supposed to act like a diva when he was sniffling and coughing all the time?

"Here," Tina's voice broke him out of his pity-party as she suddenly appeared beside him at his locker. "I put together a little cold-buster kit for you." She held out a small plastic container.

"Cool," Blaine thanked her, confused. "How did you know?"

"Your nose was red yesterday," Tina explained.

Blaine turned to look at himself in the small mirror he had attached to the back of his locker. He couldn't tell if his nose looked red or not.

"Start off with cough drops," Tina instructed, "then two packs of vitamin C, a cup of my homemade Chinese chicken soup, and finish with my secret weapon: nighttime cold medicine."

"Aw, thank you!" Blaine took the clear plastic container from Tina and studied its contents. "I really appreciate this. It's gonna have me feeling better in no time! Except for maybe the nighttime cold medicine."

"Why?" Tina asked. "It's amazing."

"It just makes me really sleepy and woozy," Blaine told her. "Which is something I can't afford to be right now. Not with diva week in full swing."

He closed his locker and walked with Tina down the hallway.

"I want to be able to prove that men can be divas, too," Blaine explained. "Which is why I'm going to give them a full dose of some Freddie Mercury. Just to show how the boys can really bring some diva attitude."

"Mr. Anderson, you find new ways to inspire me every day," Tina approved.

"Aw, thanks Tina," Blaine said.

They had to go their separate ways to class, and Blaine spent the rest of the day sucking on the cough drops from Tina's cold-buster kit to keep his throat from getting scratchy before his performance for the glee club that afternoon.

At lunch, he and Tina dug around in the costume closet until they managed to put together a costume for Blaine's performance. In the short span of time between his last class and the start of glee rehearsal, Blaine changed into the outfit: a tight pair of black pants, a white tank top, a black faux leather jacket that was studded along the edges and in the shape of a star on the back, and a black military-style hat. He studied himself in the full-length mirror in the locker room and decided that it was the closest he was going to get to looking like Freddie Mercury on such short notice.

He laughed at his reflection as he wondered what Kurt would say about the outfit. He took a photo of himself in the mirror and sent it to Kurt.

_Freddie Mercury for diva week!_ he explained.

Kurt's response came as Blaine was walking down the hallway toward the choir room.

_That hat is ridiculous, but I like the rest._

Blaine smiled and paused to lean against the row of lockers to type a response. _I'm glad you approve_, he wrote with a winking emoticon. _I want to show the boys that guys can have diva attitude, and I know they love Queen!_

_Go get 'em!_ Kurt responded almost immediately.

_What's going on with you this week?_ Blaine replied.

He shoved his phone into his bag and rushed to the choir room. He would look at Kurt's response after he finished the song.

Blaine was the last student to arrive, and everyone stared at him as he walked into the room.

"_Damn_," Unique approved of his outfit. Blaine winked at her before tossing his bag on the ground near the chair he planned to sit in after his performance. He turned to look at Finn and Ms. Pillsbury.

"Go ahead," Finn grinned.

Blaine walked to the piano and began the song without any introduction.

"_Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel alive. And the world's turning inside out, yeah. I'm floating around in ecstasy so don't stop me now_."

As the song picked up in tempo, Blaine kicked over the piano bench and lost himself in the performance. He could tell that the other students were really into it, and he had a blast singing and dancing around the choir room. When the song ended, the group applauded wildly and Blaine walked to the center of the room and bowed.

"Guys can be divas," he reminded the group.

He saw Jake roll his eyes and wiggle his head in agreement and knew that he had gotten the point across. Satisfied, he walked to his seat among his classmates and sat down as the group applauded again.

"That was fantastic, Blaine!" Ms. Pillsbury approved as she and Finn moved to the front of the room. "A true diva performance!"

Finn and Ms. Pillsbury decided that, with the remaining time, they should rehearse one of the group numbers they were considering for Regionals. As the group warmed up, Blaine pulled out his phone to text Kurt.

_Speaking of diva week,_ Kurt had responded while Blaine had been singing, _Rachel is being the ultimate diva in the worst possible way lately. So, in an attempt to reign in her ego, I challenged her to Midnight Madness. It's the day after tomorrow._

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was wandering toward the train station near NYADA to head back to Bushwick after his final class of the day when Blaine texted him back.

_What's Midnight Madness?_ Blaine asked.

_Oh! Sorry,_ Kurt replied. _It's like a musical fight club that happens twice a year at NYADA. A diva-off, basically._

_Well, the only reason Rachel won your diva-off a few years ago is because you threw the competition, right? _Blaine remembered.

Kurt laughed. _Oh my god, I told her about that this morning!_ he explained. _She's not happy._

_Oh no_, Blaine replied with a scared emoticon.

_Aren't you in glee rehearsal right now?_ Kurt remembered suddenly.

_Still warming up_, Blaine explained. _But yeah, I should probably go._

_Good luck at Midnight Madness!_ Blaine added a few seconds later. _Text me after?_

_Definitely_, Kurt agreed. _Have a great afternoon!_

_You too_, Blaine replied. _Love you_.

Kurt sent him back a heart symbol and was preparing to shove his phone into his pocket when it vibrated again.

This time it was a call from Adam.

"Hello?" Kurt answered.

"Why hello, kind sir," Adam said, exaggerating his accent. "I'm calling to inquire about your plans for dinner tonight."

"Well," Kurt teased, "now that you mention it... I was thinking I might go out with this guy I'm kinda into."

"Okay, then," Adam said happily, "if you must."

Kurt laughed. "Where are you?" he asked.

They met at a restaurant near NYADA fifteen minutes later and spent a few hours chatting and eating and flirting until Kurt had to leave or risk missing the final train of the night.

This time, Adam initiated their goodbye kiss, and Kurt spent another train ride home thinking about kissing Adam. He liked this stage of their relationship. When kissing was allowed but there was no pressure for anything more. When there was no long-term commitment and it was just about enjoying each other. It was comfortable and pleasant and casual.

But it was also complicated because, although he fell asleep that evening thinking about kissing Adam, he spent the night dreaming about kissing Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt's morning was uneventful. He had an exam in his first class and spent his entire second class trying not to trip over his feet as he danced, so the time passed quickly and soon he was strolling down the hallway on his way to meet Adam for lunch. As he wandered around the corner toward where he was supposed to meet Adam, he heard a guy he recognized as one of Rachel's new followers talking about him. He paused at the end of the hall and watched the small group – including Brody and Rachel – as the boy talked.

"Everyone knows the reason Hummel got in is because he's Carmen's pet turtle face. And signing up for Adam's Apples? He might as well wear a sign around his neck that says 'I'm pathetic, please club me to death'."

"Kurt earned his place here at NYADA same as you two," Rachel defended him.

"Excuse me?" the male voice disagreed. Kurt decided to step in before things got out of hand.

"It's okay, Rachel," he said, making his presence known. "I've dealt with a lot worse than bitchy gossip."

He turned his attention to the two guys who were smirking at him.

"However I got here," he said to them, "the point is, I'm here. And me, my outfits, and my turtle face aren't going anywhere."

"We'll see about that at Midnight Madness," one of the boys said before they both walked away.

Kurt glanced at Rachel, and he could tell that she was as nervous as he felt.

If he lost Midnight Madness, the bitchy gossip was never going to end. He was going to be "that boy who challenged Rachel Berry and lost" to his classmates for the rest of his time at NYADA.

He had to win.

"Well, uh..." Rachel waved her hand vaguely down the hallway, "we've gotta, you know..."

She and Brody walked away down the hall, and Kurt tried to push his nerves away as he hurried down the hallway to find Adam.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That afternoon, Blaine was particularly excited for glee rehearsal. After most of the students had gone home the day before, he had stayed behind to have a meeting with Finn and Ms. Pillsbury about how they could really get the students excited about diva week. And they had agreed that another performance like Blaine's, but from a girl, might be the final push everyone needed to really embrace their inner divas.

So, they had decided to call Santana back to Ohio from Louisville. And, to Blaine's surprise, she had accepted immediately and without question. She had even seemed eager to come back to McKinley. Blaine wondered if she was lonely in Kentucky.

"They say that true divas aren't really mortal," Finn said to start the day's lesson. "They're more like the Loch Ness monster or Sméagol."

"Divas walk and they talk and they breathe brilliance," Ms. Pillsbury picked up the conversation. "So, here to demonstrate that illusive brilliance is a very special guest diva!"

"Raven Symone," Brittany guessed.

"All the way from Louisville," Finn announced, "give it up for Miss Santana Lopez!"

Santana and four other University of Louisville cheerleaders walked into the room as the music began, and they danced and sang their way through _Nutbush City Limits_. Blaine danced and clapped along from his seat, and he joined the group in a round of applause when the performance ended.

"Santana!" Brittany approved, standing up from her seat beside Blaine. "That was simply the best moment in show business history. But how come you didn't tell me you were coming to town?"

"You know, I think that the better question is: why didn't you tell me that you were dating Sam?" Santana asked. "I had just left a comment on my favorite _Rizzoli and Isles_ lesbian subtext blog when I heard the news."

Brittany sat back down.

"Oh, and before I forget," Santana added, "allow me to introduce my backup. And my girlfriend. Elaine. And by girlfriend, I mean out and proud, lipstick-loving, After Ellen-reading girlfriend."

One of the other cheerleaders stepped up to Santana and pecked a kiss on her lips, and Blaine joined the group in another round of applause for the girls' performance.

Blaine glanced at Sam, who was sitting in the row behind him, to find that he looked suspicious.

"You okay?" Blaine asked as most of the group got up to talk to Santana and Sam stayed in his seat.

"She's here to check up on Brittany," Sam said unhappily. "And me."

Blaine stood up and walked over to sit down in the chair beside Sam. "Maybe she just..."

"Dude," Sam said, "this isn't you and Kurt."

"What?" Blaine shook his head. "That's not– I'm not saying–"

"Santana and Brittany broke up because they grew apart," Sam explained sharply. "Because they didn't belong together."

"Right," Blaine said softly, understanding the unspoken contrast between the girls' breakup and his sudden, unwanted breakup with Kurt.

"Sorry," Sam apologized. "I'm just saying... I know you miss Kurt, but not everyone who breaks up is meant to get back together. Sometimes you find someone better."

Blaine nodded as they watched Santana hop into Artie's lap and kiss his cheek to say hello. He didn't like to think about the possibility that he and Kurt would never get a second chance. They were soul mates, weren't they? What was he going to do if Kurt decided that Adam was the one he wanted to spend his life with?

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine woke up feeling so horrible that he briefly considered rolling over and going back to sleep instead of getting up and going to school. He snoozed his alarm and planned to make the final decision when it went off again...

* * *

><p><em>He woke up before Kurt did, so he nuzzled his face into the back of Kurt's neck and absorbed his warmth and the sound of his steady breathing for a few minutes until Kurt's alarm went off.<em>

"_Morning," Blaine kissed the back of Kurt's neck before releasing him so he could reach his phone and turn off the alarm._

"_I'm already ready for bed tonight," Kurt whined, but when he rolled away from the alarm onto his back and looked at Blaine, he was smiling. Blaine scooted closer and snuggled up to Kurt's side._

"_We could just skip class and work today and go into Manhattan tonight for Midnight Madness," he suggested._

"_Don't tempt me," Kurt laughed, turning his head toward Blaine for a kiss before throwing the blankets off of both of them and climbing off the bed._

_Blaine shivered and jumped out of bed and they got dressed in comfortable silence before wandering out of their room. Rachel and Brody were already gone, so Blaine flipped on the small radio they kept in the living room as he passed._

"_How're you feeling about tonight?" Blaine asked as he walked into the bathroom to gel his hair._

"_Okay," Kurt said from the kitchen as he searched for a pan to make them eggs for breakfast. "I guess I'm a little nervous, but Rachel has the most to lose."_

"_True," Blaine agreed as he twisted his head around so he could see his hair as he combed the gel in._

_They were both silent for a few minutes, listening to the music on the radio as Blaine finished fixing his hair and Kurt worked on breakfast. By the time Blaine emerged from the bathroom, the apartment smelled amazing._

"_Mmm," Blaine approved._

"_Here," Kurt motioned to the eggs in the pan, "finish this while I get ready?"_

"_Sure," Blaine agreed, taking the turner from Kurt._

_Kurt paused and studied Blaine's face instead of walking to the bathroom, and Blaine raised his eyebrows._

"_What?" he asked._

* * *

><p>The sound of Blaine's phone alarm ringing startled him awake, and he rubbed his eyes unhappily as he realized that it had been a dream. He wasn't going to wake up with Kurt and kiss him good morning and encourage him through his day.<p>

Blaine reached for his phone and turned the alarm off before sending Kurt a text message.

_Good luck at Midnight Madness tonight!_

Kurt didn't respond until Blaine was driving to Lima, so he had to wait until he parked his car at school to look at his phone.

_Thanks!_ Kurt had responded. _I'm feeling good about it at the moment, but I'm sure the nerves will kick in when the time comes!_

_You're going to blow them away, Kurt!_ Blaine replied.

Kurt sent back a smiley face, and Blaine knew the short conversation was over. He stuffed the phone into his pocket and wandered into the school. He felt irritated and sick and lonely, and he wished that he had decided to stay in bed.

He stopped at his locker and couldn't find the enthusiasm to smile at Tina as he saw her walking down the hallway toward him.

"Hey, Bling Bling, feeling better?" she asked as she walked up to him.

"Hey, Tina," he said. "No, I'm not. It's worse. My whole head feels like it's a shrink-wrapped fist of ham."

"Here, I got you this," Tina said, holding out a small jar. "It's vapor rub. My nana swears by it."

Somehow, the small gesture felt huge in Blaine's feverish mind. At least Tina cared about him.

"Aw, thanks lady," Blaine whined happily. "You're so sweet."

Tina rolled her eyes and leaned back against the row of lockers.

"What?" Blaine asked. "What'd I say?"

"I don't want to be _sweet_," Tina explained. "I want to be the girl that kicks down the door and makes demands and gets what she wants! But, let's be honest, no one things 'diva' and pictures me."

"What're you talking about?" Blaine disagreed. "There are tons of badass Asian divas. Look at Lucy Liu. Bai Ling. B.D. Wong."

Tina looked unconvinced.

"Okay," Blaine decided as he closed his locker, "you are coming to my house after school today and we're going to find you the right song. We're gonna bring out your inner diva if it kills me."

"Aw, Blainey Days," Tina smiled.

Blaine offered her his arm, and they walked down the hallway together until they had to separate to go to their first classes. Knowing that Tina was coming over after school gave Blaine something to look forward to as he sniffled and coughed his way through the school day. Glee rehearsal was miserable – Unique performed a diva number and then New Directions rehearsed a potential Regionals song – because he couldn't sing properly when he was so congested and fighting a cough. He was relieved when it was finally over and he and Tina wandered into the parking lot together.

"Just follow me," he told Tina, motioning to his car. "Here, I'll text you my address, too, just in case..."

By the time they arrived at Blaine's house, Blaine felt so terrible that he didn't even argue when Tina offered him some of the nighttime cold medicine.

"Your house is beautiful," Tina complimented as they climbed the stairs to Blaine's room.

"Thank you," Blaine replied.

As they walked into his bedroom, Blaine realized he didn't have anything for them to eat or drink.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked. "A snack?"

"A drink would be great," she agreed. "Whatever you have is fine. Thanks!"

Blaine rushed downstairs and, out of habit from many afternoons spent hanging out in his bedroom with Kurt, grabbed a small tray out of one of the kitchen cabinets before realizing that he didn't need a tray for one soda. He decided to use it, anyway, because it was already out and it meant he wouldn't have to touch Tina's drink much, and he grabbed a can of soda and filled a glass with ice before making his way back up the stairs to his bedroom.

Tina was looking at the photos of Kurt on Blaine's nightstand when he walked through the door.

"Have you ever been with a girl?" Tina asked, turning to look at him.

"No," Blaine replied. "Perfect gold star gay. Except for that one time when I kissed Rachel Berry."

"That doesn't count," Tina smiled.

"Well, it's not that I don't like girls," Blaine clarified as he set the tray on the bench at the end of his bed and sat down beside it. "I love them. They're very kind and sensitive and their bodies are beautiful."

"Thank you," Tina interjected. "You know, on behalf of girls everywhere."

"But loving one _that way_," Blaine continued, "it's not who I am."

"We're young," Tina said. "We still have time to find ourselves."

"Exactly!" Blaine approved. "Which is why, Miss Tina Cohen-Chang, you are about to find your inner diva!"

He climbed onto the bed. "I took the liberty of making a playlist of some of the classic diva songs for you to go through," he explained, motioning at his laptop on the bed by where Tina was sitting, "but you should open the laptop. I don't want to give you my germs."

Tina opened the laptop and studied the list.

"Wow, I can't believe you went old school diva," she realized. "Cher, Aretha, Madonna. Do you really think I can pull this off? I don't even know what I would wear."

"Are you kidding me?" Blaine encouraged her. "You would kill it! I was thinking that we could use one of those dresses from Sectionals..."

He cut himself off with a long yawn. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "that cold medicine is really very strong."

"Why don't you lie down?" Tina suggested.

"Okay," Blaine agreed. He was so _tired_. "That's a good idea."

He crawled to the head of the bed and fell onto a pillow. It felt so good. He had missed his bed all day.

"You know, I've been reading a lot about divas," Tina said as Blaine relaxed and tried not to fall asleep.

"Mmmhmm?" he urged her to continue.

"And the biggest thing is that they're brutally honest," Tina explained. "And, if I'm going to be a diva, then I have to be honest, too."

"Totally," Blaine agreed as he lost his battle with the drowsiness of the cold medicine and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, just before midnight, Kurt, Rachel, and a small group of students snuck into NYADA for Midnight Madness.

"Guys," Brody instructed as they entered the music room where the competition would take place, "gather some chairs up. Make a semicircle, let's go! We have five minutes!"

Everything was ready before Kurt could fully comprehend what was going on, and he let Adam lead him to an open space near the front of the room to sit on the floor with everyone else.

"Welcome to Midnight Madness," Brody addressed the group. "We all know the rules: one song at a time, two singers per song. If you go flat, you lose."

Kurt was nervous.

"Now, the playing space has been split into two; one side per competitor," Brody continued, motioning at a line on the ground at his feet. "After the song, I will give you the signal, and you stand with whoever you think won."

Kurt glanced at Adam, and the other boy smiled encouragingly.

"Majority rules," Brody reminded them. "The group's decision is final. No appeal, no mercy. And only silent applause. This is not a performance. This is a blood sport."

Kurt wasn't sure that this had been a good idea. Standing in the apartment with Rachel, irritated and full of adrenaline, Kurt had _known_ that he could beat her in a diva-off. But now, sitting in a room full of other NYADA students, he felt doubt. Maybe he could win. But what if he didn't?

"First up," Brody announced, "Rachel Berry versus Kurt Hummel."

Adam rubbed Kurt's back briefly as he stood up and walked to the center of the room to stand with Rachel. They locked eyes for a moment, and both smiled tightly as they waited for Brody to draw their song out of a jar full of little scraps of paper.

"The song you will be competing with," Brody informed them as he unfolded the slip of paper in his hands, "is _Bring Him Home_ from _Les Mis_. You guys know it?"

Rachel hummed her confirmation and Kurt nodded. He was intensely relieved at the song choice. He knew it well.

"Per Midnight Madness protocol," Brody added, "since Kurt challenged Rachel, he will be going first."

Kurt and Rachel stared at each other briefly before Kurt turned to walk to the front of the room.

Kurt sang the song, and then Rachel sang it, and as Rachel sang out the final note and the group silently applauded, Kurt knew there wasn't a clear winner. He had nailed the song, but so had Rachel.

Brody motioned for Kurt to stand up, and Kurt and Brody joined Rachel in the center of the room.

"That was good," Kurt acknowledged, glancing at Rachel.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Okay," Brody said to the group, "make your choice."

The crowd stood up, and Kurt felt a swoop of satisfaction as the two boys who had been making fun of him in the hallway earlier in the week walked to his side of the room. When everyone was finished choosing their winner, Brody counted the bodies on each side of the room and then turned his attention back to Kurt and Rachel.

"Alright," he said. "And the winner, by the closest margin in Midnight Madness history... is Mr. Kurt Hummel."

Kurt let out a laugh of delight and disbelief as the group silently applauded him, and he could see on Rachel's face that his victory was having the desired effect. She looked more like herself than she had in weeks as she stared at him and straightened up with a sharp nod.

"Congratulations," she said formally.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled warmly.

Adam tugged on Kurt's sleeve, and Kurt stepped back to sit down beside Adam again. There were still four more pairs to compete. Kurt was itching to text Blaine about his victory, but he waited until he, Rachel, and Brody were in a taxi back to Bushwick – not speaking, which Kurt thought might be a trend for the next few days – to turn on his phone.

_I WON!_ he texted Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine's his alarm went off the next morning, he was incredibly disoriented. He blinked his eyes open, confused, and struggled to find his buzzing phone and wake up his brain at the same time. Once he finally managed to turn off his alarm, he sat up and looked around the room.

He was still in his clothes from the day before, but he noticed that Tina had taken off his shoes before she left and had draped a light blanket over him. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way down his chest, which he had no memory of doing, but he noticed the little container of vapor rub on his nightstand and realized that he must've been half asleep when he put it on.

He climbed out of bed, and was halfway down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower when he realized that he felt better.

He felt _amazing_.

The realization considerably brightened his morning, and Blaine didn't even look at his phone or his computer until he was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

There were multiple text messages from Kurt from the night before and, with a rush of guilt, Blaine remembered Midnight Madness.

_I WON!_ the first text said.

Kurt had texted him again fifteen minutes later. _I bet you're asleep. Tina mentioned something on Facebook about you being sick, and if you took any cold medicine (which I hope you did!), you're probably passed out in bed by now. That's okay! I'm just going to write a paragraph for you to read when you wake up._

Kurt told him all about what had happened. The song choice. The anxiety he felt watching Rachel sing. The triumph he felt when he had won. That the two boys who had been giving him a hard time had ended up voting for him over Rachel.

_But it was the closest margin in Midnight Madness history_, Kurt clarified at the end of his little paragraph, _so I guess I can't feel too smug!_

He added a winking face.

Another fifteen minutes had passed before Kurt sent one final message.

_I'm home and definitely ready for some sleep! I hope you feel better soon! P.S. I just beat Rachel at Midnight Madness!_

Blaine smiled and typed a response.

_You're right; Tina convinced me to take some cold medicine and that's basically the last thing I remember! I feel fabulous this morning, thankfully, but I'm really sorry I missed your texts last night! Congratulations!_

Kurt didn't immediately text him back, and Blaine hoped he was still sleeping after his long night. He got dressed and drove to school, and everything looked bright and cheerful because he felt so _good_. He ran into Artie near the door to the choir room, and they chatted for a minute about New Directions. Then, Blaine told him about Kurt winning the diva-off against Rachel, which made Artie laugh, and they were talking about how great it felt to feel well again after being sick when Blaine glanced up and saw Tina walking toward them.

"Tay Tay!" Blaine exclaimed, happy to see her. "I was just telling Artie how awesome I thought –"

"Could you excuse us, please, Artie?" Tina said sharply as she stopped in front of Blaine.

"But, uh... oh," Artie agreed. He quickly rolled away.

"Is everything okay?" Blaine asked. "Oh! That chicken soup you made me; it was magic! I feel great today!"

"You want to know why?" Tina said. "Because of me. Because I took care of you."

That reminded Blaine of the vapor rub in his pocket. He pulled it out and showed it to Tina.

"Oh! And I guess I used most of this," he confessed. "I don't know how that happened, but it's all gone. Sorry!"

Tina glared at him and Blaine suddenly realized that she was unhappy with him.

"Wait, are you mad?" he asked incredulously.

"Look, I give you all of my heart," Tina whined. "Gladly! And I love hanging out with you, Blaine, and I love–"

Tina paused, and Blaine had no idea where this was going.

"It's sad because you don't see that it's _me_ that gives you that support," Tina concluded.

"Why are you acting so pissed off?" Blaine asked, not sure why she was upset with him for accepting her kindness.

"Because I get it now," Tina snapped. "A diva doesn't settle for less than what she wants and she won't apologize for wanting it. And I can't get that here, so, next time, don't come crawling back to me! I'm all out of soup!"

She spun around and walked away, and Blaine still didn't understand. Was she mad because he hadn't acted grateful enough for the cold-buster kit?

"That seems a little crazy," Blaine called after her.

"No," she countered, turning around briefly, "that seems a little Tina Cohen-Chang. Respect."

She turned and stormed away, and Blaine shrugged and went to his first class. Maybe she was just having a bad morning.

Kurt texted him back during his first class, and Blaine hid his phone under his desk so they could chat while Blaine's English teacher droned on about the book they were reading.

_I'm glad you're feeling better! And thanks! Predictably, Rachel's not talking to me this morning_, Kurt said. _And, now that the excitement of last night has worn off, I'm feeling a little bit bad about it._

_No, don't!_ Blaine replied. _You said it was the closest margin ever, right? It's not like you crushed her. She can't be angry at you for winning._

_Oh, yes she can,_ Kurt replied.

Blaine smiled, remembering Rachel's ability to hold a grudge. _Don't let her get you down!_ he encouraged. _You won Midnight Madness! That's a big deal!_

_Yeah_, Kurt agreed.

The topic shifted to other things. Kurt told Blaine about almost getting run over by a bicycle in Central Park earlier in the week. Blaine told Kurt about Santana being in town for the week and the weird tension between Santana and Sam. By the time the bell rang and Blaine ended the conversation, he realized that they had spent half an hour just chatting back and forth. It felt good, like a reassurance that Kurt was still in his life.

_Class change_, he said to Kurt. _Gym's next, so I've got to leave my phone in my locker._

_No problem!_ Kurt responded. _I'm supposed to be memorizing lines for one of my classes, anyway. It's been fun chatting, though! We should do this more often._

_We'll never learn anything!_ Blaine responded, and Kurt's answering smiley face filled Blaine's whole body with warmth.

_I love you_, he said.

Kurt responded with his usual heart symbol. _Have fun in gym!_ he added.

_Have fun memorizing lines!_ Blaine replied. _Talk to you soon!_

The rest of the day flew by. Tina sang _Hung Up_ in the courtyard during lunch, and Blaine had an inkling that maybe she wasn't quite over her crush on him. But the performance was perfect for diva week, so he tried not to think about it. It was a harmless crush, so he would just wait until she realized that he was never going to reciprocate her feelings.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

By that afternoon, Kurt was really starting to feel guilty about challenging Rachel to Midnight Madness.

"I've been singing the _Les Mis_ score since I was in second grade," Kurt explained to Adam as they walked together between Kurt's final two classes of the day. "Literally, the entire score. I mean, it was just dumb luck that that was the song that got chosen."

"I know you feel conflicted about winning," Adam understood, "but you won because you're an incredible singer!"

"Oh my god, Kurt!" a new voice chimed in, and Kurt turned to see the two guys who had previously followed Rachel around all the time. They walked up to where Kurt and Adam were standing. "Everyone's buzzing about your triumph at Midnight Madness. 'Not since Judy played The Palace', they're saying!"

"A bunch of us are signing up for the _Funny Girl_ open call," the other one explained, "then getting rush tickets to see _Mamma Mia!_. You have to come with."

Kurt looked from one of them to the other, wondering how they could possibly be serious. They had been making fun of him, both behind his back and to his face, a few days earlier.

"I don't think so," he informed them, stepping closer to the two boys. "I think you both are shallow and obnoxious. And I think the only reason why you run around kissing everyone's ass is because you know you'll never make it on your own."

Both of the other boys seemed at a loss for words, so Kurt continued.

"And another thing; if you say one more nasty thing about Adam's Apples, I will challenge you to the next Midnight Madness," he added. "And we all know how that ends."

The two students turned and walked away.

Adam laughed as Kurt turned to look at him. "It's very impressive," Adam approved.

Kurt smiled, but was distracted when he glanced over Adam's shoulder and saw Rachel looking at a bulletin board further down the hallway.

"Um, give me a second," he apologized to Adam before hurrying to where Rachel was standing.

"Hey, Rachel!" he said, making sure that his voice was friendly. "I don't know if you heard, but apparently the revival of _Funny Girl_ is having open auditions. You want to go with me?"

"You should try out, Kurt," Rachel said dully. "You'd be an amazing Fanny Brice."

She walked away, and Kurt sighed in frustration. It was like Rachel had swung to the negative end of the self-esteem spectrum since Kurt's win at Midnight Madness. She was taking her loss as some kind of overarching metaphor about herself as a whole and was acting withdrawn as a result. This wasn't what Kurt had hoped to achieve when he planned to strike a blow to her ego.

Adam walked over to where Kurt was standing. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Kurt shook his head. As much as it pained him that he had caused this unhappiness for Rachel by challenging her to the competition, he knew that this was Rachel's emotional problem to sort out.

"Well, then," Adam suggested, grabbing Kurt's hand, "let's grab some hot chocolate before your final class and see if we can't cheer you up!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Friday afternoon, after Tina won the week's diva award, Blaine hurried to catch up with her after glee rehearsal.

"Uh, no diva performance is complete without flowers," Blaine informed her, holding out a chocolate rose he had bribed off of a classmate who had, inexplicably, been carrying an entire bouquet of them down the hallway as Blaine had come out of the choir room.

"Aw, how sweet," Tina smiled as she took the rose from him. "Literally."

"Well, no one deserved to win this week more than you," Blaine complimented as they started to walk down the hallway together. "I've been waiting for people to finally see the epic diva that is Miss Tina Cohen-Chang."

He paused and turned to face Tina as they stopped walking.

"I also owe you an apology," he said. "I'm sorry if I've been ungrateful this week. The truth is I wouldn't have survived it without you. That little cold-buster kit you made me? It not only annihilated my cold, but it made me realize that you are the most important person to me at this school right now. And I haven't felt this close to anyone in a long time."

He wasn't sure why he made such a grandiose statement, but the smile on her face made the stretch of the truth seem worth it.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," Tina said.

"I have a proposition for you," Blaine explained. "Will you be my date to Mr. Schu's wedding next week?"

"Yes, of course!" Tina agreed immediately.

Blaine offered his arm, and they continued down the hallway together.

"Is Kurt coming to the wedding?" Tina asked.

Blaine drew in a deep breath. "I think so," he told her.

He hoped so. But he was too nervous to ask.

"I wonder if he'll bring that Adam guy?" Tina wondered.

"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine confessed as they reached the parking lot and had to separate to go to their respective cars. He didn't want to see Kurt sitting with someone else. Dancing with someone else. Being affectionate with someone else. It was going to be hard enough to see Kurt on Valentine's Day – the first since they had broken up – without having to spend the day watching Kurt falling in love with someone else.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

By the end of the week, Kurt began to realize that losing Midnight Madness had hurt Rachel more than Kurt had imagined that it would. She wasn't talking much and, if Brody wasn't around, she spent all her time in her room with the curtain closed. Kurt couldn't decide if it annoyed him or if he felt sad for her. He knew that he had, inadvertently, hurt her feelings. That it was the argument more than the loss at Midnight Madness that was bothering her.

He also knew that she would get over it. Eventually. And, when she did, she was going to regret letting her devastation keep her from auditioning for Funny Girl. So, Kurt did his Saturday work at Vogue dot com as fast as he could before rushing to the open casting call.

The last person in the line was walking away as Kurt arrived, and the man at the sign up table was preparing to close his notebook when Kurt rushed over.

"Hello," Kurt smiled, trying to get control of his breathing after running the two blocks from his subway stop.

"Hi," the man said, letting his notebook fall open again and, Kurt thought, trying not to laugh.

"I'd like," Kurt gasped, "to sign myself and a friend up for auditions."

He thought the man was going to tell him that he couldn't reserve a spot for Rachel unless she was there – Kurt was ready to lie and say that Rachel was home in bed, desperately ill with food poisoning – but, instead, the man nodded and clicked his pen open.

"Name?" he asked.

"Kurt Hummel," Kurt told him. "And my friend is Rachel Berry."

The man asked Kurt what days and times worked best for both of them, and Kurt left with two audition dates – one for him and one for Rachel – in his phone.

_Oh my god!_ he texted Blaine as soon as he told the taxi driver his address and settled back into his seat. _I'm auditioning for Funny Girl! ON BROADWAY!_

_What?!_ Blaine replied a few minutes later.

_I know!_ Kurt responded. _I mean, I'm clearly not going to get it, but why not audition? It'll be a good experience._

_You could get it!_ Blaine argued. _You're amazing._

_Thank you for stroking my ego_, Kurt smiled, _but I'm guessing the first ever revival of Funny Girl is going to be a fairly straightforward interpretation._

_Their loss_, Blaine returned with a winking face. _Is Rachel auditioning?_

_Yes,_ Kurt spared Blaine the details of Rachel's pouting.

Blaine didn't text him back immediately, so Kurt stared out the window and watched New York City rushing by until his phone vibrated again.

_Are you coming to Mr. Schu's wedding next week?_ Blaine asked.

_Of course!_ Kurt replied.

Blaine sent him back a smiling emoticon, and Kurt realized that he was really, really looking forward to seeing Blaine.

_Can't wait to see you_, he confessed.

Instead of texting him back, Blaine called.

"Hi!" Kurt answered.

"Sorry, I have a question that I think will benefit from you hearing my tone of voice," Blaine explained.

"Okay," Kurt allowed, curious.

"Are you bringing Adam to the wedding?" Blaine asked cautiously.

Kurt laughed. "No!" he replied. "Of course not."

"Oh," Blaine breathed, and Kurt could hear the intense relief in the soft sound. "I just– I wasn't sure if, you know..."

Kurt knew what Blaine wanted to know. Was Adam Kurt's boyfriend?

"He's– we're just casually dating, for now," Kurt explained. "It's not really... exclusive."

He giggled as the words left his lips.

"Not like _that_, though!" he laughed. "I just mean... we go out for coffee sometimes and we see each other at school, but..." he trailed off, hoping that Blaine would understand why that didn't make them _boyfriends_.

"I can't wait to see you," Blaine said, and Kurt heard the smile in his voice.

"Me too," he agreed.

Silence hung between them for a moment, and Kurt tried not to think about why he wanted to see Blaine so badly. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas. It felt like an eternity had passed since then, even though it had been less than two months.

"Well, uh," Blaine said, and the smile was still in his voice, "I'll let you go. I just didn't want my tone of voice to be ambiguous."

"It's not," Kurt grinned.

"Good," Blaine teased.

"Talk to you soon," Kurt suggested.

"See you next week," Blaine reminded him before ending the call.

Kurt pulled his phone away from his ear and realized that he couldn't stop smiling. He was going to see Blaine for the first time since they had talked at Christmas and reignited their friendship. There was no pressure this time. No big talk that needed to happen. No argument to have. Just a fun evening celebrating Mr. Schu's wedding with a bunch of friends.

The mental image was still in his mind as he walked into the apartment, and he walked directly from the door to Rachel's room.

"Shiva is officially over," Kurt announced as he walked in to find Rachel staring out the window. "You have an audition for _Funny Girl_ three weeks from today. I went down to the open call and got us the last slots."

"I'm not trying out," Rachel said miserably as she climbed onto her bed to sit against the pillows.

"Why?" Kurt challenged. "Because I won Midnight Madness? Rachel, that doesn't mean anything. It just means that we're even, okay? You won with an Elphaba song; I won with a Jean Valjean song. None of which changes the fact that _Funny Girl_ is your favorite musical and that you were born to play Fanny Brice. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Let's say that by some crazy, extraordinary chance, I get it," Rachel allowed. "Then what? I become even more of a diva nightmare than I already am now? I can't handle the pressures of stardom. Not without losing my best friend and making every single person hate me. So, I'm not going to try out."

Kurt wasn't sure if what he was feeling was annoyance at her self-pity or pain that she felt so unsure that she wasn't even interested in _Funny Girl_, but he knew he had to press the issue.

"You are a diva," he agreed as he climbed onto the bed to sit on his knees in front of her. "And you _have_ _been_ a nightmare. But you're not a diva _because_ you've been a nightmare. You're a diva because you're talented and ambitious and because no one else in the world can do what you, Rachel Berry, can do."

Tears started pooling in Rachel's eyes, and Kurt knew he was getting through to her.

"That's what being a diva is all about," he continued. "Being an original. One of a kind. So, hold the nightmare, but bring the diva. You don't need any of that. Your work speaks for itself."

He smiled at her, and he saw the relief in her eyes.

"I love you," Rachel said, pushing herself forward off the bed so she could hug him. "I'm sorry. I hate fighting with you."

"Yeah, a little catfight's good for friends, you know?" Kurt teased as Rachel let go of him. "Keeps the relationship fresh."

Rachel exhaled heavily and looked around the room. "Think about where we were a year ago," she reminisced fondly. "And now...?" she shrugged, and Kurt understood. Everything had changed so fast.

"Blaine had just had his eye surgery," Kurt remembered as he thought about what had happened in the lead up to Valentine's Day the year before.

"How is Blaine?" Rachel asked, smiling fondly.

"He's good," Kurt nodded. "He's... Blaine, you know?"

Rachel hesitated briefly before asking "Do you miss him?"

Kurt could tell that it wasn't a loaded question. If he didn't want to talk about it, Rachel wouldn't push the issue.

So, he told the truth.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Me too," Rachel said, and Kurt wasn't sure that she was talking about Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next afternoon, Brody was having a nap and Kurt and Rachel were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting about insignificant things, when someone knocked on the door. Kurt got up from his chair and walked over to see who it was.

"Santana!" Kurt said, surprised and slightly nervous to see their high school friend standing in the hallway outside their apartment without any warning. "What're you doing here?"

She walked past him into the apartment, dragging a rolling suitcase, and Kurt knew the answer before she said it.

"I'm moving in," she informed them.

Kurt and Rachel exchanged a quick glance of panic.

"Okay, _no_," Kurt scolded.

"Look," Santana motioned to their living room, "there's a perfectly good couch right there!"

"Yeah," Kurt acknowledged as he slid the apartment door closed, "for when you– _someone_ comes to _visit_!"

"Well," Santana smiled as she looked around, "think of this as a long-term visit, then."

Kurt looked at Rachel and silently begged her to help, but, before she could offer her opinion, Brody emerged from Rachel's bedroom.

"Hey," he said as his eyes landed on Santana. "I'm Brody."

Santana didn't bother to hide the way her eyes took in every part of Brody's body as she walked over to him and extended her hand.

"Santana," she introduced herself. "I'm your new roommate."

"No!" Rachel protested, putting a hand on Brody's arm as Santana released his hand and crinkled her nose unhappily. "No, we're _considering_ the idea of her _possibly_ moving in."

"I'm a good roommate!" Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm clean and I keep it real. And, I mean, come on... are you really going to throw a friend out onto the street?"

Kurt groaned unhappily.

"Okay," Rachel agreed. "You can stay for..." she glanced at Kurt.

"A few weeks," Kurt decided. "At most."

"And then we will reevaluate the situation," Rachel explained.

Santana looked from Rachel to Brody to Kurt before nodding.

"Sure," she agreed. "Now, is there any food in this place? I'm starving."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I think this is the point when Kurt and Adam's relationship is the best it's ever going to be (in terms of their romantic relationship). Kurt goes to Mr. Schu's wedding in the next episode and reconnects with Blaine, and, at that point, any <strong>_**real**_** chance Adam ever had with Kurt disappears. Poor guy!  
><strong>_

_**And, okay, we get a clue to the timeline of this season in this episode! When Kurt talks to Rachel in her bedroom, he tells her that her Funny Girl audition is "three weeks from today". Valentine's Day is the following week/next episode, so that means Rachel's audition is the first Saturday in March. Her audition is in 4x19 ("Sweet Dreams"), which is six episodes from now, so everything that happens between now and then is supposed to fit into a three week timeline.**_

_**Up next... 4x14: "I Do"!**_


	53. 4x14: I Do

_**In the wake of Cory Monteith's devastating and unexpected death (I am at a true loss for words to express how heartbroken I am for him, for his family, for Lea. "Tragedy" doesn't even **_**begin**_** to describe it), let's start this up again.**_

_**Finn doesn't interact with Kurt or Blaine much from now through the end of the season. They're all together at the wedding in this episode, but Finn never speaks to either Kurt or Blaine. He doesn't speak to Kurt again all season, actually, and his interactions with Blaine from here to Finn's final episode (4x19: "Sweet Dreams") are always as part of a larger conversation with New Directions. So, he may pop up here and there in Blaine's storyline over the next couple episodes, but I'm not going to add him to the story more than my original plan. There will be time for honoring Finn when they pay tribute to him on the show.**_

_**All of that said... here we go.**_

_**What even IS this episode? It came out of nowhere... Kurt and Blaine are kinda talking and starting to rebuild their friendship, so let's have them sleep together! I guess, in many ways, I get it. It's not hard to imagine why Kurt let his guard down enough for this to happen. But still. Woah. ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After weeks of working to improve arts education in Washington, D.C., Mr. Schu returned to McKinley on the Monday afternoon before Valentine's Day.

"Glee club!" he shouted happily as he walked through the doorway into the choir room. Everyone cheered, happy to see him.

"Mr. Schu, how was D.C.?" Artie asked.

"D.C. was great," Mr. Schu explained, "but now I am back to stay. And so, for my first order of business, I want give a big shout out to the guy who made sure I had something to come back to... Mr. Finn Hudson!"

The group applauded for Finn as Mr. Schu pulled the lid off his whiteboard marker. "Now, for this week's assignment..." he said as the group gave him a drum roll on the top of the piano. He walked over to the board and wrote _Wedding!_. "Miss Pillsbury and I are _finally_ getting married, which makes me the happiest, luckiest man alive."

Blaine was happy for them. They had been together as long as he had known both of them, and he thought it was sweet that they were getting married on Valentine's Day.

Plus, it meant that Blaine was going to get to spend the holiday with Kurt, who was coming back to Ohio for the wedding.

"Now, Emma has been handling all the prep," Mr. Schu explained. "So, to help out, I thought I'd take charge of the entertainment for the reception. And, though this goes against tradition, it would mean the world to me – and to Emma – if, instead of giving your best man speech, Finn, you'd sing for us. What'd'ya think?"

The group turned its attention to Finn, who looked surprised.

"Uh... yeah, of course," he agreed.

"Perfect!" Mr. Schu said excitedly. "For everyone else who isn't out with Asian Bird Flu: it's a Valentine's Day wedding, which means we need some great, romantic love songs at the reception."

"Wait, you want _us_ to be your wedding singers?" Tina scoffed. "That is so –"

"– _awesome_," Blaine interrupted, shooting Tina a scolding glance. "We'd be honored," he said to Mr. Schu.

"Great," Mr. Schu smiled. "I have some great ideas..."

He rushed over to the cabinet where they stored most of their sheet music, and most of the students followed.

But not Finn. He stayed where he was, and Blaine hesitated to follow the group as he noticed the anxiety on Finn's face. Instead, Blaine wandered around the piano to where Finn was standing. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," Finn echoed with a tight smile.

"You okay?" Blaine inquired carefully.

"What?" Finn said immediately. "Yeah, I'm, uh, yeah. Fine."

"You sang at Burt's and your mom's wedding, right?" Blaine encouraged him, assuming that his nerves were the result of being asked to sing in front of everyone when he was so out of practice. "You've got a great voice. Don't worry!"

Finn nodded, but looked unconvinced. "Thanks."

There was a slightly awkward pause before Finn relaxed a little and spoke again. "How're you, man? You seem... better."

Blaine nodded. "I am," he agreed. "Kurt has been..." he shrugged, not sure how to adequately explain how _wonderful_ Kurt had been since they had reignited their friendship.

"Hey, Blaine?" Tina interrupted from across the room. Blaine turned to look at her. "Do you have a song in mind? Because I think this one would be perfect." She motioned for him to come over.

Blaine turned back to Finn.

"Thanks for the encouragement," Finn nodded appreciatively. He paused briefly, and his eyes shone with amusement as he added, "Good luck with Kurt this week."

Blaine smiled, happy at the implication that Kurt was excited to come home for the wedding, and turned to join the other students in the search for romantic songs to sing at a Valentine's Day wedding.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Tuesday was a hectic day for Kurt. He had class at NYADA, and then he had to go to Vogue dot com and make sure everything was settled before he took the next four days off.

Santana had been packing (or, more accurately, rearranging the suitcase she was currently living out of) when Kurt left for class; she'd be gone by the afternoon. Rachel had been gone since early Monday morning – Kurt wasn't sure how she had managed to talk her professors into giving her the entire week off from class – and Kurt's goal for the day was to avoid the apartment for as long as possible. He wasn't interested in spending the evening alone with Brody. Kurt thought Rachel's new-ish boyfriend was nice enough, but he was weird, too. And sometimes he and Kurt clashed, over big things like nudity and over small things like what constituted a clean apartment. Kurt didn't want to have one of those clashing moments when there was no chance that someone else would come home and give them an excuse to end the debate. It was better to avoid Brody.

If Brody was even at the apartment. Kurt had no way to know short of calling Brody to ask him, and he wasn't that desperate. He would stay out late and hope that Brody would spend the night somewhere else since Rachel wasn't home. Brody was almost always gone at least one night each week.

Kurt stopped by Isabelle's office as soon as he arrived at work to make sure she remembered that he would be gone from Wednesday through Saturday.

"God, that's this week?" Isabelle laughed from behind her desk as Kurt reminded her of his imminent departure. "Time is flying!"

She motioned for Kurt to sit down.

"It's a wedding, right?" she recalled as Kurt sat.

"My high school history teacher," Kurt confirmed. "Or, more importantly, glee club director."

"Ah," Isabelle said knowingly. "Well, I think it's sweet that you're flying home for the wedding! A chance to see some friends from high school, I hope?"

"I hope so," Kurt agreed, thinking of Blaine.

Isabelle's cell phone buzzed on her desk, and she offered Kurt an apologetic glance.

"Tell you what," she said quickly as she picked up the phone, "let's grab an early dinner after the five o'clock meeting?"

Kurt nodded and stood up as Isabelle answered her phone. He waved goodbye before slipping out the door.

Hours later, after a surprisingly productive final meeting of the day, he and Isabelle had dinner at one of Isabelle's favorite restaurants nearby. They talked about what Kurt was going to wear to the wedding ("something simple and classic") and about a dreaded business trip Isabelle was taking to Los Angeles on Thursday and Friday ("Oh god, I'm becoming one of _those_ people, aren't I? Complaining about getting to jet off to Hollywood for a few days.") before they had to get back to work. Isabelle had a few calls to make with people overseas, and Kurt wanted to get as much work done as he could before he left.

The rest of the evening flew by for Kurt, and Isabelle surprised him with money so he could take a taxi home late that evening when they were the last two to leave the building.

"Have fun in Ohio," she smiled.

"Thank you," Kurt shook the money in his hand. "Have fun in Hollywood," he returned the smile as he climbed into the taxi.

Much to Kurt's relief, Brody wasn't at the apartment when he got home. He still had to pack. It didn't take long to get everything he needed for the short trip packed into his suitcase; he had been making a mental list of what he wanted to bring for days. Once his suitcase was packed and sitting by the door – he had to drag it around with him at NYADA the next day so he could go straight from his final class to the airport – he spent a little time cleaning the kitchen before he fell into bed.

It took him a while to fall asleep. There was so much to think about. He was going to be in Ohio for the first time in three months. He was going to get to see his father and Carole and Finn.

He was going to see Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next evening, Blaine was lying on his stomach on his bed, trying not to fall asleep as he read a short story for his literature class, when his phone buzzed beside him on the bed. Relieved for an excuse to take a break from studying, he picked it up and was delighted to see a text message from Kurt.

_Ohio is quieter than I remember._

Blaine slammed his book closed, abandoning his homework for the night. _How was your flight?_ he asked.

_We lived! _Kurt responded. Blaine smiled, remembering the first time Kurt had been on a plane. To New York, for New Directions' first trip to Nationals. Kurt had been so nervous.

_Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow_, Kurt added.

Blaine rolled over onto his back and stared at Kurt's words on the little screen. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. They were going to spend at least part of Valentine's Day together.

He thought about Valentine's Day the year before. When he had finally recovered from his eye surgery and had snuck into the party at Breadstix to surprise Kurt. It felt like a lifetime ago.

_We could grab something to eat tonight?_ Blaine suggested. He didn't want to wait.

_It's almost ten_, Kurt replied.

Blaine rolled his eyes and dialed Kurt's number.

"I'm not changing my mind," Kurt said in lieu of a greeting. Blaine felt a thrill run up his spine as he heard the playful, happy tone of Kurt's voice.

"Will you accept a bribe?" Blaine teased.

"Depends on what you have to offer," Kurt replied lightly.

"Hmmmm..." Blaine mused, happy to tease Kurt along.

"Maybe I just want to look my very best when I see you," Kurt supplied before Blaine could speak again.

Blaine was smiling so widely that he was glad Kurt couldn't see him. He was too excited. Why was Kurt so flirty all of the sudden? This felt so _normal_.

"You always look your very best," Blaine countered.

"Only in your eyes," Kurt quipped.

They both laughed and a short, comfortable silence fell between them.

"Are you sure you don't want to see me today?" Blaine asked, hoping Kurt would change his mind.

"I want to see you tomorrow," Kurt said, his voice steady and slightly more serious than before. "I'll meet you in the parking lot at the church?"

"I'll find you," Blaine agreed.

He heard Kurt sigh, and he wondered if it was a happy sigh or an anxious sigh. He decided not to ask.

"See you tomorrow," Kurt said.

"Goodnight, Kurt," Blaine replied. "Love you."

"You too," Kurt said softly. "Bye."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"Isn't this so much better than the last time we were here?" Rachel said happily as she and Kurt got ready together in Kurt's bedroom the next afternoon. She tugged on her dress, studying her body in the mirror as she did so. "Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury are finally getting married! It's so sweet."

"Yeah," Kurt said dryly as he used a lint roller on his jacket, "nothing I want more on Valentine's Day than to attend my high school history teacher's wedding."

"Oh, come _on_, Kurt!" Rachel scolded. She glanced at him and motioned with her hand for him to help zip up her dress. "Have you seen Blaine?"

"No," Kurt confessed, putting on his jacket as he walked over to help Rachel. "Have you spent time with Finn this week?"

"Yes," Rachel said, sounding so content that Kurt wondered what she and Finn had been doing all week before he arrived. "We're singing together at the reception."

Kurt zipped her dress in silence.

"It's going to be fun," Rachel encouraged as she turned to face him and studied his outfit. "It's _Blaine_, you know? Don't think I don't hear the way you two talk on the phone sometimes. You _like_ him."

"Not like _that_," Kurt corrected. Rachel just hummed a vague acknowledgement.

Kurt tried not to think about how badly he wanted to be in the same room as Blaine now that they were friends again.

And it was Valentine's Day.

Adam had texted Kurt that morning – a simple _Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy the wedding!_ – and Kurt could barely remember what he had said in return. Something about hoping that Adam had a lovely day.

"How's Adam?" Rachel asked, and Kurt narrowed his eyes at her. How had she known he was thinking about Adam?

Rachel hummed a noise that sounded suspiciously like a "that's what I thought", and Kurt rolled his eyes.

"He's fine," Kurt said briskly. "How's Brody?"

"Fine," Rachel echoed.

They stared at each other for a moment before they both dissolved into laughter.

"I'm so excited to be here!" Kurt wailed, burying his face in his hands as he laughed. "I hate myself."

"It's... it's..." Rachel couldn't even speak, so they surrendered to their amusement until it started to fade away. "It's okay," Rachel finally managed, leaning toward the mirror to make sure she hadn't messed up her makeup. "We're adults. We're allowed to be excited about seeing our friends. Even the cute ones who are our exes."

Kurt couldn't fight the smile that was stretched across his face. "Sure," he allowed.

"Alright, then," Rachel said, grabbing his hand to lead the way out the door, "let's go make sure Finn's ready and get to the wedding!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As soon as Blaine and Tina climbed out of Tina's car in the church parking lot, all of Blaine's attention was focused on trying to find Kurt.

"What?" he asked absentmindedly as he realized Tina was talking to him as they walked toward the building.

"_Nothing_," Tina sighed.

Blaine was glad that it wasn't something important, because he spotted Kurt and Rachel standing by Finn's car and everything around him was suddenly just an obstacle to be overcome on his way to Kurt.

"I'll meet you inside," Blaine suggested, slowing his pace to allow Tina to walk ahead of him. Her head turned toward Kurt and Rachel for a moment before she silently continued walking in the direction of the church.

Blaine stopped briefly and watched Kurt and Rachel. Rachel was gesturing with her hands, clearly telling a dramatic story. As Blaine started to walk toward the pair, Kurt let out a peal of laughter that made Blaine's heart hammer furiously in his chest. For the first time since he and Kurt had separated, his pounding heart was filled with nothing but excitement. No fear of rejection or anxiety about broken trust. Just happiness at seeing Kurt and knowing that Kurt was looking forward to seeing him, too.

Kurt's back was to Blaine as he approached, so Rachel saw him first. Her face lit up, and Blaine braced himself for her to fling herself into his arms for a hug, but she surprised him by offering a delighted wave as she turned and hurried away.

But not before giving Kurt a look that made Blaine's mouth go dry with anticipation.

"That was subtle," Kurt commented on Rachel's departure as he turned around to face Blaine.

Seeing Kurt in front of him for the first time in almost two months sent a flood of contentment flowing through Blaine. Kurt looked _good_. Trim. Confident. Mature. Blaine could only nod his agreement at the oddity of Rachel's exit as he slowed to a stop a few steps in front of Kurt.

"Excellent outfit," Kurt commented, the corners of his mouth twitching upward as he raked his eyes over Blaine's body.

"You look perfect," Blaine complimented, noticing the bowtie around Kurt's neck.

"I don't disagree," Kurt teased.

They both smiled, and Blaine soaked in the comfortable atmosphere. He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them, and he studied Kurt's body language. Kurt was relaxed. Amused. His eyes were sparkling and sure.

Kurt was flirting with him. He was teasing Blaine with his outfit and his posture and his _presence_. And he knew it.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As Kurt watched Blaine approach, he was struck by how different Blaine seemed. More self-assured than he had been in a long, long time. Kurt thought briefly of Blaine at Dalton – mature, calm, and unbreakably confident – and he swallowed thickly as he remembered how it felt to fall in love.

Blaine stopped in front of him, so close that their chests were almost touching. The air felt pleasantly tense between them, and Blaine tipped his head up slightly and ghosted a gentle breath against Kurt's lips. Asking silently for a kiss.

"I miss you," Kurt whispered before he could stop himself.

Blaine drew in a breath to respond, but Kurt crushed their lips together before he could get a word out. Instead, Blaine emitted a surprised, delighted sound and latched onto Kurt's waist, maneuvering Kurt's body so they were pressed against each other as they kissed. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and barely resisted the urge to wind his fingers into Blaine's gelled hair.

When Kurt finally felt out of breath enough to pull away, Blaine's groan of unhappiness sent a shiver down his entire body. Kurt giggled, feeling giddy and insatiable as Blaine's face came into focus in front of him.

"Let's go somewhere," Kurt gasped.

Blaine released his waist and grabbed his hand to drag him across the parking lot to a car Kurt didn't recognize.

"New car?" Kurt asked as Blaine pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the doors.

"Tina's," Blaine corrected. "Her dress doesn't have pockets."

The realization that they were about to make out in _someone else's _car fueled Kurt's internal fire, and he happily allowed himself to be pulled into the back seat on top of Blaine. He was trying to find a comfortable position in the small space when there was a sharp knock on the window above their heads.

Kurt and Blaine both snapped their heads toward the sound, and Kurt wasn't sure if his face was burning with excitement or embarrassment as he saw that it was Tina.

She looked extremely unhappy.

"No!" she commanded through the closed window.

"Either stay and watch or go away!" Kurt shouted back at her, annoyed that she was interrupting.

She knocked her knuckles against the window again, but Kurt ignored her and tugged at Blaine's shirt so Blaine would lift himself off the seat for a sloppy kiss where Tina could definitely see them.

Tina pounded her fist on the window and disappeared.

Satisfied that she wouldn't be back in the near future, Kurt turned his full attention to Blaine, who was already breathing hard and fumbling with Kurt's clothes.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they kissed and tugged at each other's clothes and surrendered to their physical desires. It felt so familiar and safe, but also new and forbidden, and Kurt couldn't get enough.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Had I known I was going to get groped in the back of a Prius, I would've had a change of clothes," Kurt teased, hovering over Blaine. "I'm going to go in there looking like prom the morning after."

Blaine couldn't engage his brain enough to say anything, so he just smiled and glanced briefly at his own outfit before Kurt leaned back down to kiss him.

But, suddenly, Kurt was holding himself up above Blaine again.

"Wait, what am I doing?" Kurt gasped, his voice full of doubt. "I'm sort of dating somebody in New York!"

"Uh, you're not in New York," Blaine countered, propping himself up on his elbows to get closer to Kurt. "And it's not exclusive, right? You and this fey boy tie... it's my kryptonite."

Fey boy tie? Blaine didn't know what he was trying to say. He felt like he was having an out of body experience.

They kissed again, but Blaine could tell that Kurt was still hesitating.

"Wait, this doesn't mean that we're back together, right?" Kurt asked, his eyes tinted with nerves and the pain that Blaine had caused five months earlier. Blaine's mind exploded with things to say. Romantic, profound speeches about love and second chances and soul mates. But he couldn't get any of it from his brain to his tongue. He was too excited. So, instead, he just babbled out the first desperate thing he could think of that might convince Kurt to stay in the car.

"I– no! No, no, no," Blaine gasped. "It's cool. I know. It's– this is just bros helping bros."

He knew he had succeeded when Kurt's eyes locked onto his and he leaned down for another hungry kiss.

"I love it when you talk fratty," Kurt growled against Blaine's mouth. Blaine smiled and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist to tug at the back of his shirt.

A sudden knock on the car window sent a wave of annoyance pulsing through Blaine.

"Tell me that's not Tina again!" Kurt snapped, pushing himself up to look at whoever was interrupting. Blaine was pleased to see how exasperated Kurt was with their intruder.

"Hey, can you two wrap it up?" Mercedes' voice suggested as the door by Blaine's head suddenly opened and frigid winter air washed over him. "The wedding is about to start and I need my arm gays!"

The wedding.

Blaine let his head fall back into the open space where the door had been and rolled his eyes at Mercedes before scooting out from underneath Kurt and making sure his jacket was well-placed over his lap as he climbed out of the car.

"You do realize how trashy blasphemous this is, right?" Mercedes scolded them as Kurt climbed out of the car after Blaine.

"Oh, Mercedes," Kurt scolded in return. "Everyone hooks up at weddings."

Blaine tried not to think about _hooking up_. They had to get themselves together for the wedding.

"Mmmhmm," Mercedes hummed knowingly. "Let's go. This outfit needs an audience."

She offered an arm to each of them, and Blaine clutched his coat closed and allowed himself to be led to the church.

Mercedes stopped at the door to the small men's bathroom just inside the church's entrance and released them.

"You look like you just spent twenty minutes making out in the back seat of a car," she rolled her eyes and pointed at the bathroom door. "Fix it."

"Okay," Blaine said, his voice coming out as more of an affirmative giggle than a properly spoken word. He grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him into the bathroom.

Kurt made sure there wasn't anyone in the bathroom's two stalls before strolling back over to Blaine, who was halfheartedly studying his appearance while trying to watch Kurt at the same time. Blaine stepped toward him as he approached, anticipating a kiss or a touch or _something_, but Kurt held up a playful finger.

"We're in a church," he admonished.

"You don't even believe in God," Blaine countered swiftly.

"We're in a bathroom," Kurt dodged. His eyes were sparkling with amusement, and Blaine groaned in frustration.

Kurt drew in a deep breath and his eyes turned critical. "Okay, but seriously," he said, surveying Blaine's clothes, "we need to get a grip."

Blaine bit back a sassy comment about _where_ he'd like to get a grip, choosing to nod, instead. "You look okay. I mean– not too wrinkled."

"Thanks," Kurt smiled. "You, on the other hand, look completely disheveled."

"That's your fault," Blaine teased as Kurt turned to face the mirror and started twisting his head to make sure his hair looked okay. Blaine turned toward the mirror, too, and laughed at the way his shirt was partially unbuttoned and crooked.

They fixed their clothes in silence, both fighting back laughter as they had to move to the side to allow a man they didn't recognize to use the bathroom and wash his hands. As the stranger left the room, Mercedes leaned in through the open door.

"Will you two hurry up?" she urged.

"Yes, ma'am," Kurt said formally, and he reached out and straightened Blaine's tie before brushing past him and out the door.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt and Blaine almost got to sit beside each other for the wedding ceremony, but, much to Kurt's disappointment, Tina squeezed herself between them at the last minute. She made a point of completely ignoring Kurt, but he shrugged it off. He and Blaine had just spent nearly fifteen minutes making out in her car without her permission. She was entitled to a little anger.

The wedding didn't go as planned, either. Becky walked down the aisle, tossing rose petals on the ground, and it was Sue, not Ms. Pillsbury, who stepped through the doors at the end of the aisle in a wedding gown. The room was silent as Sue walked up the aisle and paused beside Will. They spoke quietly for a moment, and Kurt was close enough to hear Sue's final words.

"Emma's left the building."

Kurt turned, wide-eyed, to glance at Rachel beside him, and she looked as horrified as he felt.

Mr. Schu looked devastated.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sue announced. "For reasons known only to the person who isn't here to explain things, there won't be a wedding here today."

The crowd gasped and a murmur of confusion rippled around the room.

"Well," Sue said, offering an unsympathetic wave of her hand, "everybody out!"

Rachel grabbed Kurt's hand and led the way down the aisle and straight on until they were outside. Everyone mulled around outside the church for a few minutes, unsure of what to do, until the group convinced Santana to go ask Mr. Schu what he wanted to do about the reception waiting for them at a nearby hotel.

She returned quickly. The decision was to go ahead with the party, without Mr. Schu or Ms. Pillsbury.

Kurt rode with Finn and Rachel to the hotel and waited just inside the doors to the ballroom where the reception was taking place until Blaine walked in with Tina. Blaine's face lit up when he saw Kurt, and Kurt couldn't hold back his own smile.

"Hey!" Blaine jogged the few steps over to where Kurt was standing. "I thought maybe you went home."

Kurt shook his head and Blaine paused just long enough to take a breath before continuing.

"Do you think, maybe, we could sing together?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Uh," Kurt considered it. He had forgotten than Mr. Schu had asked New Directions to be the entertainment for the evening. Should he sing with Blaine? He _wanted_ to. So, why not? "Sure. I guess. Yeah."

"I..." Blaine suddenly looked self-conscious. "It's a song we– I was going to sing it by myself, but–"

Kurt raised a curious eyebrow, and Blaine shrugged innocently.

"_Just Can't Get Enough_," he admitted.

Kurt laughed and reached out to grab Blaine's hand. "It's perfect," he reassured him as he started in the direction of the stage. "Let's go."

"_When I'm with you, baby, I go out of my head. And I just can't get enough. And I just can't get enough._"

"_All the things you do to me and everything you said. I just can't get enough. I just can't get enough._"

"_We slip and slide as we fall in love and I just can't seem to get enough._"

As they sang together for the first time in months, Kurt was surprised that they both still remembered the silly choreography they had made up for the duet almost a year earlier. Kurt had nearly forgotten what it felt like to perform for fun rather than for class at NYADA or to impress his peers. He danced around the stage and goofed off with Blaine and let himself have a good time.

"_It's getting hotter, it's a burning love, and I just can't seem to get enough._"

By the time the song ended, Kurt had nearly forgotten that anything negative had ever happened between him and Blaine. But, as he waved at their friends and walked with Blaine off the stage, the realization of their situation flooded back to him.

"I'm gonna get some punch," Blaine said as they walked. "Do you want anything?"

"Yeah, I'll take a cup," Kurt said. He felt a strong need to clarify what they were to each other after the flirty duet, so he added, "but, just remember, we're not –"

"– dating," Blaine reassured him as he started to walk away. "We're just here as friends. I know."

Blaine sounded sure, so Kurt let himself feel satisfied.

"Oh!" Kurt noticed the table of food near the side of the stage as Blaine disappeared in the direction of the punch bowl. "Baby cupcakes."

As he leaned over to look at the different flavors, Tina suddenly appeared at his side.

"I don't like the way you treat Blaine," she said without preamble. Kurt glanced around, confused, and listened as she continued. "There, I said it. You're here, you're in New York, you're at Vogue dot com, you're at NYADA. Who _are_ you, Kurt?"

As Kurt started to recover from the initial shock of Tina's outburst, all of Tina's Facebook posts about Blaine and the stories he had heard from Blaine about how much he and Tina were hanging out started to make sense.

"Meanwhile, Blaine is here," Tina continued as Kurt stared at her. "Lonely. And yes, he cheated. We're all human, Kurt. We all deserve to be loved back, Kurt!"

"Okay, Tina," Kurt said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I say this with total love, but the moment we all saw coming is finally here."

He was surprised how protective he felt about Blaine. They weren't even dating. But it infuriated him to know that Tina had been trying to manipulate Blaine into a relationship.

"You're a hag," he said sharply. "You're hagged out. You're in love with Blaine and it's creepy. _Stop_."

"What do you know about love?" Tina retorted. "You just come and go. Who's been here to support him? Me. Who took him to Sadie Hawkins? Me. Who put him in bed when he got sick and rubbed VapoRub on his little muscled chest while he slept?"

The furious reply Kurt was preparing regarding Tina's complete disregard for Blaine's past when she planned the Sadie Hawkins dance flew out of his mind as he heard her admit to rubbing medicine on Blaine's chest while he slept.

"W-what?" Kurt gasped. "You... _huh_?"

Tina looked startled. "What? No. I didn't mean... this isn't about me, Kurt!" she announced. "I have to go!"

She turned and hurried away.

"Did you vapo-rape my ex-boyfriend?" Kurt called after her. "Don't walk away from me, Tina Cohen-Chang!"

He started to hurry after her and almost ran into Blaine as he stepped around the corner of the dessert table with a glass of punch in each hand.

"Whoa!" Blaine gasped, startled. He managed not to spill either of the drinks, and Kurt glanced at Tina's retreating form over Blaine's shoulder and gave up. She was beyond his help.

"Sorry," Kurt apologized.

Blaine smiled and handed him his drink, and they went to sit down together.

They chatted about trivial things as they watched Rachel catch the bouquet ("It's gotta be a bad omen to catch the bouquet at a wedding that didn't actually happen," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear). They ate and caught up with some of their friends – mostly, everyone wanted to hear Kurt's stories of life in New York – and Kurt grilled Blaine about Burt's health. Blaine had been taking Burt to some of his appointments so Carole and Finn wouldn't have to take time off from work, and Kurt wanted to know every detail Blaine had to offer.

"He's doing really well," Blaine reassured him after a thorough recounting of his latest trip to the doctor with Burt. "He's strong."

"It's hard to be so far away," Kurt admitted, studying Blaine's face and trying to make sure that Blaine wasn't leaving out any horrible details to spare him anxiety.

"I know," Blaine nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Kurt said. "I... thank you for being there for him. And me."

Blaine reached out and closed his hand over Kurt's on the table, and Kurt wished that things weren't complicated. Being friends with Blaine again was like breathing fresh air after months living in a musty cave, but he missed the extra closeness that _boyfriend_ brought with it.

But they couldn't be boyfriends. Kurt wasn't willing to risk the heartbreak again. They were just friends. Best friends.

"Hey, guys!" Marley suddenly appeared out of the crowd on the dance floor. She smiled brightly at Blaine and offered a slightly shyer smile at Kurt. It was weird for Kurt to realize that she saw him as someone _older_. A stranger.

Blaine stood up, so Kurt did the same, and he watched as Blaine wrapped Marley in a hug, saying something about "beautiful" in the process. Kurt offered a polite smile to Jake, who seemed fine with just standing by until Marley and Blaine were finished.

"Jake!" Marley said, reaching out and depositing her phone into her boyfriend's hand. "Will you take our picture?"

She and Blaine squished their cheeks together and smiled for the camera, and Kurt didn't realize he was smiling, too, until Marley glanced at him as she stepped away from Blaine. Suddenly, he felt incredibly self-conscious. What did she know about him? He was sure that she knew more about him than he knew about her. It was a strange feeling.

"You two," Marley gave Blaine a gentle push in Kurt's direction. "You look so cute. Let's... here, I'll do it..."

She took her phone back from Jake and motioned for Kurt and Blaine to stand together. Blaine wrapped a confident arm around Kurt's waist and pulled him close, and Kurt decided it was better to give in and smile than to protest. Secretly, it felt nice to be so close to Blaine. It felt safe and normal and warm.

"Perfect!" Marley approved as she took the photo. She had a mostly non-verbal conversation with Blaine about sending him the photo before she grabbed Jake's hand and they melted away into the crowd.

"She's a sweetheart," Blaine commented as he noticed Kurt watching Marley and Jake walk away.

Kurt was trying to think of how to explain how odd it felt to be a stranger to some of Blaine's friends when Rachel and Finn walked onto the stage and the music in the room slowed down for their duet.

Blaine's eyes were wide and held a hint of trepidation when Kurt turned to look at him.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine knew this was a moment for them. A moment that, in some ways, was more important than what had happened in Tina's car earlier in the evening. Would Kurt want to dance with him in front of everyone?

He drew in a deep breath and held out a hand.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, his heart pounding. "Please?"

Kurt didn't hesitate. He reached out and put his hand in Blaine's, and Blaine had to concentrate on holding back tears for the first time all day as he led them to a corner of the dance floor, far from the stage. Kurt put his hands on Blaine's shoulders and Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's body to pull him close, resting his open palms on Kurt's back as they swayed gently to the music.

It was everything Blaine had thought was gone forever. It was what he had missed so desperately at the Sadie Hawkins dance. In the hallways at school. At home in his bedroom. The feeling that Kurt wanted to be near him. That Kurt wanted to be seen with him. That Kurt really _loved_ him.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt held onto Blaine and listened to Finn and Rachel singing their duet.

"_I know it's late. I know you're weary. I know your plans don't include me. Still, here we are, both of us lonely, longing for shelter from all that we see. Why should we worry? No one will care, girl. Look at the stars now, so far away. We've got tonight. Who needs tomorrow? We've got tonight, babe, why don't you stay?_"

As they danced, Kurt settled his chin on Blaine's shoulder and let himself relax.

He found time to relax at home – in New York – but there was something so _safe_ about the feeling of Blaine's arms around him that Kurt felt his body relax in a way it hadn't since he moved away from Ohio. Since his life had changed. Since he and Blaine had broken up.

He could feel Blaine's hands on his back, pressing gently into him. He could tell that Blaine was glancing at him from time to time; a small shift of Blaine's head that told Kurt that Blaine was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

As the song neared its end, Kurt lifted his chin from Blaine's shoulder and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck in a more traditional slow dance position so they could see each other's faces. Blaine let his hands drop to Kurt's lower back, and they stared at each other as the music faded away and Kurt could see the same desire in Blaine's eyes as he was feeling.

Their unfinished make out session in the car earlier in the afternoon was on both their minds.

As they stepped apart, Kurt let his eyes linger on Blaine's just long enough to ask him to follow before he walked away.

Blaine waited nonchalantly in a chair in the hotel lobby while Kurt booked them a room. Somewhere private. A place where they wouldn't be interrupted. Kurt let his hand brush over the back of Blaine's shoulders as he walked past on the way to the elevator, fighting back a smile as Blaine shimmied his shoulders in excitement and jumped out of the chair.

There were two other people in the elevator with them as they rode up to the floor where their room was waiting for them, so they stood in silence and Kurt tried not to laugh at the way Blaine was fighting a huge smile.

Kurt didn't realize he was equally as excited until they reached the room and he unlocked the door.

They were going to have sex. Kurt _wanted_ them to have sex. He turned back toward Blaine, still standing in the hallway, and kept his back against the door to keep it from latching closed.

Blaine looked... like Blaine. With happiness shining in his eyes. Kurt ignored the voice inside his head that was whispering about leading Blaine on and reached out to pull Blaine into the room by his tie. As soon as the door clicked closed behind Blaine, Kurt shoved him back against the door and crushed their lips together.

It wasn't weird.

They kissed against the door until Blaine breathed out a short laugh, so full of happiness that Kurt's stomach fluttered wildly, and they stumbled across the room, trying to walk and kiss at the same time on their way to the bed. Somehow, they managed to pause long enough to fold their clothes instead of tossing them on the ground, and then the only things that existed for the two of them were skin and kisses and sex and love.

When Kurt finally flopped onto his back beside Blaine, so relaxed he was worried he might fall asleep, an easy silence hung between them. Kurt listened to Blaine's breathing as they both cooled off and wondered what Blaine was thinking.

He didn't ask.

Eventually, Blaine stirred beside him, pushing himself up on one elbow to lean over and kiss Kurt's cheek before he climbed off the bed. Kurt didn't even bother to hide his smile as he followed and they both started to get dressed.

They hadn't said a single word since they reached the room. Kurt wasn't sure what to say.

He could tell that Blaine wanted to say something, though. He could feel Blaine watching him, trying to find the right moment to say whatever was on his mind.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine's mind was so full of things he _wanted_ to say that he couldn't decide what he _should_ say. He couldn't even put what he was feeling into words; in his mind, everything was a rush of emotions and memories and visions of his and Kurt's future together.

He knew he had to say _something_ while Kurt was still with him. Before they left the room and the serene moment they were having together passed them by. He sat down on the edge of the bed, not quite finished getting re-dressed, and watched Kurt start to button his shirt in front of the big mirror over the dresser.

"Tell me now that we're not back together," Blaine said, staring at Kurt's reflection in the mirror. It came out as more of an accusation than he intended, but he could hear the happiness in his voice and hoped that Kurt would understand.

Kurt's eyes lifted briefly from his task. "I mean... it was fun," Kurt shrugged, his eyes bright. "But–"

"Don't," Blaine scolded gently. "I'm not gonna let you minimize this, Kurt!"

He grabbed Kurt's jacket off the bed and walked over to help him put it on.

"It's no accident that we were together on Christmas and again on Valentine's Day!" Blaine told him, massaging Kurt's shoulders through his jacket and staring into his eyes in the mirror. "And we're going to be together for many, many more, no matter how much you pretend that this doesn't mean anything."

He couldn't stop thinking about the days leading up to the first Valentine's Day after they met. When Kurt had, as kindly as possible, made it clear that their flirty duets and coffee dates meant something more than friendship. _You and I, we hang out. We sing flirty duets together. You know my coffee order. Was I supposed to think that that was nothing?_

This meant something to Kurt. He just wasn't ready to admit it yet.

Kurt turned around to face Blaine and leaned forward like he was going to kiss him.

"I'll see you downstairs," he whispered.

The look in Kurt's eyes, and the absence of a rejection, told Blaine everything he needed to know.

"Okay," Blaine breathed as Kurt walked out the door.

As soon as the door slammed closed behind Kurt, Blaine clapped his hands together once and threw his arms in the air in jubilation.

Kurt wanted him.

Blaine had spent so many nights lying in bed worrying that Kurt had moved on. That the spark they had shared had gone out that night in New York when Blaine had confessed his infidelity. But it was still there. Kurt was still attracted to him.

Everything felt so clear. So full of hope.

Blaine jumped into the air and landed on his back on the bed. He let his head roll toward the window and he stared at the falling snow for a moment, letting the contentment fill him up. He hadn't felt so satisfied – physically or emotionally – in months.

His eyes drifted to the nightstand on what had been Kurt's side of the bed, and he noticed that Kurt had left his bowtie behind.

Blaine jumped up, finished getting dressed as quickly as he could, and grabbed the bow tie before he ran out the door.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt made it to the elevator before what had just happened really hit him.

He had just had sex with Blaine. In a hotel room. His ex-boyfriend.

Alone in the elevator, he had a moment of severe uncertainty.

Did this count as casual sex? It was a foreign concept to Kurt. He had never had sex with anyone but Blaine, so it didn't feel strange, but he wondered if it _should_ feel strange.

For the first time all evening, he thought about Adam.

Was this cheating?

Part of his mind told him yes while the other argued no. Things were so casual between him and Adam (so, no). They had talked about it; they weren't _exclusive_ (so, no). But they were dating, weren't they? (So, yes.)

He decided not to think about it. He couldn't think about it. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened and the ongoing party offered a welcome distraction. He danced an entire song with Mercedes before he caught sight of Blaine waiting at a table on the edge of the dance floor. He hugged Mercedes, ignoring her comment about how _casual_ he looked, and strolled over to sit beside Blaine.

"You forgot this," Blaine teased, tossing Kurt's bowtie on the table between them.

"Thanks," Kurt reached out and grabbed it, stuffing it into his jacket pocket. But, before he could say anything else, Rachel suddenly appeared beside him.

"Ready to go?" she inquired. It was a loaded question. Kurt looked up at her and wondered why she wanted to leave _right now_.

"Uh," he protested, glancing at Blaine. "Where's Finn?" The three of them – Kurt, Rachel, and Finn – had come together.

"He's going to find a ride home with someone else," Rachel explained.

"Tina and I can drive you home," Blaine offered eagerly. "If you'd rather stay, I mean."

Kurt glanced around the room. The crowd was rapidly thinning; it was after midnight on a Thursday. He accidentally met Tina's gaze from across the room and realized that he didn't particularly want to be stuck in the same car with her tonight. She was still looking at him like he had stolen Blaine from her.

"It's okay," Kurt said to Blaine as he stood up. "Thanks, though."

Blaine stood up, too, and Kurt reached out and squeezed his hand briefly before releasing it.

"Lunch tomorrow?" he asked.

Blaine's eyes lit up. "Yes," he agreed. "You'll have to come to McKinley, though," he rolled his eyes.

Kurt grinned as Rachel put a hand on his arm to ask him to hurry up. "Okay," he agreed. "See you tomorrow."

He barely heard Blaine's soft "Bye" as Rachel dragged him out the door.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As promised, Kurt came to McKinley to have lunch with Blaine the next day, and Blaine was happy to discover that things still felt casual between them. Kurt squeezed him tightly as they hugged hello, and he was smiling and upbeat.

"Okay, before I forget, Rachel says 'hi' and also 'bye'," Kurt grinned as they stepped apart. "Since she didn't really get a chance to spend any time with you yesterday."

"She's gone already?" Blaine asked as they started the walk to the cafeteria.

"Yeah," Kurt acknowledged. "Well, probably not _quite_ yet, but her flight is this afternoon."

"You're not going back until tomorrow, right?" Blaine asked, hoping that he remembered correctly.

Kurt nodded. "There's a double feature at the Revival House tonight..." he suggested, understanding the real reason behind Blaine's question.

"Yeah?" Blaine requested more details, but he didn't really care what movies they were showing. If Kurt wanted to sit through two movies with him, he was game. He wondered if – hoped that – the double feature might just be an excuse to be alone together again.

"_All About Eve_ and _Showgirls_," Kurt clarified.

"Okay," Blaine agreed quickly.

As they approached the stairs, Blaine saw Tina approaching.

"Hey, Tina!" Blaine smiled at her as he and Kurt ended up behind her on the stairs on their way to the cafeteria.

"Before you say anything," Tina said to Kurt as they reached the bottom of the stairs and continued walking down the hallway, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I attacked you at the reception."

"Attacked you?" Blaine mouthed at Kurt behind Tina's back.

"Yeah," Kurt mouthed back with an "I'll explain later" look on his face.

"It's just... I saw you up there singing with Blaine and I saw the old, legendary chemistry," Tina explained. Blaine felt like his heart was going to burst with happiness as he glanced at Kurt and saw the thin layer of denial on his face. "I saw two soul mates rediscovering each other and I was jealous. Why couldn't that be me? Why can't I have that with someone?"

Blaine was delighted that other people had noticed that he and Kurt had been so comfortable together. There was no denying it. They were soul mates.

"You will!" Blaine reassured Tina as she stopped walking and turned to face them. "Just not with me."

"I'm sorry that I've been throwing myself at you and making a fool of myself hoping for something I know can never be," Tina told him.

"It's okay, Tina," Blaine said. "The truth is, we've all experienced unrequited love before. And we've all done things we wish we didn't. And we all just want to get back to being friends."

"And that's just what we are," Kurt interjected, motioning between himself and Blaine. "We're just friends."

Blaine bit back a smile as Kurt continued talking.

"Um, well, we're going to the double feature of _All About Eve_ and _Showgirls_ at the Revival House if you want to come with us," Kurt suggested.

"Come on," Blaine encouraged, although there was nothing he wanted _less_ than a third person with them in the dark theater.

"Wow, mystery solved," Tina whined. "Hagatha Christie. I'm gonna be a third wheel for the rest of my life."

"First of all, that's not even remotely true," Blaine countered, stepping forward to loop his arm through Tina's as Kurt did the same on her other side. "Starting right now, I'm going to help you get a boyfriend."

"And second of all," Kurt said as they walked down the hallway together, "when I called you a hag, I was bringing attention to the fact that you are honoring the noble and proud tradition of hagdom."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed as Tina laughed, "and I, for one, am psyched that my very first hag was someone as kickass as..."

"Miss Tina Cohen-Chang!" he and Kurt said simultaneously.

They had lunch together with the rest of New Directions, and Blaine let himself pretend that they had traveled back in time. That Kurt wasn't leaving to go back to New York the next morning. He wished that he had relished their time together at McKinley more. Getting to spend every day together, before school, during school, after school. It felt as if years had passed since things were so simple.

"Oh," Blaine remembered as they walked together to the doorway to the parking lot after lunch, "what was Tina talking about when she said she attacked you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes so dramatically that Blaine had to laugh. "That bad?" he smiled.

"She..." Kurt hesitated, then seemed to decide just to go for it. "That night at your house, when you were sick?"

Blaine nodded.

"She rubbed some of that VapoRub stuff on your chest while you were sleeping," Kurt said carefully.

"She... what?" Blaine snorted.

"It's not funny!" Kurt snapped. "She's insane."

"She's lonely," Blaine corrected.

Kurt shrugged. "Be careful with her, okay? I don't like that she crossed that physical boundary while you were sleeping."

"I wondered why I felt so amazing the next morning," Blaine remembered.

Kurt just shook his head.

"Well, uh..." Blaine suddenly felt nervous, like they were preparing to go on their first date, "I'll pick you up after glee rehearsal?"

"Perfect," Kurt agreed.

Kurt went to have an early dinner with his dad and Carole while Blaine and Finn attended glee rehearsal. They worked on _Anything Could Happen_ as a possible group number for Regionals; a dress rehearsal that included balloons falling from the ceiling. Blaine sang and danced and bounced around in the balloons and the time flew by. After rehearsal, he hurried home to shower and change his clothes and then turned up the radio in his car and sang at the top of his lungs all the way to Kurt's house to release some of his nervous energy.

As Blaine bounded up the walkway to the Hummel-Hudson house, he wondered if he should've brought something. Flowers? No, he decided as he rang the doorbell, that would be too much. Kurt was still trying to deny that they were anything more than friends. Friends didn't bring each other flowers.

Finn answered the door.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully.

"Hey," Blaine smiled. "Is Kurt here?"

"I'm coming!" Kurt's voice came from the kitchen. "Hold on!"

"Is this a date?" Finn narrowed his eyes at Blaine, teasing him.

"_No_," Blaine said firmly.

Finn laughed, clearly not buying it, as Kurt appeared and pushed his way past Finn and out the door to stand with Blaine.

"See ya," Finn said, and Blaine waved distractedly as Finn closed the door.

"I love those pants," Kurt commented as they walked down the path to Blaine's car.

"Thank you," Blaine grinned, giving himself a mental high five. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," Kurt said.

They chatted about their afternoons as Blaine drove them to the movie theater. Out of habit, Blaine bought both of their tickets, but Kurt didn't seem to mind. He just insisted on buying the huge tub of popcorn and the soda they were going to share, and they wandered into the theater to wait for the movie to start.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As the theater lights went out and _All About Eve_ began, Kurt was suddenly intensely aware of how close Blaine was in the chair beside him. And how dark it was. He didn't last five minutes before he felt compelled to reach out and rest his hand on Blaine's leg. Blaine jumped in surprise and turned to look at him, but Kurt made a point of ignoring his inquiry. Blaine quickly turned his attention back to the screen, but Kurt could feel him squirming under his hand. Kurt chewed on his lip and tried to focus on the screen.

Throughout the rest of the film, Kurt and Blaine barely paid any attention to the movie. Blaine eventually put his hand over Kurt's on his leg and started, in tiny tugs of movement, dragging Kurt's hand closer and closer to his body until Kurt pulled his hand out from under Blaine's and started brushing his fingers over Blaine's forearm at random intervals. They fed each other popcorn without looking at each other, which was just an excuse to brush their hands all over each other's faces, and Blaine kept swinging his foot over to knock against Kurt's leg.

When the film ended and the lights came on for the twenty minute intermission before the second film, Kurt finally turned and looked at Blaine. His face was flushed and his eyes were closed as he relaxed against the back of his seat.

"Are you okay?" Kurt whispered as almost all of the other people in the theater walked out to spend the intermission using the bathroom and getting more food.

"No," Blaine whined, and Kurt dissolved into uncontrollable giggles.

"It's not funny," Blaine pouted, and Kurt's giggling escalated into real laughter. It didn't take long before Blaine couldn't keep a straight face, either, and he opened his eyes and laughed with Kurt until they could barely breathe.

"Okay," Kurt said as they started to calm down, "come on..."

He grabbed Blaine's hand and they crept to the back of the theater, into the last row.

"Oh my god," Blaine mumbled as they sat down. He rubbed his face with both hands before turning pleading eyes on Kurt. "Can't we just –?"

"It'll be dark when the film's over," Kurt said as innocently as he could mange.

"Ugh," Blaine pouted, crossing his arms across his chest and turning to face the screen. Kurt grinned, excited to see such desire and joy in Blaine's eyes.

As the rest of the crowd trickled back into the theater, Kurt was relieved that nobody sat down in their row. The nearest other people were two rows ahead of Kurt and Blaine and a few seats closer to the center.

This time, it took less than a minute after the lights dimmed for Kurt to break his indifferent façade. When he could no longer stand the tension, he reached over with both hands and pulled Blaine's face close enough to crush their lips together. Blaine didn't make any noise – acutely aware, Kurt imagined, of the rest of the people in the theater – but he reached up and tangled one hand into Kurt's hair and scooted as close to the arm rest between them as he could so they could kiss properly.

They didn't make it to the end of the film. Kurt wasn't even sure if the movie was halfway over when Blaine grabbed a fistful of the front of Kurt's sweater and made it clear with his eyes that he wanted to do more than make out.

Kurt allowed Blaine to lead him out of the theater and into the crisp winter air of the parking lot. They clambered into the back seat of Blaine's car in a dark corner of the parking lot and had impulsive sex for the second time in as many days.

This time, they didn't talk about it afterward, but Kurt could see the unspoken words in Blaine's eyes as they struggled to get fully dressed again without getting out of the car. Blaine's eyes shone like Kurt was the most precious thing in the world.

Kurt wondered what Blaine could see in his eyes.

As Blaine drove them back to Kurt's house, Kurt tried to decide about _them_. The last two days had been amazing. He felt so _right_ with Blaine. Like they were made for each other. Like he was more himself with Blaine than he was without him.

But his mind would not stop thinking about how safe and in love he had felt before. When he thought he could trust Blaine with _everything_ and Blaine had shattered that trust.

He didn't want to feel that pain again.

When the car came to a halt in the driveway, Blaine unbuckled his seatbelt as Kurt did and then hesitated. Kurt knew he was unsure about whether or not to turn off the car and step out onto the driveway to say goodbye, or if a goodbye inside the car was enough. He reached over and grabbed Blaine's hand to keep him in the car.

As Blaine turned to look at him, Kurt suddenly felt horribly sad about leaving and had to blink a few times to keep the tears at bay.

"I love you," Blaine said fondly.

"I'm sorry," Kurt replied softly, dropping his eyes to his feet. He wiped his eyes with his free hand, embarrassed.

He felt strangely like they were breaking up again. It didn't feel good. But Kurt didn't want to be Blaine's boyfriend again. He wouldn't let himself go back to something that had previously caused him so much pain. Having Blaine as his best friend was the best of both worlds. He had Blaine in his life, and his heart was safe.

"It's okay, Kurt," Blaine said, squeezing his hand. Kurt had to look at him to see if the calm sincerity in his voice was also in his eyes. It was.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine felt completely at peace about their relationship as he looked into Kurt's sad eyes. He had hoped that Kurt would be ready to start again as a couple after everything that had happened over the past two days, but he knew that Kurt's hesitation was just another delay on their journey back to each other.

Kurt still loved him. Blaine had known that since Kurt's phone call on Thanksgiving. The question in Blaine's mind – the road block to _knowing_ that they were going to get a second chance – had been trust. Without Kurt's trust, there would never be anything more than friendship between them. But now, after two days of rediscovering each other, Blaine knew that he had Kurt's trust back. Even if Kurt didn't realize it or wouldn't allow himself to believe it. Blaine knew Kurt well enough to know that Kurt would never have allowed himself to show the kind of vulnerability it took to have sex without fully trusting Blaine.

They had love. They had trust. Now, Blaine knew, it was just a matter of waiting for Kurt to _decide_. To _decide_ to love Blaine instead of just carrying the love around inside his heart. To _decide_ to trust Blaine again instead of trusting him inadvertently. Blaine wasn't sure how long it would take. Kurt looked like he was almost there now, sitting beside Blaine in the car with tears in his eyes, but Blaine knew that Kurt wouldn't make the decision lightly. He would have to be _sure_.

Blaine was willing to wait.

"I'm going to miss you," Kurt admitted tearfully.

Despite his newfound serenity regarding the state of their relationship, Blaine felt tears stinging in his eyes as he realized he didn't know when they would see each other again. Not until summertime, after the end of the school year?

"Me too," he agreed. He leaned toward Kurt and tugged on Kurt's hand, which was all the encouragement Kurt needed to meet Blaine over the center console in a tight hug.

Blaine wanted to say a lot of things that were sentimental and packed with potential to scare Kurt away again, back into the hurt part of his soul, but he resisted and concentrated on hugging Kurt as tightly as he could. He could feel Kurt doing the same, and it gave him the little extra bit of courage he needed to compose himself.

"Safe travels," Blaine said softly into Kurt's ear. Kurt's body shuttered slightly with a laugh, and they released each other and sat back into their respective seats.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled before he opened his door and hopped out of the car.

Blaine watched him walk away, and was putting his seatbelt back on when Kurt turned around and ran back to the car. Blaine rolled down his window as Kurt hurried over to the driver's side window.

Kurt leaned into the car and pressed a gentle kiss to Blaine's lips.

"I love you, too," he said as he stepped away and started the walk back toward the house again. Blaine was too surprised to respond, so he just stared at Kurt as he walked away.

"You know," Kurt teased over his shoulder, "just in case I die on the plane home."

* * *

><p><em><strong>THIS EPISODE. I have to say, one of my top Glee fandom moments of all time is when Ryan Murphy tweeted that tweet about Kurt and Blaine making out in the car at the wedding and the whole fandom was just like "LOL, yeah". And then it actually happened. Ryan Murphy doesn't lie, friends. He just gets really sassy.<strong>_

_**Well, they screw up the timeline that they established in the last episode with this episode... I didn't write about it here because Kurt doesn't know about it, but, right at the end of this episode, Rachel flips through her calendar and realizes she might be pregnant. But she flips forward to March, suggesting that there's a jump forward in time. Which would mean that the next episode happens about a month later. BUT I'm going to ignore that because the pregnancy storyline goes NOWHERE (and because Santana says in the next episode that it's her first full week living in New York, which means it's just the week immediately following the wedding... make up your mind, Glee!). I think they literally did the pregnancy test thing at the end of this episode just to be a cliffhanger to bring people back for the next episode, which aired a few weeks after this one. It's fine! Doesn't really affect Kurt and Blaine, anyway.**_

_**Kurt and Blaine definitely, definitely went to that double feature and spent the entire time making out. Because **_**Showgirls**_**? It's rated NC-17 for nudity and sex. You don't go to a late night film like that with your sorta-ex-boyfriend to watch the movie. I'm thinking, at this point, Kurt's a little high on the whole forbidden aspect of his rendezvous with Blaine, so he's a little bolder than normal.**_

_**Did Kurt cheat on Adam with Blaine? I think, in a literal sense, he did. It's complicated, though, because we never really know WHAT Kurt and Adam are. It's hard for me to imagine that Kurt, after being SO HURT by Blaine's cheating, would so blatantly cheat on Adam if they were in a serious, monogamous relationship... so maybe their relationship isn't there, yet. Which is also kind of hard to imagine – Kurt in an open relationship – but that's where I am with it.**_

_**Up next... 4x15: Girls (and Boys) on Film!**_


	54. 4x15: Girls (and Boys) on Film

_**Alright, you ridiculously lovely people. Thank you so, so much for sticking with me through what became a little hiatus! I'm back on track now for frequent updates, so let's finish this season! :D**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday afternoon, four days after Valentine's Day, Mr. Schu walked to the white board in the choir room and wrote "movies".

"Everybody loves movies," he said as he turned to face New Directions. "They don't just tell stories; they transport us to other worlds. They are inspirational. They provide comfort and they help us escape from our day-to-day anxieties."

"Like getting left at the altar?" Kitty commented.

The group groaned its disapproval, although most of them had been thinking the same thing. "Too soon," Ryder chided.

"Exactly," Mr. Schu responded to Kitty's challenge. "Or, in your guys' case, studying for exams or worrying about Regionals. In any case, this week's assignment: I want you to pick your favorite songs from your favorite movies."

Blaine and the rest of the students were delighted with the assignment.

"Unique knows all there is to know about _The Crying Game_," Unique claimed her song.

"You don't get dibs on _Les Mis_ just because you _are_ the poster," Kitty said to Marley.

"Finally, I can do my Nicolas Cage impression!" Sam declared in the actor's voice. "'Ahhhh, not the bees! Ahhhh, the bees, ahhhh!'"

Blaine stifled a laugh as Kitty criticized, "That is the worst Nicolas Cage impression I've ever seen."

"Do you even know who Nicolas Cage is?" Artie wondered.

"Okay, it's not that simple, guys," Mr. Schu interrupted. "This is a group competition. Boys against girls _and_ we are doing mash-ups. Now, remember, movies are visual, so it's not just about the singing. It's about performance. It's about theatricality. It's about the language of cinema."

"Preach!" Artie said, rolling to the front of the room next to Mr. Schu. "And, as I move into production on my first micro-budget feature, –" Everyone expressed their surprise at once, and Artie looked pleased as continued addressing the group, "– I'm happy to offer starring roles to whichever team wins. No trailers, no per diem."

"Okay, well, everyone split up and start working on your song choices," Mr. Schu announced as the group began chattering excitedly about the assignment and the news of Artie's movie.

Blaine leaned forward as Artie rolled over to him. "You're making a movie?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Artie confirmed happily

"When did this happen?" Blaine inquired.

"Recently," Artie explained vaguely as the rest of the boys gathered around.

"Well, what's it about?" Jake pressed.

"I'm afraid details will have to wait," Artie said with authority. "Despite my desire to win this competition, I don't want either team to tailor their song choices or choreography to my film to try to gain an unfair advantage."

"No matter what it's about, we've got it covered, right?" Sam commented. "I mean, we've got, uh, at least two races and, you know, someone gay and someone in a wheelchair. We're, um, we're..."

"Diverse," Blaine supplied. "I'm part Asian," he added, grinning at Sam.

"See?" Sam motioned at Blaine.

Artie rolled his eyes. "Song ideas?" he changed the subject.

"We should do a Disney mash-up," Blaine suggested.

"Yeah, if we want to _lose_," Ryder protested as Jake asked, "Your favorite movies are _Disney movies_?"

"I'm sorry, Blaine," Artie said, sounding truly regretful, "but they have a point."

"We don't have to–" Blaine started to argue before he realized it wasn't worth it. "_Fine_," he huffed.

"_You Know My Name_ from _Casino Royale_," Ryder suggested.

"What would we mash that up with?" Jake wondered.

"The theme from one of the other James Bond films, _duh_" Ryder snapped back.

"_Men in Black_," Sam offered, not listening to Ryder and Jake.

"What movie is that from?" Joe asked.

"Really?" Artie scolded.

"Mr. Schu's judging, right?" Sam reminded them. "So, I mean, we've gotta do something, like... badass. Something he's into."

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, liking Sam's train of thought. "Something from the eighties or nineties."

"Though underappreciated as a film," Artie declared, "_Free Willy_ did give us Michael Jackson's _Will You Be There_, and –"

"There is nothing sexy about _Free Willy_," Jake argued. "We've got to pick something the girls will like, too."

"Let's get naked again," Sam suggested. "Did that _Magic Mike_ movie have any songs?"

Blaine shook his head disapprovingly, but Sam's suggestion gave him an idea. "_Old Time Rock and Roll_ from _Risky Business_," he suggested.

"_Yeah!_" Sam approved immediately, loudly enough that the girls fell silent and turned to look at him. Sam waved at them.

"It could be a tribute to some of the early work of Tom Cruise," Artie agreed as the girls turned back to their huddle and the boys did the same. "Mashed-up with _Danger Zone_ from _Top Gun_."

There was a chorus of approval from the rest of the guys, and Sam reached over and shoved Blaine's shoulder, excited.

"Alright, then," Artie decided. "Someone get the lyrics to both songs up on your phone..."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Monday was a whirlwind of activity for Kurt; a full day of classes and a long evening of catch-up work at Vogue dot com. All day he fielded questions about his trip to Ohio, and he quickly discovered that telling the story of his trip home without including his time spent with Blaine was a challenge.

It was the worst with Adam.

They met up for lunch, and Kurt's first thought when he saw Adam's smiling face was that he should've missed him more. Should have, but hadn't. Because he had been too swept up in indulging his desire for Blaine.

And then the questions began. Adam seemed genuinely interested in hearing all about Ohio and the lives of Kurt's former classmates. He inquired about Burt, Carole, and Finn, and moaned appropriately when Kurt told him about Ms. Pillsbury leaving Mr. Schu at the altar. With every innocent question, Kurt had to carefully consider his answer to avoid mentioning Blaine. And, every time he omitted something or fudged the truth just enough to avoid saying anything suspicious, the guilt inside him grew more intense.

Things were slightly easier at work. Feeling like he was going to explode if he didn't tell _someone_ that he had, at the very least, seen Blaine, Kurt told Isabelle an extremely abbreviated version of the truth when she inquired about his trip. Leaving out all the potentially scandalous details reduced the story to "I saw Blaine, and it was surprisingly comfortable", but Kurt was grateful that he could mention Blaine to his mentor without risking the implosion of their relationship.

Kurt ignored his phone all evening as he worked, so he had a few text messages waiting for him when he finally settled into his seat on the train to Bushwick and pulled out his phone. Including one from Blaine.

_It's movie-themed mash-up week!_ Blaine's message said. _We're doing Danger Zone and Old Time Rock and Roll._

Kurt swallowed thickly as Blaine's words brought to his mind memories of the mash-up weeks he had experienced in high school. Sophomore year – New Directions' first year – the mash-up competition had become a showcase for bad judgment when most of the students had taken medication to give them a boost of energy. Senior year, the mash-up competition had been a New Directions versus Troubletones showdown, rather than boys versus girls.

But junior year's mash-up week had been the most important. It had been an argument with the other boys of New Directions over what songs to sing that had pushed Kurt to drive to Dalton to spy on the Warblers.

_Excellent song choices!_ he texted Blaine back, unwilling to offer any hint that Blaine's message had stirred up a heavy dose of nostalgia.

_Wish you were here_, Blaine replied a few minutes later.

Kurt wanted to respond with _Me too!_ so badly that he immediately turned his phone off and left it off until he got back to the apartment and there were other things around to distract him. He felt so guilty about everything that had happened between him and Blaine and about lying to Adam, but, at the same time, he felt more attracted to Blaine – emotionally and physically – than he had since the day they had separated. He couldn't stop thinking about it. About Blaine.

It was like when they had first met, except now they weren't _supposed_ to have a spark. They weren't a couple. They were never going to be a couple again.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine and Brittany were discussing the week's movie assignment when they ran into Tina, Sam, Marley, and Jake at their lockers.

"Guys, Brittany and I were just talking," Blaine said as they approached.

"And we agree that, 'though we love that it's mash-up week and that it's girls versus boys..." Brittany elaborated.

"... it sucks that the guys and the girls can't do a number together," Blaine finished. "So, we were thinking – just as a warm-up – we should do the guys versus girls in the same number to kick things off!"

"And then the girls can kick the boys' butts," Brittany commented.

"Uh, or vice-versa," Blaine retorted.

"Which is my favorite Fred Savage movie," Brittany said.

"Well, it would have to be the perfect movie song," Sam said. "You know, like, uh, _Dream Warriors_ from _Nightmare on Elm Street 3_!"

"Yeah," Tina shot him down, "or a good song like _Let the River Run_ from _Working Girl_."

"Or _Wind Beneath My Wings_ from _Beaches_," Marley suggested.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Blaine said as inspiration hit him. He put his hands out to get the group's attention. "How about this... the perfect movie song. Totally iconic and everyone loves it. A little ditty from the seminal American college comedy... _Animal House_?"

The group all looked at each other and nobody disapproved, so Blaine stepped back into the hallway and began the song.

"_Well, you know you make me wanna shout!_"

They danced and sang all around the school, ignoring halfhearted scolding from teachers as they worked their way to the cafeteria where their fellow students clapped and laughed as they finished the song.

"I realize this number wasn't a competition," Artie said to Blaine and Brittany as he rolled past after the song was over, "but... you do know it's not even a mash-up, right?"

Blaine glanced and Brittany and shrugged. He put both of his hands in the air and Brittany gave him a high ten before they turned to walk to a table to sit down and eat lunch.

"We're totally going to win the mash-up competition," Sugar bragged as they ate.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Jake disagreed.

"Who won last year?" Marley asked Blaine as Jake, Sugar, and a few of the others continued bantering.

"It was complicated," Blaine explained. "Some of the girls – mostly ones who graduated last year – left New Directions to start a second show choir, so it was them against us. I don't think any of us really felt like winners when it was all over," he admitted as he remembered Santana slapping Finn across the face for outing her.

Marley nodded seriously. "What about before that?" her eyes twinkled as she nudged him with her elbow. "Gotta see if there's a precedent!"

"I don't know," Blaine realized. "I wasn't here."

"Oh yeah," Marley remembered. "You were at...?"

"Dalton," Blaine reminded her. He had told her about transferring from Dalton earlier in the year, although he had left out many of the details.

"Oh yeah!" Artie interjected. "You and Kurt met during that mash-up week, didn't you? I've never seen anyone's demeanor change as rapidly as Kurt's did after..." he trailed off as if he remembered that Blaine and Kurt were no longer a couple.

Blaine tried to pretend that it didn't bother him. "Yeah," he acknowledged, forcing a smile that he knew didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, well," Sam said, his eyes trained on Blaine, "just be glad that you weren't here for that year's mash-up competition. We were in all kinds of trouble for saying out loud that Coach Bieste isn't really that hot."

Jake snorted out a disbelieving "_what?_" and Blaine nodded a subtle "thank you" at Sam as the conversation moved away from his relationship with Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Adam rode back to Bushwick with Kurt after their last classes at NYADA and they dumped their bags off at the apartment – and said a quick hello to Santana, who was the only person there – before going out to dinner at a restaurant around the corner that had been on Kurt's "to try" list since he moved to New York. They spent a few hours eating, chatting, and working on lines that Adam needed to memorize for an upcoming audition until they realized they had lost track of time and it was much later than they had planned to stay out.

When they emerged from the restaurant, it was snowing so hard that Kurt could barely see the other side of the street.

"Well," Adam laughed, tugging his jacket up so it would cover his nose and mouth, "this is unexpected!"

"I knew it was supposed to snow," Kurt acknowledged as they walked quickly toward the apartment, "but not so soon!"

"Hopefully the trains are still running," Adam wondered.

"No, no, you can't go back tonight," Kurt disagreed. "This snow feels like the kind that's going to rapidly become a layer of ice all over everything."

"Are you inviting me to spend the night?" Adam teased, and Kurt was glad that Adam couldn't see his face.

"I'm offering you shelter from the storm," Kurt clarified.

"Alright, then," Adam agreed as they reached the building that housed Kurt's apartment and stumbled through the door into the small lobby. "I accept."

Santana and Rachel were both in the apartment when Adam and Kurt arrived, but not Brody. Santana was stretched out on the couch reading one of Kurt's magazines while Rachel worked on homework at the kitchen table.

"Adam's going to stay the night," Kurt explained as he and Adam removed their jackets and shoes and tried to shake the wet snow out of their hair. "If that's okay?"

"Of course!" Rachel said, too quickly.

"Only if I can borrow some earplugs," Santana rolled her eyes.

Kurt glared at her.

"Oh," Rachel realized that "stay the night" wasn't a synonym for anything sexual, "well, I'll put clean sheets on my bed and you can sleep in my room," she said brightly to Adam. "And I'll sleep with Kurt."

"This just gets better by the second," Santana commented. She stood up, tossed Kurt's magazine on the couch, and wandered into the kitchen to make tea.

"Be quiet, Santana," Rachel snapped.

To Kurt's relief, the rest of the evening passed without further embarrassment. They only spent about an hour watching mindless television before going to bed because it was already so late.

"Oh my god," Rachel giggled, snuggling against Kurt once they were both settled into Kurt's bed, "we should do this more often!"

"It's hard to detach you from your 'roommate'," Kurt scolded, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. It felt like a sleepover.

"Is it weird that your boyfriend is sleeping in the next room?" Rachel whispered.

Kurt considered it. "Not really?" he decided.

"Mmm," Rachel hummed her understanding. "Well, I'm glad you're happy."

As Rachel fell asleep beside him, Kurt stared at the ceiling and couldn't stop thinking about Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt woke up to the sound of Rachel and Adam cheering from the kitchen. He climbed out of bed and got dressed as quickly as he could so he could see what the commotion was all about.

"Classes are canceled!" Rachel announced as Kurt emerged from his room. "Because of the snow!"

"We're stranded!" Adam feigned distress.

Kurt glanced over at where Santana was still asleep on the couch, a mask over her eyes and earplugs in her ears, before bounding over to a window in the kitchen. It looked like it had snowed all night, and it was still snowing a little bit. Kurt grinned as he turned back to Adam and Rachel.

"We are definitely going outside at some point," he told them, feeling unusually excited about the snowfall.

Kurt, Rachel, and Adam spent a good portion of the morning discussing NYADA and performance-related things. Santana, once she finally woke up, mostly ignored them in favor of aimlessly wandering around the apartment or lying on the couch playing games on her phone.

When it was time for lunch, Adam volunteered to cook for everyone. Kurt sat down at the table and they chatted while Adam prepared their food. They were laughing and exchanging _Downton Abbey_ impressions when Santana wandered over.

"So, where are you from, Doctor Who?" she asked Adam, sounding like she had to talk about _something_ or risk dying of boredom.

"Ah... England," Adam replied. "Do you know Essex?"

"No, never heard of it," Santana said immediately before turning her attention to Kurt. "Are you guys dating? Because at Mr. Schu's bomb of a wedding, you and Blaine, like..."

"Shut _up_, Santana," Kurt said softly but firmly, panic surging through him. He quickly recovered. "Rachel and I are letting you live here rent-free. The least you could do is –"

"Where is Rachel, anyway?" Santana interrupted. "Giving that living mannequin a bikini wax?"

"Brody is working and Rachel is in the bathroom," Adam explained.

"Well, let's hope that she's embracing her inner bulimic," Santana commented, "because let me tell you, homegirl has been looking extremely pumpkin-like. And not just 'cause of the tan-in-a-can."

Kurt was opening his mouth to protest the insult when the bathroom door opened and Rachel stepped out.

"Okay!" she exclaimed. "That's it! You're going to have to move out because this is _our_ sanctuary. And by _ours_ I mean mine and Kurt's. And, frankly, you make me feel uncomfortable. And Brody says that you make him feel uncomfortable, as well."

This was not the kind of snow day Kurt wanted to have.

"Girls! Girls, retract the claws, alright?" he interjected. "NYADA canceled all the classes because of the snow, so let's just cozy up to our little movie marathon." He turned to Santana. "Santana, did you go through our DVD collection?"

"I sure did," Santana said, scooping up a small stack of DVDs off the table. "Uh... _Knocked Up_? Hilarity. _Rosemary's Baby_? That's obviously Lady Hummel's. And, uh, _She's Having a Baby_!"

"I don't want to watch any of those," Rachel pouted from her place in the bathroom doorway.

"Oh, really, Rachel?" Kurt whined, twisting around to look at her. "Not even _She's Having a Baby_? Because you always cry at the end when Elizabeth McGovern has the baby."

"I'm not in the mood, okay?" Rachel shrugged. "I'm not in the mood."

"Okay, fine!" Kurt agreed, secretly glad that nobody wanted to watch Santana's picks. "Because _I_ have made a selection that is perfect for being snowed in in New York City..." he stood up and picked up a DVD from the stack on the table. "_Moulin Rouge_, bitches! We love those dancin' hoes," he wiggled his shoulders as he held the DVD upright so the others could see it.

"Seriously," Santana said skeptically, looking from Kurt to Adam and then over to Rachel.

"_Moulin Rouge_ it is!" Kurt declared happily, grinning at Adam as he hurried over to put the DVD in the player underneath the television.

Kurt regretted his choice as soon as the movie began.

It reminded him of Blaine.

He hadn't even thought about it when chose the DVD. It was a film he loved, so he had wanted to watch it. But, suddenly, Kurt couldn't concentrate on the film through the barrage of _Blaine_ in his mind. Blaine loved this part. Blaine always laughed at that part. Blaine always sang this song.

He considered leaving the room – how long could he hide in the bathroom before the group noticed that he wasn't actually _using_ the bathroom? – when Christian started to sing _Your Song_, but he decided to stay. He tried his best to ignore the way Christian looked at Satine as he serenaded her; it reminded him of the way Blaine looked at him. And Blaine had sung _Your Song_ to Kurt for Valentine's Day a year earlier, after the party at Breadstix had started to settle down.

Valentine's Day.

Memories of Mr. Schu's failed wedding and the hotel room flooded through Kurt's mind, and he wished he hadn't done any of it. With Adam sitting beside him, the two days with Blaine felt like a horrible betrayal.

_Elephant Love Medley_ was equally as painful. Kurt had to fight the urge to squirm as Christian's every move reminded him of Blaine. So in eager and in love and willing to throw everything else in the world away for that love.

But those emotions felt inconsequential as soon as the first note of _Come What May_ began.

Kurt was supposed to sing_ Come What May_ with Blaine at their wedding.

The fantasy took control of Kurt's mind without his permission. It was a scenario Kurt had imagined many times. The two of them on a beautiful Parisian rooftop, singing together about their love overcoming all obstacles. As Satine and Christian sang together on the screen in front of him, Kurt sang the song with Blaine in his mind. _Come what may, I will love you until my dying day._

* * *

><p><em>The first time Come What May had come up as their song – their wedding song – was during their first summer together. Kurt had fantasized about marrying Blaine since the moment they met, but Blaine's "I love you" after Kurt returned from New York had made the fantasy seem inevitable. He was going to marry Blaine Anderson.<em>

_They had been cuddled together on Blaine's bed watching Moulin Rouge, and Kurt hadn't been paying attention to the movie in favor of daydreaming about all the romantic moments that were ahead for him and Blaine. So, when Come What May interrupted his thoughts in the midst of a flurry of fantasy wedding details, Kurt had let out a happy sigh and breathed: "It's perfect."_

"_What's perfect?" Blaine had asked, leaning up from his place behind Kurt to nuzzle his nose against Kurt's ear._

_Kurt had blushed furiously and silently scolded himself for not keeping his thoughts inside his head, but he had rolled over to face Blaine and confess his fantasy._

"_Let's dance to this song at our wedding," he had suggested shyly._

_Kurt had expected a good-natured eye roll or a laugh, but, instead, Blaine had nodded happily and leaned in to kiss him. And, for the next few months, Blaine's ringtone for when Kurt called was an instrumental version of the song._

_The second time Come What May had come up as their wedding song was in the weeks following Rachel and Finn's almost-wedding and Quinn's accident. To try to cheer themselves up, Kurt and Blaine had planned their wedding. The location, the colors, the outfits, the time of year, the food, the flowers, the essential guest list. And the music._

"_... and Come What May for our first dance, right?" Blaine had asked, tapping his pen on the table as he studied the list of details in front of them._

_Kurt had been delighted that Blaine remembered his idea and had immediately yanked Blaine to his feet so they could test the song with a slow dance in the middle of the Hummel-Hudson kitchen._

* * *

><p>As Kurt watched himself sing the song with Blaine in his mind, all he could think about was how much he loved Blaine. How completely they loved each other and how suddenly their love had ceased to be enough. With one severe lapse in judgment, Blaine had shattered their future, and Kurt wasn't sure if he would ever fully recover from the heartache.<p>

"Kurt, are you crying?" Adam's voice suddenly snapped Kurt back to reality.

"Um, no!" Kurt protested quickly. "No, my contacts are really bothering me right now."

"I didn't know you wear contacts," Rachel said, turning to look at him.

"Yes, Rachel, I just found out I have a slight astigmatism," Kurt lied sharply.

"Oh, I think I might have some solution in my bag..." Adam suggested, leaning away from Kurt to reach for his bag.

"No, no, I'm fine!" Kurt told him. "I'll be good. Don't– don't worry."

"I would've thought that you were crying," Santana commented, "because you and Blaine used to talk about how this was your dream – to sing this song to each other at your wedding."

"Did we?" Kurt asked, horrified. He didn't dare risk a glance at Adam.

"Yeah," Santana confirmed. "I remember you telling me that singing this song to someone was a more intimate act than sex."

"Who wants popcorn?" Kurt tried desperately to change the subject. He started to stand up. "Anyone...?"

"No, wait... hold on, I'm sorry, can we pause this for a second?" Santana said. She extended a hand in Kurt's direction to keep him from getting up as she stood up and grabbed the remote to pause the film. "Kurt, please sit down. I have something to say. And I've tried to keep it to myself, but I will be silent no longer."

For a moment, as he settled back into his seat between Adam and Rachel, Kurt's chest seized in fear that she was about to press the issue of him and Blaine. In front of Adam. What should he do? There was nothing he could do.

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"That Brody character is a freakin' psycho," Santana said bluntly.

Kurt was equal parts hugely relieved and surprisingly intrigued with the sudden change of subject. If Santana was shifting topics so drastically, whatever she wanted to say about Brody must be worth hearing.

"Go on," Kurt pressed.

"Here we go..." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Listen, when I first met him?" Santana explained, "Totally thought he was weird. He smelt all talcum-y like a Cabbage Patch doll. And then he said that I wasn't a real New Yorker until I had my first makeover and I was like 'what does that _even mean_? Like, who _are _you?'."

Kurt narrowed his eyes a little, relieved that someone else found Brody to be a little off.

"Oh, come on," Adam protested. "Brody's a sweetheart."

Kurt could kind of see that, too. Brody was an enigma.

"That's what I told myself, you know?" Santana replied. "I said 'so what if he's completely hairless and made out of plastic?' I'm going to look past the fact that he probably has a disgusting porn star landing strip –"

Kurt cringed at the mental image. He was still trying to forget the sight of Brody's naked body.

"– I'm gonna give Lars and the Real Boy one more chance," Santana continued. "But then, I found this."

She reached into her pocket and produced a large amount of cash.

"$1,200 in cash," she explained.

Kurt glanced at Rachel and then back at Santana, a sudden sliver of worry shoving its way into his mind. Was Brody into something illegal?

"When did you find that?" Rachel demanded.

"Last night when I was rooting through all the pockets and drawers in this apartment," Santana said, tossing the money onto the chair beside her.

"Wait, _what_?" Rachel gasped.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kurt protested, thinking about the boyfriend pillow he had hidden under his bed and the photo frame with Blaine's picture in it that was hidden in one of his dresser drawers.

"Santana, you went through all of our stuff?" Rachel accused.

"Yeah, that's a thing I do," Santana shrugged.

"That's completely unacceptable!" Kurt disapproved.

"Oh, okay," Santana retorted. "I like how you guys pretend to be all accepting about everything, but when your friend suddenly shows up in your home, moves in, and goes through all your stuff, you're offended?"

"Just because he has a little money on him doesn't mean that he's a psycho," Adam said to Santana as Kurt and Rachel looked at each other and tried to figure out how to react to Santana's invasion of their privacy.

"That's what I thought, right?" Santana allowed. "Who cares if he's terrified of banks? 'Cause if _I_ were made out of plastic, I'd be scared of a lot of things, too. Open flames, barbeques. But then, I found _this_."

She held up a little black rectangular device.

"What is that?" Kurt wondered.

"Is it a garage door opener?" Rachel guessed.

"This is a pager, my friends," Santana explained. "And there's only one type of person in this world that carries cash and a pager. Your friend Brody is a drug dealer."

Kurt wished that he didn't feel immediately suspicious. He glanced at Rachel as Santana tossed the pager onto the chair beside the bundle of cash.

"He... no!" Rachel said, pushing herself off the back of the couch to perch on the edge of her seat. "He is _not_ a drug dealer!"

"Be in denial all you want," Santana said casually. "But mark my words: he's bad news."

"The cash and the pager are unusual," Adam allowed, "but –"

"You've been at that song and dance factory with him for three years," Santana interrupted, "and you mean to tell me that not _once_ has anyone ever hinted that there's something suspicious going on with Plastic Man?"

Adam was silent for just too long. Rachel jumped to her feet to keep him from saying anything.

"Enough!" she threw her arms out in frustration. "You went snooping around – through our _private stuff_ – searching for some scandal to gossip about, so _of course_ you found one! Brody's things are Brody's business, not yours!"

"Technically it's your business, too," Santana said, unfazed, "since you two are playing house."

"Okay!" Kurt interjected, hoping to avoid a shouting match. "That's enough. Let's just... calm."

"Alright," Santana agreed, turning her attention to Kurt, "I'm happy to talk about you and Blaine, instead. Oh, _please_, don't look so scandalized. We all know –"

The power went out, taking with it both the electricity and, to Kurt's relief, Santana's train of thought.

The electricity stayed off all evening, which meant that Kurt was glad for Rachel's warm presence beside him when they finally went to bed. It wasn't dangerously cold, but it was slightly colder than normal and Kurt wasn't sure how cold it would be by morning.

Fortunately, the power came back on a little after two o'clock in the morning, and the last thing Kurt was conscious of before falling asleep was the satisfying sound of the heater humming back to life.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That evening, Blaine lay in bed and worried about Kurt for two reasons. First, because Kurt and Rachel's electricity had gone out earlier in the evening (a fact which Blaine knew only because Rachel had posted about it on every social media site she used). And, second, because Kurt had been mostly ignoring him since he had returned to New York.

Blaine wasn't sure what to make of Kurt's sudden lack of communication. He wanted to assume that Kurt was just trying to work things out in his mind – dealing with a resurgence of affection for Blaine – but he worried that maybe Kurt had gotten back to New York and had started to regret everything that had happened in Ohio.

What Blaine wanted to do – what he would've done if he and Kurt had been dating – was to call Kurt and ask about it. Confess that Kurt's silence made him nervous. But, above all else, Blaine didn't want to scare Kurt away again, so he resisted. He was going to have to wait until Kurt decided to share his feelings.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning, Kurt, Adam, and Rachel gradually wore Santana down with a steady barrage of pleading until she agreed to venture out into the snow with them.

"If this ends badly, I'm selling all of your valuables to pay for my medical bills," Santana quipped as they stepped out the door of their building onto the snowy sidewalk. It had stopped snowing a few hours earlier, but the sky was still overcast.

"Come _on_, Santana," Rachel rolled her eyes and grabbed Santana's hand to pull her down the sidewalk toward a nearby park. "We're out here to have _fun_!"

It was a successful outing. They built a huge snowman in the park, joined a snowball fight with another group of people their age who were also out enjoying the snow, and took photos of everything with their phones. By the time they made it back to the apartment, Kurt could barely feel his fingers or toes, even though he was bundled up in all his winter gear.

"Admit it," Adam teased Santana as they peeled off their layers just inside the apartment door, "that was fun."

"Okay," Santana confessed, smiling widely, "it was fun."

They each showered and drank hot chocolate to warm up, and they relaxed around the apartment until the sun started to go down. Rachel volunteered to make dinner and started chopping vegetables in the kitchen as Kurt watched the snow fall and Adam lounged on the couch. Santana was pacing again.

"Oh my god, it's getting worse out there!" Kurt said as he surveyed the weather outside the window. "We've been snowed in for 48 hours."

He turned away from the window to return to the table where he was in the middle of a game of solitaire.

"Let's finish watching _Moulin Rouge_ before we lose power again," he suggested as he walked. "Or start eating each other."

He didn't want to finish watching the film after what had happened the day before, but he knew that avoiding it would be suspicious since it had been his choice to watch it in the first place.

"Oh, no, please spare us," Santana protested, walking over to stand by his chair. "If I see one more scene of Satine coughing up blood into a handkerchief, _I'm_ gonna start coughing up blood into a handkerchief."

"Come on, Santana, it's so good!" Rachel said from her place at the stove. "And we're right in the middle of it."

"Let's put it to a vote!" Adam suggested from the couch where he was reading a magazine.

"Yup," Rachel agreed.

"Oh, yeah, house vote!" Kurt approved. "I say 'yay'!"

"Yay!" Adam sang.

"Yay!" Rachel added. "_Moulin Rouge_ it is!"

"What about Brody's vote?" Santana said mockingly. "Or do drug dealers not get to vote?"

"Okay, he's _not_ a drug dealer," Rachel stressed, turning away from the stove to make sure Santana understood. "Please, okay, it's snowing outside. He's probably just stranded somewhere."

Kurt bit back a comment about Brody being gone all the time; it wasn't unusual for him to sleep elsewhere two or three nights in a week.

"Do you want me to call him?" Rachel asked. "Okay, I'll prove it to you."

She dialed Brody's number and put her phone on speaker so everyone could hear Brody's voice.

"Hey, Rach!" Brody answered.

"Hey, babe, where are you?" Rachel inquired.

"Ah, the bridges are closed," Brody explained. "I'm stuck at my friend's house in Manhattan. You remember Leo, right?"

Santana mimed doing drugs off the table as Rachel and Brody talked, and Kurt tried unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"Well, I miss you!" Rachel said to Brody as she turned back to the stove, away from Santana and Kurt. "We're in the middle of watching _Moulin Rouge_, so... we're getting to the part where Ewan McGregor cries."

"Hey, listen," Brody said distractedly, "I've gotta go. But I will be back as soon as I can."

"Okay," Rachel agreed before ending the call.

"There you go," she said, turning to wave the phone at Santana and Kurt, "okay?"

She looked anxious as she turned her back to them again.

"I'm with you," Kurt whispered, glancing up at Santana. "Drug dealer."

To avoid awkward silence, Kurt insisted that they finish watching _Moulin Rouge_ as they ate dinner. This time it was Rachel who cried – at the end, when Satine dies – and Kurt found that separating the film from thoughts of Blaine was easier now that he knew what to expect. When the film ended, they cleaned up and played card games at the kitchen table until it was time for bed.

The snow stopped overnight and the trains started up again late the next morning, and Kurt hated that he felt a tinge of relief as he hugged Adam goodbye. When the door closed behind Adam and Kurt turned around to walk to the kitchen for some hot chocolate, he made a point to ignore the knowing look Santana was giving him from across the room.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When the day of the mash up competition arrived, Sam and Brittany did rock, paper, scissors to decide which team would go first. Brittany won the contest and the girls decided they wanted to go second, so the boys got dressed in their costumes and performed their _Danger Zone_/_Old Time Rock and Roll_ mash up for the girls, Mr. Schu, and Finn.

It was a hit.

"Wow, okay, that was _awesome_!" Finn complimented as the cheering died down. "Where'd you come up with the inspiration for that?"

"Well," Artie explained, "it's our tribute to the early, macho cinema of one Mr. Tom Cruise."

"You can't handle the truth!" Joe quoted dramatically.

"That's actually Tom Nicolson, not Tom Cruise," Jake whispered.

"Girls!" Mr. Schu announced. "You're up!"

They did the _Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend_/_Material Girl_ mash up from _Moulin Rouge_.

Blaine had a blast watching them perform, but the reference to one of his and Kurt's favorite movies meant that, by the time he got home later that afternoon, all he could think about was how much he missed Kurt.

_Come What May_ was supposed to be their wedding song.

Despite his newfound certainty that Kurt loved him and would, eventually, want to give their relationship a second chance, the memory of the wedding they had planned together made Blaine's heart ache with loneliness. He did his homework and boxed for a short time on the punching bag in the garage before showering and climbing into bed for a restless night of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Classes finally resumed on Friday morning, and Kurt was glad to get out of Bushwick. Even his classes seemed more interesting than normal after a few days trapped in the apartment. During a two hour break between classes, Kurt grabbed a quick lunch before making his way to the dance studio to practice pirouetting. Thankfully, he had ended up in a dance class where the instructor was more encouraging than Cassandra July, but he still wanted to be _better_. Dancing had never come as naturally to him as it did to others. To Blaine.

"What's shakin', bacon?" Adam's voice greeted him from the doorway, startling Kurt out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hey!" Kurt smiled, glancing over his shoulder. "Just practicing my basic pirouettes. Every aspiring actor needs to know how to do 'em. _Newsies_ is lousy with them," Kurt added as Adam walked into the room.

"Thanks for giving me shelter from the storm," Adam changed the subject. "I was a little sad we, uh, weren't snowed in a little longer."

Kurt panicked.

"Ah, I know," he said. "I always get a little sad when the sun comes out and the snow starts to melt and all the snowmen look like they have scoliosis."

Adam smiled and Kurt knew he couldn't dodge meaningful conversation forever. He tried to slow his mind down enough to speak calmly. "But it was nice to hang out with you and watch a few movies," he added.

"Well, _a_ movie," Adam teased.

"A movie," Kurt repeated nervously, and an awkward silence fell between them.

What could he say? He had chosen the film. And then, instead of enjoying it and enjoying cuddling on the couch with his boyfriend and his best friend, he had cried about Blaine in front of everyone.

"Look, Kurt, about that," Adam shifted on his feet, and Kurt braced himself for even more embarrassment. "I... I'm going to ask you something. And I want you to be honest."

Kurt didn't agree, but he didn't disagree, either. He just waited for Adam to continue.

"You and Blaine did used to sing that duet together, didn't you?" Adam asked.

Kurt _hated_ that, so many months after their break up, the thought of Blaine could still make him want to burst into tears. He fought them back as he looked into Adam's eyes and knew that he owed him the truth.

"Yeah," Kurt admitted. "But it feels like a lifetime ago."

He barely remembered what it felt like to be Blaine's boyfriend. He missed it terribly. The warm feeling of being so _loved_.

"Maybe that's what's hard about it," Kurt added.

Their breakup had been so sudden. Neither one of them had _wanted_ to break up, but Blaine's actions had forced Kurt to honor his principles and sever what had otherwise been a loving relationship. And now, months later, Kurt was starting to realize that what he had once had with Blaine might truly be gone forever. It was starting to feel like part of his past, something that he had been part of once and would never be part of again, and Kurt was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life with his first love.

Adam studied Kurt's face for a moment before responding.

"You still love him, don't you?" Adam asked, and Kurt felt a horrible stab of guilt. Why was this so complicated?

When Kurt didn't answer immediately, Adam guessed the answer to his question and asked another. "Was I your rebound?"

"No," Kurt replied immediately. "No."

But he wasn't sure. Blaine had been his first boyfriend. Kurt didn't know anything about rebound relationships. He didn't _mean_ for Adam to be a rebound.

"Because I can't compete with a fantasy, Kurt," Adam pressed.

Kurt tried to think of words to say that would explain how he felt. How was he ever going to reconcile his love for Blaine with the hurt that Blaine had caused? He _wasn't_ going back to a cheater, but it was so hard to let go.

"I desperately want to be over him," Kurt finally managed. "Really, I do."

It was probably the most honest thing he had ever said to Adam. He _wanted_ to be over Blaine. He wanted to move on and away from the pain. He was mentally exhausted from trying so hard to push his love for Blaine away with the knowledge that Blaine had hurt him so profoundly. He just wanted it to be _over_ so he could move on with his life.

He watched Adam consider his words and wished that all of this wasn't hurting Adam, too.

Adam smiled slightly, and Kurt wondered if they were about to break up. Adam would let him down gently.

"Good," Adam said. "Then let's go to the movies. Right now."

Kurt couldn't comprehend fast enough to say anything, so he just gaped at Adam.

"Oh, I am serious," Adam playfully answered Kurt's unspoken question. "We are going to go and find the sappiest love story that we can," he stepped forward and reached out to take Kurt's hand in his, "and then _that_ will be our movie."

Kurt glanced down at their intertwined hands and back up at Adam's smiling face, and, for the first time, he internalized the idea that he could be happy with Adam. Actually happy. It was difficult for Kurt to imagine "the one" now that the person he had _thought_ was "the one" had hurt him so severely, but Adam was someone Kurt could have a future with.

The sudden rush of affection startled Kurt, and he realized he was just staring at Adam.

"I... I'm sorry."

Kurt shook his head. That wasn't what he meant to say.

"Sorry?" Adam's face fell, and Kurt rushed to explain himself.

"No, no. I mean... I'm just sorry that I'm so emotional about something that happened so long ago. It's not fair to you. I'd love to see a sappy movie with you right now."

"It's okay, Kurt," Adam said kindly, and Kurt squeezed Adam's hand to thank him. "Now," Adam said with a grin, "let's go make some fresh memories."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, smiling despite the dull ache in his chest. It was strange to feel both hopeful and sad at the same time.

He had to stop waiting for his feelings for Blaine to go away. He needed to move forward and take himself to a place where letting go of Blaine wouldn't feel so horrible.

He needed to be as committed to Adam as he had expected Blaine to be to him.

They had a great afternoon. There weren't any sappy love stories showing at the movie theater near campus, so they ditched the movie idea and had a nice lunch together, instead. Kurt kept himself engaged in Adam and the afternoon flew by.

"So," Adam asked as they walked to the train station, their intertwined hands swinging between them, "how was that?"

"Really nice," Kurt admitted, glancing at Adam. "I will always remember this day," he teased.

"Excellent," Adam commented as they reached the point where they had to separate so Kurt could catch a train to Bushwick. He leaned down and pecked a kiss on Kurt's lips. "See you this weekend?" he grinned.

"Sure," Kurt returned the smile. "I've got work tomorrow, but maybe dinner after?"

"It's a date," Adam agreed.

The train ride home was strange for Kurt; usually, he rode the train home when it was nearly dark outside, but he was skipping his final class of the day so the sun was still hours from setting.

It was a lot of time alone with his thoughts.

He had a good time with Adam. Adam was everything he wanted in a boyfriend. But he didn't make Kurt feel the way he had felt when he first started dating Blaine, and Kurt wasn't sure why.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Friday afternoon, New Directions gathered in the choir room to hear who had won the mash up competition.

"Girls rule, as usual," Tina said confidently as they waited.

"We should win for these sweet glasses alone," Sam commented, still wearing the sunglasses the guys had worn during their mash up performance. He put his hand up and Ryder high fived him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Schu grabbed the group's attention as he walked into the room, "the time has come for the announcement of this year's mash-off winner!"

"Who, of course," Artie reminded them, "will be starring in my senior film project: _Hollywood Hootenanny_. A tribute to dance on film."

The group stared at Mr. Schu, waiting to find out who won the competition.

"And the winner is... everyone!" Mr. Schu announced happily.

"_What?_" Tina cried.

"Why do you _always_ do this?" Blaine whined.

Everyone was upset. Ryder threw a chair and then asked why they had even made it a competition in the first place.

"Calm down, y'all!" Artie shouted, "Calm down! After exhaustive storyboarding and pre-production, I realized that I needed a lot of talented bodies to make this film great. So, choosing one winner was just simply impossible!"

"That is exactly right," Mr. Schu agreed. "Uh, Finn, can I talk to you in the hallway for a sec?"

"Yeah, everybody's gonna be in it!" Artie reassured the group as Finn and Mr. Schu left the room.

"Who's gonna be the lead?" Tina asked.

"There is no lead," Artie explained. "It's just– it's an ensemble."

"We're a great leading pair," Blaine said, motioning between himself and Tina.

"We're a good team," Tina approved.

"You guys are awesome together," Artie agreed as he tried to field all the questions being thrown at him. "But look, look... okay, just listen for a second!"

Everyone fell silent.

"All the details will be decided in the coming weeks," Artie explained. "But right now, you guys are seriously stifling my... everything."

"We're _excited_," Sugar explained.

"Yes, and I welcome that enthusiasm," Artie said, softening his tone of voice. "Which is why I think we should come up with a contender for Regionals that heavily features our dance moves."

The group buzzed with approval as Artie added, "It'll be good practice."

By the time Mr. Schu and Finn returned to the choir room, the students had decided on the perfect song.

"We're gonna do _Footloose_!" Artie announced as Mr. Schu and Finn walked toward them. "It'll be –"

Blaine kicked Artie's wheelchair to cut him off.

"We're going to head to the auditorium to start working on choreography," he said firmly. Mr. Schu and Finn had clearly been arguing in the hallway, and Blaine didn't want whatever was going on between them affecting the morale of the group.

"Uh... yeah," Artie agreed after a quick glance over his shoulder at Blaine. "We're gonna go, yeah, choreography."

Finn went with them, but Mr. Schu didn't. Blaine hung back to walk with Finn behind the rest of the group and decided he had to say something. But, before he could ask, Finn supplied the answer to Blaine's first question.

"It's just a thing between Mr. Schu and me," Finn said as they walked together. He glanced at Blaine, his expression sad but confident. "It's not going to affect our work."

"Okay," Blaine agreed, deciding to let it go even though he wanted to push for more details. Finn was tense, like he felt unwelcome, and Blaine wondered if Mr. Schu felt threatened by Finn's presence as a second instructor for New Directions.

Blaine paused in the doorway to the auditorium, forcing Finn to stop walking. He put his fist out.

"I'm glad you're here," Blaine said, hoping to alleviate any doubt in Finn's mind. Blaine wished they spent more time together, and he made a mental note to set up a day of video games or something else that would be fun with Finn and Sam sometime in the near future.

Finn's face softened slightly as he reached out and bumped his fist against Blaine's.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Rachel was the only person home when Kurt walked through the door that afternoon after his introspective train ride home. She was lying on the couch watching _The Wizard of Oz_.

"Hey," she twisted her head to say hello as Kurt hummed his approval at the film.

"Remember when we broke into Gershwin Theatre?" Kurt grinned despite all the conflicting emotions bouncing around in his mind.

"Oh god," Rachel giggled, muting the television and sitting up so she could watch Kurt walk into his room and drop his bag on his bed before walking back out into the living area. "That was so _fun_!"

"Oh, to be young and innocent again!" Kurt said overly-dramatically, dropping onto the couch beside Rachel. "All of this," he motioned around them, "seemed like such a fantasy."

Rachel leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder and they stared at the muted television screen.

"Where're Brody and Santana?" Kurt wondered.

"Brody's still at NYADA and who knows where Santana is," Rachel explained. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Kurt allowed. "You?"

"Pretty boring," she admitted. "Better now, though. It's been so long since we've just relaxed like this!"

"Yeah," Kurt teased, "it's hard to cuddle with your best friend when she's usually _cuddling_ with someone else behind a curtain."

"Shut up!" Rachel whined, sitting up and nudging his shoulder with hers. "Maybe you should cuddle with _your_ boyfriend more and it wouldn't be an issue!"

"Well, I –" Kurt started to say "_Well, I would if he wasn't hundreds of miles away!_" but caught himself and fell silent.

"You okay?" Rachel asked as she watched him as he tried to justify thinking of _Blaine_ as his boyfriend rather than Adam.

"Not really," he admitted as tears blurred his vision.

Rachel grabbed one of his hands and waited.

"I slept with Blaine on Valentine's Day," Kurt confessed.

"I know," Rachel said gently.

"You _know_?" Kurt retorted.

"I assumed," Rachel corrected. "You two looked... comfortable. Together."

"We're _not_ together," Kurt snapped.

"Okay," Rachel agreed, backtracking. "Well, what about you and Adam? I mean, have you...?"

"No, _Rachel_," Kurt rolled his eyes. "We _haven't_. Because I'm not interested in jumping in bed with a guy I've only known a few months."

"You're upset," Rachel forgave him for the jab at her relationship with Brody. "Of course you are. Blaine was your first love, and –"

"I feel like I'm cheating on him," Kurt blurted.

It was a realization as much as a confession and it stunned Kurt into silence.

He felt like he was cheating on Blaine with Adam. Like somehow, despite their separation, he was still supposed to be holding onto hope for him and Blaine as a couple.

Rachel broke the silence. "You're not–"

"I _know_!" Kurt moaned quietly, letting his head fall onto the back of the couch. "But how am I supposed to _really_ move on and give Adam a fair chance when I'm so _stuck_?"

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. She pulled her hand out of Kurt's so she could gather him into a hug as Kurt let his tears fall.

Rachel held him as he cried for a few minutes and, gradually, Kurt started to feel angry. Horribly, uncontrollably angry.

"I'm going to call him," he said suddenly, pulling out of Rachel's embrace to stand up.

"I don't –" Rachel stood up after him.

"I don't need your permission, Rachel!" Kurt snapped.

He could see that she had been crying with him – her eyes were red and puffy – and he immediately regretted his words.

"I'm _sorry_," he said before taking a deep breath and saying it again. "I'm sorry."

Rachel nodded. She glanced at Kurt's phone as he pulled it out of his pocket. "I'll just... text me if you need anything," she turned and walked away, grabbing her jacket before she disappeared out the door.

The phone was ringing in Kurt's ear by the time the door clicked closed behind her.

"Hello?"

Blaine's voice was surprised and happy, and something about the casual attitude fueled Kurt's rage.

"We're done," he said, trying find a tone of voice that was serious and angry without being out of control and hateful.

"Uh– what?" Blaine asked, his voice immediately hesitant. Kurt could hear the hum of voices in the background, and he glanced at the clock and realized that he had probably interrupted the end of glee rehearsal. As the background noise faded away, Kurt knew that Blaine was probably trying to find a quiet place to talk. Maybe an empty classroom.

"I know you're waiting," Kurt explained. "I know you're waiting for me to... come to my senses, or _something_, and come back to you. But I _won't_."

Kurt thought he heard Blaine say "okay", but it was so quiet that he wasn't sure if he had imagined it. And he couldn't stop the worlds that were tumbling out of his mouth long enough to let Blaine say anything, anyway.

"We had something _special_," Kurt raged, his voice rising in pitch and volume as he got more and more worked up. "I loved you more than I've _ever_ allowed myself to love anyone and I _trusted you_ to love me back –"

Blaine tried to interrupt, but Kurt ignored him and kept going.

"– and now I'm never going to be able to love or trust anyone the same way again!" Kurt shouted.

"You stole that from me," Kurt accused furiously. He felt insane. Like he wasn't completely in control of his body.

"I'm so, so _sorry_, Kurt," Blaine said, his voice trembling with emotion.

Kurt wanted continue screaming. Wanted to say all the angry words that were bouncing around in his head. But a sudden, overwhelming exhaustion settled over him and he sank onto the couch and let himself fall over so he was lying on his side. The abrupt lack of energy, coupled with the tiny part of his brain that was scolding him for screaming at Blaine in the first place, brought him back to himself enough to finish the conversation with a little less hysteria.

"I don't want to talk anymore," he said softly.

"Can I say something?" Blaine asked carefully.

"That's not what I mean," Kurt replied, frustrated that Blaine had misunderstood.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and it was the most uncomfortable silence Kurt had ever experienced. He fought desperately against the tightening in his chest as he thought about his future without Blaine.

"I don't want that."

The pain in Blaine's voice was so intense that Kurt considered hanging up so he wouldn't have to keep listening. As his fury was slipping away, he was starting to doubt his plan, but his brain told him to go through with it. If he didn't cut Blaine out of his life, he wasn't sure he could really continue living.

"I don't want that," Blaine repeated, his voice tinged with anxiety, and Kurt wasn't sure how much time had passed since the first time he said it. "Kurt?"

"Yeah," Kurt acknowledged that he was still there. He felt as if he had cried out all the tears in his body. He was just lying there on the couch staring at nothing with the phone pressed against his ear.

"Please don't say goodbye," Blaine asked softly.

Kurt's tears returned so fast he could barely remember that he had ever stopped crying.

"I don't want to talk anymore," he repeated his words from earlier in the conversation. "I'm sorry."

Blaine hesitated, and Kurt despised the pain that hung between them. He could tell that Blaine didn't know what to say. What was appropriate in a moment like this?

"I love you so much, Kurt," Blaine said softly and earnestly, and Kurt felt as if he had suddenly swallowed a rock. Blaine sounded as exhausted and overwhelmed as Kurt felt.

"I love you, too," Kurt managed to choke out, and he ended the call before he could change his mind.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Kurt?"

Blaine pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it as he realized that Kurt had hung up. He put the phone down on the desk in front of him – he had slipped into an empty classroom down the hall from the choir room – and rubbed the base of his neck, reminding himself to breathe.

Kurt's outburst wasn't completely unexpected. After what had happened between them on Valentine's Day, Kurt had been distant and Blaine had imagined that Kurt was stuck in his thoughts. But Blaine had not anticipated anything as severe as Kurt's sudden decision to sever all ties between them.

He could hear New Directions singing down the hallway, working on vocals for _Footloose_, and he silently told himself to get up and go back to rehearsal. He was captain of New Directions. President of the student body. He had responsibilities. He couldn't fall apart at school.

But Kurt had just ended their friendship and Blaine felt like the heartbreak was going to crack his chest open. He wasn't going to do any more singing or dancing today. In a daze, Blaine stood up, grabbed his phone, and walked slowly back down the hallway to the choir room. His car keys were in his bag, so he had to retrieve it. He couldn't just run away like he wanted to.

He was so caught up in thinking about Kurt that he didn't consider how distraught he looked, so he was startled when his reappearance in the choir room caused a mini uproar among the other students.

"Oh my god, Blaine! Are you okay?" Marley gasped as he walked through the door. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, but Blaine ignored them and rushed across the room to grab his bag off the floor beside his chair. He knew he would have to explain his behavior later, but he couldn't say anything now. He needed to _cry_ and he didn't want to do that in front of everyone.

When Blaine turned toward the door with his bag over his shoulder, Finn was standing in his path.

"I'll walk you out," Finn said, and Blaine was too emotionally drained to argue. He followed Finn out of the room, grateful when nobody tried to stop him. He was intensely aware of Sam watching him as he walked by, and he made sure to avoid his friend's gaze. He would talk to Sam later.

Finn walked with him, silent, all the way to Blaine's car. But, as Blaine reached for the door handle, Finn put a hand on his arm.

Blaine knew what was going to happen when he looked up and met Finn's eyes, but he couldn't stop himself. He glanced up at Finn and started to cry.

"Okay," Finn said, wrapping Blaine in a hug. "Okay." Blaine wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Blaine or himself.

Blaine cried until he ran out of energy and his tears faded enough that he pulled out of the hug and attempted an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, man, don't be sorry," Finn said immediately. "Are you –?"

"Kurt doesn't... want to talk to me anymore," Blaine explained slowly.

"Oh," Finn said, and Blaine knew that Finn understood how that felt.

Blaine took a few deep breaths and met Finn's gaze again.

"I'm okay," he lied.

"I don't think so," Finn disagreed. "Maybe you should let me drive you home or something."

Blaine shook his head. "I can drive, I promise. If I can't, I'll pull over."

Finn considered it, and Blaine hoped that he wouldn't press the issue. All Blaine wanted was to get home.

"Will you be at school tomorrow?" Finn asked.

"Yes," Blaine said immediately.

"Okay," Finn said reluctantly.

"Thanks, Finn," Blaine said. "You're–" he felt tears returning to his eyes, so he shortened the sentiment "– a great friend."

"Look who's talking," Finn said, punching Blaine's shoulder gently. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. See you tomorrow."

Blaine nodded and pulled the car door open so he could climb into the driver's seat. Finn waved at him as he started the car and began the drive home, and then it was just Blaine and the silence of his car. But he didn't dare turn on the radio, because he didn't want to have another meltdown until he was safe in his bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After his phone call with Blaine, Kurt's mission for the evening became _stay_ _busy_. He did everything he could think of to keep his mind off of Blaine. He was trying to pour all of his concentration into memorizing lines for a short play he and a few of his fellow students had been assigned for one of his classes when his phone vibrated. Instantly, all of his careful concentration crumbled and he snatched the phone off the table to see who was texting him.

From Finn: _Rough day?_

_None of your business_, Kurt replied quickly.

Blaine must've told him. Of _course_ Blaine told him. Kurt had called during the middle of glee rehearsal. _Everyone_ probably knew.

_I know_, Finn agreed. _Just wanted to make sure you're okay._

Kurt took a deep breath and reminded himself that Finn wasn't out to get him. Finn was just worried about him. And Blaine. His step-brother and his friend.

_I'll be fine_, Kurt replied.

_Let me know if you want to talk or need anything, okay? Gotta look out for my baby bro,_ Finn said. Kurt rolled his eyes, imagining the grin on Finn's face as he typed "baby bro".

_Thanks_, Kurt sent back. _Say hi to Dad and Carole for me._

_I will_, Finn agreed. _Goodnight._

_Goodnight_, Kurt echoed.

He put his phone down on the table and glanced at his homework. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate anymore tonight. He gathered everything up and put it back into his bag before stuffing his phone in his pocket and wandering to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

The unwritten suggestion in Finn's texts wouldn't leave Kurt's mind as he washed his face and rubbed moisturizer into his skin. Finn never checked in to make sure Kurt was okay, but he had this time. Because _Blaine_ probably wasn't okay. Kurt wished that he didn't feel badly about causing Blaine pain. He had every right to cut Blaine out of his life. They hadn't been boyfriends for months. And it was Blaine's fault in the first place, Kurt tried to reassure himself.

As he wandered out of the bathroom, Kurt remembered that Rachel had hurried away to leave him alone so he could call Blaine.

_It's okay to come back_, he texted her, suddenly craving her company.

A few minutes later, as Kurt was lying on the couch watching reality television and starting to wonder if he should call someone about his missing roommates, Rachel replied.

_I found Santana. We're in Manhattan to meet Brody for a night out. Don't wait up._

Kurt frowned, wondering how Rachel had convinced Santana to go out with her and Brody.

_Please be safe,_ he sent back.

_I will!_ Rachel responded. _Are you okay?_

_Yes_, Kurt told her.

_Good_, Rachel said. _Love you!_

_Love you too_, Kurt replied before tossing his phone on the coffee table and turning his attention back to the mind-numbing television.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Neither of Blaine's parents was at home when he arrived, much to his relief. He went immediately upstairs to his bedroom, closed the door, and fell onto his bed to sob out his heartache. After such an amazing few days with Kurt, he had allowed himself to _really_ hope that things were going to work out between them, so the blow of Kurt's sudden desire to stop speaking was especially painful. And the guilt of what he had done months earlier started to fill Blaine up again, like it had in the weeks following their breakup. He had caused this, and Kurt's decision was just a reminder that he was going to have to live with the emotional scars of his infidelity for the rest of his life.

When he finally calmed down enough to stop crying, he fell asleep for a short period of time. He was startled awake by the sound of the door slamming closed downstairs, and he heard his mother's voice.

"Blaine?" she called up the stairs.

"Hi, Mom!" he shouted back, glad when his voice came out sounding strong and normal.

That seemed to satisfy her, because she didn't say anything else. Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking for a distraction.

There was a stream of text messages from Sam asking Blaine to call him. Blaine frowned, worried, and quickly dialed Sam's number.

"Hello?" Sam answered.

"Hey, it's me," Blaine said. "You okay?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"You wanted me to call...?" Blaine reminded him.

"You seriously think I wanted you to call because _I'm_ not okay?" Sam scolded.

"Oh," Blaine realized. He didn't know what else to say.

"Kurt was upset, huh?" Sam guessed.

"He doesn't want us to talk anymore," Blaine explained. After his short nap, he felt surprisingly calm.

Sam hummed sympathetically. "Sorry."

"I'll be okay," Blaine tried to reassure them both.

"Let's have dinner or something," Sam suggested.

"What?" Blaine laughed. "Sam –"

"Why not?" Sam interrupted. "Give me one reason – one _good_ reason – why we can't hang out right now."

Blaine couldn't think of anything.

"I'm coming over," Sam declared.

"Sam!" Blaine halfheartedly protested, but Sam had ended the call.

He was knocking on the front door ten minutes later.

"You were already on your way over," Blaine rolled his eyes as he opened the door.

"Yup," Sam nodded as he stepped into the house. "If you had said no I was going to use that grappling hook we made to break into Dalton to climb up to your window and force my way in. So, this is easier." He smiled.

Blaine couldn't help but smile, too.

"Finn explained what happened when he came back to the choir room," Sam added, "so..."

Blaine thought he should probably be upset that Finn had told everyone about his conversation with Kurt and that Sam had just invited himself over, but he was too happy to see Sam to feel anything but relief as Sam wrapped him in a quick hug.

They stopped to say hello to Blaine's parents – his father had come home without Blaine noticing – before they went up to Blaine's room and spent the next three hours playing video games. By the time Blaine's mom came by to say goodnight and Blaine and Sam realized it was late, Blaine felt relaxed and happy. He loved being around Sam. It reminded him that Kurt wasn't the only quality person in his life. He had friends. Dear friends.

"Well," Sam said as he stood up, "I guess that's my cue to leave."

"No!" Blaine protested. "Sam, it's late. You can sleep here."

"Nah," Sam disagreed. "It's not _that_ late and I'm usually the one to make breakfast for my little brother and sister. I'll text you when I get home so you know I made it."

"Okay," Blaine agreed.

They walked together to the front door and Blaine pulled Sam into a hug.

"Thank you," he said as he squeezed Sam and wished he could say more about how much it meant to him that Sam had come to check on him. "I think I needed this."

"Yeah, pretty much," Sam teased as they stepped back out of the hug. "See ya tomorrow?"

Blaine nodded and held the door open for Sam. He watched until Sam's car disappeared from view before closing the door and returning to his bedroom.

He felt better.

Kurt's decision that they should stop communicating still hurt. The guilt about sleeping with Eli and what that action had done to his relationship with Kurt was still there. But the confidence that Blaine had rediscovered when Kurt had trusted him enough to dance with him and sleep with him on Valentine's Day had made a strong comeback over the course of the evening.

As he climbed into bed, Blaine decided that he would honor Kurt's request. No communication, for now. He would continue to be patient and let Kurt work things out. They were meant to be together and, somehow, things would work out between them. Kurt just needed more time.

He had just drifted off to sleep when his phone buzzed on his nightstand and woke him up again. It was a text message from Sam. _Home safe! Hope the bro time cheered you up._

Blaine shifted the phone in his hand to type a response, but another message from Sam buzzed in.

_We should come up with secret names for our phone communications. Like I'll be Red Leader and you can be Gold Leader. That way nobody will know who we're talking to if they steal our phones. _

Blaine laughed. _You always cheer me up_, he replied. _Goodnight, Red Leader._

_Ten four, Gold Leader_, Sam texted back, and Blaine returned his phone to his bedside table and rolled over to fall back asleep.

He was going to be okay.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt finally made it to bed late that evening, he found it predictably difficult to fall asleep. He tossed and turned, trying to make his brain stop thinking so he could get some rest. Instead, trying _not_ to think seemed to have the opposite effect and Kurt found himself trying to make sense of everything.

Regardless of _why_, he had broken the strict moral code he had set for himself by having sex with Blaine on Valentine's Day. He had gone to Ohio and had an emotional and physical affair with Blaine and had returned to New York and lied to Adam about it.

It bothered him that he felt like he understood Blaine a little bit better after what had happened on Valentine's Day. Now Kurt knew what it felt like to crave something so severely that it impaired his judgment. In the same way that Blaine had allowed himself to be lured into a sexual encounter with a stranger because he felt desperately lonely, Kurt had allowed himself to sleep with Blaine because he felt so warm and safe and loved in Blaine's presence.

It wasn't the same. Not exactly. But just knowing that he had so willingly allowed himself to stray from his moral code was eating away at Kurt's soul. And it made him angry that Blaine still had such emotional power in his life.

At the same time, the situation was nudging Kurt to feel more empathy for Blaine than he had in the past. Blaine had cheated, but he was still the sweet, eager person Kurt loved so much. He had done a bad thing in a moment of emotional distress, but Kurt was starting to realize that, maybe, that one moment shouldn't define Blaine's entire life.

Kurt kept his eyes closed and hoped that he would fall asleep despite his whirling thoughts, but he just felt restless. After a few minutes of trying to pretend he was going to fall asleep, he had to get out of bed and _do_ something. He opted to pull on as many layers of clothing as he could find so he could climb out the window onto the fire escape. The crisp nighttime air felt great on his face, and Kurt liked that there was ambient noise outside. He sat down on the stairs and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.

He was still in love with Blaine.

He had never stopped loving Blaine. He had known it all along. He had known it the night Blaine confessed his infidelity and brought their relationship crashing to the ground. He had known it every time Blaine called or emailed or send Kurt something in the mail in the weeks following their separation. He had known it when he saw Blaine in _Grease_ and when he had talked to Blaine on Thanksgiving and when he had seen Blaine at Christmas. And he had certainly known it when he had seen Blaine – _been with Blaine_ – on Valentine's Day.

But Kurt couldn't decide if love was enough. Blaine _cheated_. Kurt had considered the issue of trust over and over and over again since they had broken up. Every time he thought of Blaine. Every time he saw Blaine. Could he ever _really_ trust Blaine again?

It felt like an unanswerable question.

So, he was stalling. Trying not to commit to anything or anyone until some magical moment when he would _know_.

Kurt stared out at the city – the place that was now his home – and let himself remember the wedding he and Blaine had planned together. He could still see it all so clearly. It still felt so _right_.

But Blaine had _cheated_.

Kurt felt as if his mind was thinking in circles, so he changed tactics.

He thought about Adam. Adam was wonderful. Mature, kind, funny, thoughtful, and talented. Kurt genuinely enjoyed their time together; it felt like an adult relationship. It was new, yes, but Kurt knew that he and Adam had potential as a couple.

But Kurt couldn't imagine their wedding. He could envision what he would wear and what Adam would wear. He could come up with the perfect color scheme. He could think of a venue that would work perfectly. But he couldn't _see_ the moment. He couldn't smell the food or hear the music. He couldn't see Adam's face at the end of a long aisle.

Was it because their relationship was so new that they just weren't in that place yet? Or was it his mind's way of telling him that Adam wasn't the one?

He wanted to believe that he wasn't sure, but he knew the answer.

He liked Adam. There was very little he _didn't_ like about Adam. But he didn't love him. No matter how much he _wanted_ to fall in love with Adam, his heart wasn't letting him.

Adam was a friend. Not a boyfriend.

They broke up on Saturday evening.

It went about as well as Kurt expected. Adam was disappointed, and a little upset that he had been Kurt's rebound – purposefully or not – but they talked through it and, by the end, decided to remain friends. Kurt knew that "friends" was probably code for "friendly acquaintances", but he was just grateful that their breakup was as amicable as a breakup could be.

On Sunday morning, Kurt told Rachel, Santana, and Brody as they all sat at the table eating breakfast.

"Well, that's a surprise," Santana said monotonously, barely glancing at him.

Rachel was more empathetic. "I'm sorry, Kurt," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "I think... it was more of a fizzling out than a sharp break, so..." he shrugged.

It surprised him how _not_ upset he was about breaking up with Adam. He felt sad when he thought about it, and a little embarrassed, but nothing that was going to affect his daily life. Nothing like the gut-wrenching pain of separating from Blaine.

"I think," Kurt added as Rachel and Brody looked at him and he could tell Santana was listening even though she was focused on her food, "it's time to try being happily single for a while."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I still can't believe they actually did <strong>_**Come What May**_**. My dream! And it was **_**Kurt's**_** fantasy, hallelujah. This is the first indication we've gotten in quite a while of how Kurt is feeling. I think the most telling part of this episode is that, despite his love for Blaine, Kurt is still harboring enough pain that he won't consider giving their relationship a second chance. So, this felt like the right time for Kurt to have a bit of a meltdown. He's dealing with the moral ambiguity of what happened with Blaine on Valentine's Day (less than a week prior) and with his lack of strong feelings for Adam. Plus, he's been in New York for about six months at this point and that's generally when reality starts to set in and you ask yourself what the hell you were thinking leaving home, even if you're enjoying your new life. Add to all of those emotions what I assume is a strenuous load at NYADA and work at Vogue dot com and it's a lot to deal with!**_

_**Kurt and Blaine don't talk (on the show) for five episodes after this one and, in the meantime, are both involved in specific individual storylines, so I think it makes sense that maybe they're not really talking for a while. Or it CAN make sense, so that's where I'm going with it. ;) It's strange that the writers essentially dropped the Klaine storyline after this episode; Kurt fantasizes about singing **_**Come What May**_** with Blaine and then... nothing? Nothing at all until Kurt returns to Ohio for Burt's appointment in the penultimate episode of the season. Who knows what they were thinking, but I think it's interesting to consider the idea that maybe Kurt decides to just be **_**Kurt**_** for a while. Single in New York because he **_**decides**_** to be single in New York.**_

_**Which brings us to Adam. I could talk a lot about wasted potential here, but I think all that's important about Adam at this point is that Kurt just can't bring himself to open up to him. Adam's a sweet guy. On paper, he's everything Kurt wants in a boyfriend. But he's not Blaine. So, in terms of our overall narrative, he never had a chance. The writers leave us with a Kurt/Adam moment that's vague in terms of where they stand, but I think the rest of the season makes it clear that this was the end of Kurt and Adam's relationship. This is Adam's last episode (as of the end of season 4). Let's imagine that Adam goes off and finds himself a lovely man to spend his life with and lives happily ever after! :)**_

_**Okay, now that I've droned on and on... one request? PLEASE no spoilers for season 5 in the comments/reviews! Some people are avoiding spoilers, so I like for this to be a safe zone in that respect. Thank you! :)**_

_**Up next... 4x16: Feud!**_


	55. 4x16: Feud

_**I don't think there's anything I need to say here at the beginning of this episode... let's get right to it! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

At the start of the week, Blaine gathered Artie and Tina – the only two members left in New Directions who had been there from the beginning – and forced a choir room meeting with Finn and Mr. Schu during lunch to discuss the growing hostility between the two instructors.

"Mr. Schu, Finn, thank you for agreeing to this sit-down," Artie began the intervention. "We've all noticed the tension between you ever since Finn admitted he kissed Ms. Pillsbury."

Mr. Schu looked like he didn't appreciate the reminder and Finn looked like he was ready to jump out of his chair and run away.

"No surprise," Tina said as Blaine stood up and walked to the whiteboard, "Finn has been acting like he's losing his mind."

Blaine wrote FEUDS! on the whiteboard. "You're feuding," he explained as he turned back to face the group, "and it needs to stop."

What had started as silent tension between Finn and Mr. Schu had grown into a problem that was affecting the morale of everyone in New Directions. Mr. Schu was constantly putting Finn down in front of the group, and Blaine knew it was making everyone nervous about their own actions. If they went against Mr. Schu somehow, were they suddenly going to become the target of the same kind of belittling? Plus, it was upsetting to watch Mr. Schu berate their friend. It had grown into a severe enough situation that Blaine, as captain of New Directions, had decided that _something_ had to be done.

"Seriously, it's like the Hatfields and the McCoys in here," Artie agreed as Mr. Schu and Finn silently resisted.

"So," Blaine explained as he returned to his seat, " 'epic musical feuds' is our theme. And, for the first time in glee club history, _we_ are giving _you_ – our fearless leaders – an assignment."

"You two will explore and resolve your differences by performing a song together," Artie informed them. "Inspired by a classic musical rivalry."

"Guys –" Mr. Schu tried to protest.

"Regionals are coming up, Mr. Schu," Tina scolded. "And, if we're going to have any chance of winning, we need both of you."

"On the same page and on the same team," Blaine added.

Mr. Schu and Finn turned to look at each other.

"Okay," Finn agreed as he turned back to Blaine, Tina, and Artie.

"Fine," Mr. Schu agreed sourly.

"Excellent," Blaine nodded decisively.

At glee rehearsal that afternoon, Blaine, Artie, and Tina explained the situation to New Directions.

"While this week's theme stems from a specific feud," Blaine told the group, "it applies to all of us, as well. We have to be a cohesive unit if we want to win Regionals."

"So," Tina elaborated, "the lesson this week is to resolve our differences through song."

"By the end of the week: feud-free!" Artie confirmed.

"I know everyone has a lot going on," Blaine acknowledged, "but we need to clear our minds so we can focus all our energy on winning Regionals."

"And Nationals!" Sam added, eliciting a round of cheers from the rest of the students.

"And Nationals," Blaine reiterated, turning his gaze on Mr. Schu and Finn. "Together."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Monday evening, Kurt hummed a happy tune as he climbed the stairs to the apartment after a long, but productive day and was surprised to find Rachel home alone when he walked in the door.

"Hey," he said pleasantly as he closed the door behind him. She was stretched out on her back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, "where're Brody and Santana?"

"Hey," she replied dully, "Not sure."

"You... okay?" Kurt asked, dropping his bag beside the couch and leaning over to look at her face.

She looked up at him and shrugged.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Kurt assessed, and he sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," Rachel said, turning her head to look at him. "Thanks, though."

Kurt stood up and went to his room to change into pajamas and, when he came back out into the living area, Rachel was still lying on the couch. Still staring at the ceiling. Kurt grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked back over to her. She was seriously crushing his mood.

He was opening his mouth to press her to tell him what was bothering her when she shifted slightly, put one hand on her stomach, and rubbed it absentmindedly.

It was like a bomb went off in Kurt's mind. Suddenly, so many seemingly insignificant moments from the past few weeks crashed into place.

"You tell me what's going on right now, Rachel Berry," Kurt demanded as he stopped in front of the couch and stared down at Rachel's sad face. When she didn't respond immediately, Kurt knew he was right.

"You're pregnant," he guessed.

Rachel started to cry and Kurt had no idea what to do.

"Here, here... no... I..." he grabbed Rachel's shoulders and gently sat her up so he could climb onto the couch beside her.

"I'm not," Rachel sobbed, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm not. I'm not."

"You're... _not_?" Kurt wished he could see her face, but he settled for wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her close against his side.

"I thought I was," Rachel hiccupped, "but I'm not."

"Oh," Kurt breathed. "_Oh_. Thank god. Rachel. What... how long have you known about this?"

"Two weeks," she said miserably.

"Two _weeks_?!" Kurt said, suddenly full of indignation. He let go of her and wiggled his shoulder so she would sit up.

"I'm sorry!" Rachel cried as she sat up and looked at Kurt. "I just... I panicked. I wanted to wait until I knew for sure!"

"So you went to a doctor to get a pregnancy test all by yourself?" Kurt tried to understand. "Why would you –?"

"Santana went with me," Rachel said timidly.

"_Santana?_" Kurt snapped. "You told..."

Somewhere inside of him, a little voice of reason was shouting that this wasn't about _him_. _He_ hadn't just spent two weeks thinking he might be pregnant. He had to calm down.

"Okay," he said, grabbing both of Rachel's hands in both of his. "Okay. I'm sorry. _I'm_ freaking out. I'm glad– wait, are _you_ glad? You seem sad."

"I am _so_ glad," Rachel laughed a shaky laugh. "It just got me thinking about... things."

Kurt reached out and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Well," he said as they sat back and looked at each other, "if I know one thing about Rachel Berry, it's that she can make it through anything. With help, anyway," he teased, batting his eyelashes.

Rachel put her arm out and pretended to slap the side of his head, but she was smiling.

"How're you?" she asked, wiping the residual tears off her face. "Now that, you know..."

Kurt understood. Now that he and Adam had broken up and he and Blaine were no longer speaking.

"It's only been a few days," he reminded them both, "but so far... I'm handling it."

"Good," Rachel nodded approvingly. "I know sometimes we –"

Her phone rang, cutting her off, and the custom ringtone announced that it was Brody on the other end of the call. Kurt left her to talk to her boyfriend and shut himself in the bathroom to brush his teeth and work through his nightly moisturizing ritual. When he re-emerged into the apartment, Rachel had disappeared into her room and drawn the curtain closed. Santana was back, sprawled out on the couch with her clothes and shoes still on, and all the lights were off except the lamp in Kurt's bedroom.

Kurt understood the silent message. Brody wasn't coming back to the apartment tonight.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Tuesday, Blaine was surprised when he was called out of class in the middle of his math class by a Cheerio with a note that said "Sue Sylvester requests your presence". His surprise magnified when he arrived at Sue's office and realized that Tina was there, too.

"Please," Sue motioned at two chairs in front of her desk as Blaine and Tina walked into her office, "sit."

They sat down, and Sue wasted no time getting to the point.

"Young Burt Reynolds," Sue addressed Blaine, "may I gently remind you that, on Wednesday, December 5th, you joined the Cheerios, but you have been conspicuously absent from practice since Thursday, December 6th."

"We've told you," Blaine reminded her, "we only joined for a day when we thought glee club was disbanding."

Sue picked up a stack of papers from her desk and briefly held them up. "And yet you signed this legally binding contract that clearly states, on page 43, paragraph 7C-9: 'Blaine Devon Anderson will provide said Cheerios duty at any and all pep rallies, assemblies, town meetings, state fairs, concerts, television programs, motion pictures, video games, Republican National Conventions –"

"I never signed that," Blaine interrupted.

"Well that's funny," Sue said calmly as she leaned over and showed Blaine the bottom of the last page of the document, "because your signature says you did."

"That's a forgery," Blaine said as he looked at his name scrawled across the signature line.

"And you can't prove that," Sue challenged.

"I probably could," Blaine disagreed. The signature on Sue's document included his middle name. He never included his middle name in his signature.

"Cheerios' Regionals is fast approaching," Sue explained, ignoring Blaine's disagreement as she settled back into her chair and took off her reading glasses, "and I need a shiny, sexually non-threatening gay to hoist up some of the most gorgeous girls in America over his head, have a bird's eye view of their baby oven, and not even be remotely interested."

She lifted her drink off the table and used it to motion at Blaine. "And that would be you."

"Thank you...?" Blaine said, feeling like there was a compliment somewhere in the short speech. "But I'm just too busy with glee club and student council."

"If you need me back, I guess I could do it," Tina spoke up.

"Why are you even here?" Sue asked.

"You called me out of class," Tina reminded her.

"You're dismissed," Sue said. "Go find a new boyfriend. Maybe Lance Bass is available. Or RuPaul."

Tina rolled her eyes and stormed out of the room.

"Suit up, soldier!" Sue said to Blaine as he stood up to leave, too.

"I'll help you put it on," Becky suddenly appeared beside him holding a Cheerios' uniform box.

"No, thank you, Becky," Blaine declined. He turned to Sue. "I'm not re-joining the Cheerios."

"Oh, you most certainly are," Sue clarified, her voice grave. "Or something very unfortunate will most likely be happening to you extremely soon."

"Are you threatening me?" Blaine challenged.

"Uh, _yeah_," Becky said, shoving the uniform box into his stomach so he had to take it from her. "Get moving, _biotch_!"

Blaine decided not to argue. He would go put the uniform back in its place in the locker room and return to class. He wasn't interested in re-joining the Cheerios.

Becky spanked him as he walked past on his way out the door and Blaine jumped in surprise. After a quick, disbelieving shake of his head, he hurried out of the room and wandered down the hallway to the locker room. The cabinet that housed extra Cheerios uniforms was locked, so Blaine stuffed his uniform box into his gym locker and rushed back to class.

After school and glee rehearsal, he went home, had dinner with his family, and did his homework before settling into his desk chair to mess around on his computer for a while before bed.

To his surprise, there was a flood of new emails in his inbox. He frowned, confused, as he scanned through the subject lines. _Congratulations on your new credit card! Thank you for opening an account with us!_

Blaine rolled his eyes and highlighted all the similar emails, preparing to delete them, but one of the subject lines caught his eye and he paused. _Important details about your new home loan._

It was from his bank; he had the bank's email address flagged so it would show up as important in his inbox, and this new loan email was marked as such. Blaine clicked through to read the email, wondering if it was a newsletter of some kind.

It wasn't. Someone had taken out a huge loan in his name.

A rush of adrenaline charged through Blaine as he clicked back to his inbox and took another look at what he had assumed were spam emails about credit cards. They were all real, too. Someone had opened thirty credit cards using his identity.

Blaine had no idea what to do, so he ran down the stairs. "Mom?" he found his mother first, reading a magazine on the couch in the living room, "I need your help."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt's phone rang while Santana was in the shower and Brody and Rachel were busy cooking – flirting – in the kitchen, and Kurt was glad for the distraction until he saw that it was Burt calling. Kurt's heart felt as if it was making a valiant attempt to lurch out of his chest as he imagined all the reasons why his father might be calling him late on a Tuesday evening.

"Hello?" Kurt answered quickly as he jumped off the couch and motioned to Rachel that he was going to sit on the fire escape to talk on the phone.

"Hey, Kurt," Burt said.

"Is everything okay?" Kurt asked immediately.

"Chill, kiddo, everything's fine," Burt reassured him as Kurt climbed out the window onto the fire escape. "Can't I just want to hear my son's voice?"

"I'm glad to hear your voice too, Dad," Kurt relaxed a little. "How're you feeling?"

"Wiped out," Burt explained, "but okay."

"When's your next appointment?" Kurt asked.

"Uh, maybe next week?" Burt wondered. "Carole's got it written down. And Blaine always reminds me, too, at least if he's taking me."

"Oh," Kurt said.

"Oh?" Burt echoed suspiciously.

"Not everything has some secret meaning, Dad," Kurt scolded.

"Okay," Burt agreed. "So, enough about your old man. How's city livin'?"

"Busy," Kurt summarized.

"How's Adam?" Burt asked. "You two, uh, doing fine?"

Kurt cringed and hesitated.

"Kurt?" his father pressed.

"We broke up," Kurt admitted. "It just... wasn't..." he didn't know how to explain the situation without admitting much more than he wanted to admit to his father, so he just trailed off and hoped Burt wouldn't press the issue.

"I'm sorry," Burt said, not sounding particularly distressed. "You okay?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed.

"How're things with you and Blaine?" Burt asked.

"What is this, twenty questions?" Kurt wondered, more sharply than he intended. He knew that Burt liked Blaine and thought that Kurt and Blaine were, eventually, going to work things out. He didn't want to hear it. "There is nothing between me and Blaine. We're no longer speaking."

"When did that happen?" Burt inquired.

"Recently," Kurt explained tersely. "Pretending that we can still be friends wasn't fair to either of us."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Burt asked gently.

_No_, Kurt thought.

"Yes," he said firmly.

"Alright," Burt agreed. "Is it okay if he still takes me to my appointments sometimes? It's a big help to me and Carole, but if you feel strongly –"

"No, it's fine," Kurt told him, even though he wasn't sure it _was_ fine. He didn't like the twinge of jealousy he felt whenever he thought about Blaine getting to take care of his father.

A short moment of silence was broken when Burt cleared his throat.

"Hey," Burt said, "I'm proud of you."

Kurt had no idea what his father was talking about, so he waited.

"You've shown great compassion throughout this whole situation with Blaine," Burt explained. "You've stood your ground without crushing his spirit, and that's not an easy thing."

"Thanks," Kurt said softly. He understood what Burt meant – he could have just ignored Blaine forever and labeled him a cheater and a horrible person instead of trying to salvage their friendship – but Burt's words hit Kurt as a reminder of how much he missed Blaine. Even though he didn't _want_ to miss him. So far, Kurt's plan of being utterly unattached was just making him feel lonely.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said.

"Love you, too, Dad," Kurt replied. "Thanks for calling."

"Talk to you soon," Burt said, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice. "Goodnight."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As he climbed out of his car at McKinley the next morning and began the walk across the parking lot to the school, Blaine was lost in thought about all the things he was going to say to Sue, and then Principal Figgins, about Sue's complete lack of professionalism and morals. To Blaine's great relief, he and his parents had been able to work everything out – calling banks and credit card companies for nearly four hours – so all of the fraudulent accounts Sue had opened were taken care of without any permanent damage to Blaine's or his parents' finances. Blaine had been so thankful that he had thrown his arms around his father and hugged him goodnight before they all went to bed at nearly two o'clock in the morning.

As Blaine passed two girls who parked near him and offered them a distracted smile, their eyes went wide and they grasped excitedly at each other's arms as they dissolved into giggles. Blaine didn't know what to make of their strange reaction, so he kept walking and quickly realized that _everyone_ was noticing him as he walked by. Most people's attention was nonverbal, but a group of football players gathered around someone's SUV decided to add commentary.

"Hey girl, want some?" one of them commented as another thrust his hips suggestively.

Blaine glanced around to make sure they weren't talking to someone else, but he was the only person in the vicinity. He quickened his pace, suddenly feeling vulnerable in the open space, and slowed down only when he reached a small crowd of students that was blocking his path to the door to the school. Blaine started to push his way through the crowd when he realized they were all looking up to the sky. He paused near the back of the small crowd and turned his gaze in the same direction.

There was a plane flying above the school dragging a banner that said "Blaine is on the bottom".

"Come _on_!" Blaine scoffed in disbelief. He spun around, ignoring the giggles of his classmates, and quickly finished his walk to the building. Sam was waiting for him just inside the door.

"Woah, man, who'd you piss off?" Sam asked, motioning upward even though they were inside.

"It's Sue," Blaine fumed, walking quickly to his locker with Sam hurrying behind him. "She's _insane_."

"Well, that's nothing new," Sam commented.

"What _is it_ with _teachers_ at this school?" Blaine wondered bitterly as he spun the dial on his locker, trying to remember his combination through his frustration. "Mr. Schu is being horrible to Finn and Sue is just... outrageously out of line."

Blaine flung open his locker and shoved a few books in, trying not to look at the photos of Kurt on the inside of his locker door and failing miserably.

"I miss Kurt," he pouted.

Sam's answering silence was unexpected, and Blaine glanced at him and realized that Sam was trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny," Blaine whined. "_Sam_."

"It's kind of a funny prank," Sam snorted. "I mean, it's horrible, but... okay, just horrible," he backtracked quickly.

Blaine closed his locker and leaned his back against it.

"We have to _do_ something," he said, locking eyes with Sam.

"We could replace her protein powder with laxatives?" Sam suggested.

Blaine shook his head. "No," he disagreed, "it needs to be something more permanent. She cannot be allowed to continue terrorizing us like this."

In the ensuing moment of thoughtful silence, Blaine realized what he needed to do.

"Maybe I _should_ re-join the Cheerios," he suggested.

"What?!" Sam shouted.

"God, _Sam_! _Shh_!" Blaine scolded as all the other students in the vicinity glanced in their direction. He motioned for Sam to lean in closer. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but... keep your enemies close, right?"

Sam straightened up to his full height. "A double agent," he said solemnly.

"Yes," Blaine confirmed.

"Perfect," Sam breathed, a huge smile suddenly stretching across his face. "Dude, you're a genius."

"Thanks," Blaine returned the smile.

"Oh, oh!" Sam realized, jolting his arms excitedly. "This is totally a feud between you!"

Blaine nodded his approval as Sam elaborated. "All you need to do is challenge her to a sing-off, and then you let her win and she thinks she succeeded in blackmailing you back to the Cheerios! And you're in! _Yeah!_"

He raised a hand and Blaine high-fived him.

"Go get her," Sam announced, throwing an arm out in the direction of Sue's office.

As Blaine walked down the hallway, trying to get into the right mindset to storm into Sue's office and make a scene, he glanced up and saw Becky walking down the hallway toward him.

"Sorry I yelled, gay Blaine," Becky said as she approached. "Here."

"Oh, Cover Boy hair gel," Blaine realized as Becky shoved a jar with a bow on it into his hands and marched away. "This is really expensive... thanks, Becky."

He pulled the bow off of the jar as he walked, happy that _someone_ was sorry for acting so insane, and pulled the lid off so he could examine the gel inside.

It looked strange.

As soon as Blaine lifted the jar to his nose to smell the contents, he knew that someone had mixed a large amount of glue in with the gel. He took a deep breath, channeled the real anger he felt about the attempted attack on his hair, and stormed down the hallway to Sue's office.

"You!" he shouted, pounding on the wall between Sue's office and the hallway as he approached. He paused at the window that separated the office from the hallway and held up the jar Becky had given him, "I know you're behind this! It's cement!" Blaine raged as he rushed through the door into Sue's office where the coach was polishing one of her large trophies.

"And someone took out thirty credit cards and a house loan in my name!" he added, pretending that the attempts to sabotage his finances had been successful. "My identity has been stolen; my parents' credit is _ruined_!"

"Only for seven years," Sue said calmly.

"But that sign," Blaine fumed. "_That sign!_ That's completely _inexcusable_! And it's not true! Not really!"

He stepped forward so he was standing in front of Sue's desk. "This is officially a feud between you and me!" he challenged. "And there's only one way to solve it."

"A sing-off featuring the music of two feuding superstars?" Sue suggested.

Her correct guess startled Blaine into silence.

"Oh, I read all about it on who-gives-a-crap dot biz," Sue told him. "Fine. Nicki Minaj versus Mariah Carey. I will sing Nicki, due to my Trinidad roots. And, if you win the challenge, I'll tear up your Cheerios contract."

"Fine," Blaine agreed sharply. "Perfect."

"But that will never, ever happen," Sue threatened, leaning over the desk until her face was only inches from Blaine's. "Because you are looking into the face of –"

"– evil," Blaine finished.

"I was going to say 'high school cheerleading national champion'," Sue countered, "but thank you."

Blaine stared her down for another second to make sure she knew he wasn't intimidated and then turned and walked out of the office.

"It was a rush," Blaine laughed as he told Sam the story of his faux meltdown over lunch.

"This is too cool," Sam shook his head as if he couldn't believe their luck. "What song are you gonna sing?"

"_I Still Believe_," Blaine told him.

"Yeah, good choice," Sam approved. "It has, like, meaning to your life so everyone'll dig it."

Blaine was taken aback. He hadn't thought about the lyrics of the song; he just knew he liked to sing it. But it was the perfect representation of how he felt about Kurt.

"Huh," Blaine finally managed, acknowledging Sam's observation.

"You know," Sam said, "you're really going to have to suck to lose this thing. And everyone knows you're like the best performer in New Directions, so...?"

Blaine shook his head. "Sue's desperate," he surmised. "She's going to do something outrageous. I'm just going to sing an okay version of the song and let her overpower me."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That afternoon in glee club, Ryder and Unique sang an Elton John/Madonna mash-up to address a feud they were having over Ryder's refusal to acknowledge Unique's gender.

"Wow, guys!" Mr. Schu approved as the rest of the group applauded at the end of the song. "That was incredible! What inspired that mash-up?"

"I mean, the theme was 'feuds'," Ryder reminded him, "so we just –"

"So, Unique demanded mediation," Unique interrupted.

"And I suggested an Elton John/Madonna mash-up," Artie explained.

"Well," Blaine said, walking to the center of the room to stand by Unique, "the awesome thing about feuds is that, once all the anger is gotten out, you can shake on it and let bygones be bygones, right?"

"Unique would happily shake Ryder's hand," Unique agreed as Ryder got up from the drum set and extended his hand. "But first, say I'm a girl."

Ryder withdrew his hand. "Look," he said, "I'm just so confused, okay? Yesterday you were dressed as a boy. Today you're a girl. What bathroom do you use? I mean, make up your mind."

"It doesn't matter what you see," Unique retorted. "You don't get to decide for me."

She turned and walked out of the room.

"You are a douchebag, dude," Jake commented to Ryder. "I mean, in this room, we can be whatever we want to be."

"Alright, hey," Blaine protested, silencing any further name-calling. "Look," he turned his attention to Ryder, "this was a good first step. Thank you."

"Don't patronize me," Ryder rolled his eyes and walked back to his seat, leaving Blaine alone at the front of the room. Mr. Schu was noticeably silent.

"Alright," Blaine addressed the group, "that's all for today. Tomorrow, rehearsal's in the auditorium."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"In the nineties," Mr. Schu told the group the next afternoon as he and Finn prepared to perform their feud week mash-up, "the media pitted two of America's hottest music groups against one another in an epic clash for pop culture supremacy."

"And, just so y'all know," Artie added, "we will be joining this performance because we," he motioned to Blaine and the other guys on stage with Mr. Schu and Finn, "are basically Switzerland and we support all parties that are involved! Thank you!"

"Whatever," Kitty called from the audience. "Begin, please!"

As Blaine sang and danced behind Mr. Schu – he and Jake had been chosen to join Mr. Schu on the NSYNC side of the _Bye Bye Bye_/_I Want It That Way_ mash-up because they were the best student dancers – he was pleased to feel the tension between Mr. Schu and Finn lessening as the song drew to a close.

"Well," Sam said as the girls' cheers died away, "the love on the stage is obvious. You two bros need to just hug it out."

"I'm in," Finn agreed, taking a few steps in Mr. Schu's direction. "What do you say, Mr. Schu?"

Mr. Schu sighed unhappily. "I want to, Finn," he said, "I really do, I just... I can't."

Blaine watched as Finn's face fell and then settled into resolve.

"Fine," Finn acknowledged. "Cool. There's nothing I can do or say to win back your trust. I get it."

He paused, and Blaine started discreetly disconnecting himself from the ropes they had used for a puppet effect during the mash-up so he could intervene.

"For whatever it's worth," Finn said to Mr. Schu, "thanks. For everything."

He turned and walked off the stage.

"Thanks, guys," Mr. Schu said to the boys on the stage before turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

"Well, that was a success," Kitty commented.

"Shut _up_," Tina snapped.

Blaine dismissed the rehearsal and rushed out of the auditorium through the same door Finn had used, but Finn wasn't around. Blaine couldn't find him anywhere and, when Blaine finally decided to give up and go home, he noticed that Finn's car was gone. So, he settled for sending Finn a text.

_Sorry today didn't work out_, he said.

When Blaine got out of the shower later that evening, Finn's reply was waiting for him.

_You tried, dude. Thanks. I think I just need a little break from high school._

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt and Rachel had just finished cleaning up after dinner when Rachel's phone rang. It was Brody.

"Hey, babe," Rachel answered cheerfully as Kurt wandered to the living room and sprawled out on his back on the couch to attempt to read a book he had to finish by the start of the following week. "How's –?" She stopped abruptly and Kurt could hear Brody talking, but not well enough to understand what he was saying.

Whatever he had to say made Rachel severely unhappy.

"Right," she said eventually. "Right, okay. We - Kurt and I will handle this. See you tonight. Okay, bye."

Kurt pretended to hide behind his book as Rachel hung up the phone, hoping to elicit a better mood from his friend, but she ignored his efforts.

"Santana just made a scene at NYADA," she explained as she wandered over and threw herself into a chair.

"What?" Kurt sat up.

"Yeah," Rachel elaborated. "She just walked right in and – in front of an entire class of students! – made a scene about her perception of Brody. She sang _Cold Hearted_ at him!" Rachel finished with a dramatic wave of her arms.

"No," Kurt gasped.

"I'm so _tired_ of this," Rachel said sourly. "This is _our_ place, Kurt. And she's just _so_–"

"Abrasive," Kurt suggested. "I'm still mad about her going through all our stuff."

Rachel made a noise that suggested that she agreed. "We have to kick her out," she said.

"Woah," Kurt protested, climbing off the couch to sit in a chair beside Rachel. "That seems a little extreme."

"What else are we going to do?" Rachel asked desperately. "We can't just talk to her; we've tried that! She makes all of us feel uncomfortable, especially Brody, and it's unacceptable! Plus, now she's going to NYADA and making a big scene there, too? She's out of line any way you look at it."

Kurt hated the idea of throwing their friend out, but he had to agree that Santana had done little but make everyone as uncomfortable as possible since she had arrived.

"Let's talk to her first," Kurt suggested. "And if she doesn't repent, we'll ask her to leave."

They didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, the door to the apartment slid open and Santana walked in.

"Guess who just got a job tending bar at the Coyote Ugly saloon down on 1st Street?" she sang happily, pointing to herself as she removed her jacket. "Hopefully it bodes better for me than any of the has-beens who starred in that movie," she added as she walked into the apartment.

"Santana, if you'd just take a seat, please, and join us for a little family loft conversation," Rachel said bluntly.

"Creepy," Santana commented, glancing at Kurt and Rachel in their respective chairs, "but okay."

She sat down in a chair facing Kurt and Rachel.

"We just got off the phone with Brody," Kurt explained. "Did you confront him at NYADA with a Paula Abdul song?"

Santana looked unbothered.

"You can't just march on in there and, like, act all crazy, okay?" Rachel stressed. "We go to school there!"

"That was the best performance that place has seen in years," Santana shot back.

Kurt glanced at Rachel and realized he was going to have to be the one to say it.

"We want you to move out," he explained sternly.

"You're joking," Santana said after a brief silence.

"We're not," Rachel clarified.

"Olsen twins, let me tell you something," Santana said, shifting in her seat. "I've known you both for years and I don't like either of you ninety percent of the time. In fact, your wide-eyed, Keane painting approach of life makes my teeth hurt and my breasts ache with rage."

Kurt wanted to interrupt and tell Santana that she was doing a horrible job if her goal was to get them to reconsider, but Santana kept going. "But you know what? I have love for you. You're my family and I haven't lied to you in months. I'm smarter about other people than the both of you; you have to trust me."

"Santana, you're making Brody feel uncomfortable, okay?" Rachel explained. "And he was here first, so you either lay off of it or you move out."

"Fine," Santana said, trying to cover her disappointment with nonchalance. "That's fine. You know what? I don't– I don't mind going." She stood up and gathered the pillow and blankets she had been using from the couch as she continued. "I ran into Lena Dunham at Barney's and she told me that I could crash with her if I ever needed to, so... that's cool 'cause she has two Golden Globes."

Kurt didn't know what to think as he watched Santana start to turn toward the door. He didn't like throwing her out, but he was at his wit's end when it came to her attitude.

"Oh, you know what?" Santana said, spinning back around to face them. "And another thing: I have what Access Hollywood calls street smarts. I'm right about plastic man."

She grabbed her suitcase and marched out the door.

"I'm pretty sure she just stole my comforter," Rachel commented as soon as she was gone.

Kurt grunted an affirmative. "Bitch took my pillow," he added.

"She didn't even close the door," Rachel whined.

Kurt got up and walked over to roll the door closed as Rachel texted Brody to let him know that Santana was gone and wouldn't be coming back.

"I can't believe we had to do that," Kurt mumbled, rubbing both hands over his face in annoyance as he returned to his chair.

"She'll be fine," Rachel determined.

Kurt wasn't sure. Where was she going to go this late at night?

"We'll call her tomorrow and make sure she's okay," Rachel added, and Kurt knew that she was worried, too.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine walked into the choir room the next afternoon for glee rehearsal, Sue was already there. She was dressed in full-blown Nicki Minaj costume, as was Becky. Blaine made sure he rolled his eyes so everyone could see him as he found a seat. Inside, he was bouncing with excitement at the prospect of fooling Sue into thinking that she successfully blackmailed him back to the Cheerios.

"Alright, Blaine? Sue?" Mr. Schu motioned at them and then to the front of the room. "Go for it."

Blaine got up and motioned to the band to begin _I Still Believe_. As he sang, Blaine danced around the room; the kind of dancing he often did when he was alone in his room with the radio on. Nothing too flashy, but enough that he looked like he was trying.

"_You look in my eyes and I get emotional inside. I know it's crazy, but you still can touch my heart. And, after all this time, you'd think that I wouldn't feel the same. But time melts into nothing and nothing's changed. I still believe that one day you and me will find ourselves in love again._"

Blaine danced closer to Sue, taunting her as he sang. She looked unfazed, and Becky jumped out of her seat and rushed over to whisper to one of the band members.

"_Just give me one more try in love again..._" Blaine sang.

Abruptly, the music changed and Sue stood up. She walked past Blaine to the front of the room, shoving him toward the chairs as she passed, and took over with Nicki Minaj's _Super Bass_. Blaine feigned unhappiness, but he was secretly pleased. Sue felt completely in control.

Blaine fell into the chair Sue had just vacated and pouted as she sang and danced with the Cheerios. Eventually, she brought in a raised platform, feathers, and a black light as props. Blaine jumped back into the song when he saw a chance to weave into her melody, but by the end it was clear that all the students would remember about this competition was Sue's performance.

"And that, ladies, gays, in-betweeners, and hag for life," Sue addressed the group after striking the last pose of her song, "is how it's done."

"Impressive, Sue," Mr. Schu allowed. "Both of you," he corrected quickly, motioning at Blaine.

"But Coach Sylvester used, like, feathers!" Blaine protested, motioning desperately to the props as he rushed to the center of the room. "And– and a blacklight and she brought in the Cheerios!"

"Yeah, that's not fair!" Tina agreed.

"Yes, but nobody ever said life is fair, Tina," Sue scolded before turning her attention to Mr. Schu. "So, William, though it's shockingly clear who the winner is, would you do the honors? And, unlike that interminably long voting montage at the end of _Lincoln_, let's make this fast."

"Show of hands for Blaine as Mariah?" Mr. Schu inquired.

Tina was the only one to raise her hand.

"Thank you, Tina. Come on!" Blaine urged the rest of the group, making a point not to look at Sam.

"Noted," Sue said as nobody else raised their hand.

"All in favor of Sue as Nicki?" Mr. Schu asked unnecessarily.

"Well, I hope you're ready for some form-fitting polyester, gay Clark Kent from season one of _Smallville_," Sue said to Blaine as the group decided that Sue was the winner, "because it looks like you're going to be the bottom of my Cheerios' pyramid, after all."

Blaine rolled his eyes and pretended to be disappointed, but he and Sam laughed the entire way to Sam's house to hang out that afternoon.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine received two doses of good news as he hung out with Marley at her locker before school. Finn was leaving McKinley to go to college to get a teaching degree and Ryder had made peace with Unique.

"So," Marley teased, "looks like you're a pretty good teacher, yourself."

"Except that I have to re-join the Cheerios," Blaine pouted.

"I think you're going to look cute in the uniform," Marley giggled.

"True," Blaine grinned. "And I like the physical aspect of it," he admitted as the bell rang.

As Blaine walked toward his first class, he knew that being a Cheerio wasn't going to be horrible. He _did_ like the physical activity, and it was an excuse to work on his flexibility and dance skills. Plus, the goal of bringing Sue down from the inside gave the whole thing purpose.

He just had to deal with Sue's crazy.

Blaine put on his Cheerios uniform at the start of the lunch period and went to Sue's office to officially re-join the Cheerios.

"You look absolutely adorable," Sue said, pinching Blaine's cheek as he stood in the middle of her office so she could make sure he was dressed appropriately. "And, just to show there's no animosity between us, I have decided to make you and Becky my Cheerios' co-captains."

"Yes!" Becky cried from her seat. She jumped out of her chair and reached up to pull Blaine's face down for a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you," she said as she released him.

"Thank you?" Blaine mumbled as he tried to figure out how he ended up in this situation.

"Let this be a life lesson to you," Sue said as Blaine turned to face her, "one that you'll remember twenty years from now when you're playing Uncle Nubbins in _The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_ reboot: That the real world is nothing like glee club, where you can join and re-join, quit and re-quit whenever you're not crying or throwing confetti at each other."

Blaine was glad that he had been forced into re-joining the Cheerios so he could roll his eyes at her without seeming suspicious.

"Because," Sue continued, "in the real world, there are commitments. And you're only as good as your word."

She stood up and stepped forward until she was directly in front of Blaine. "Blaine Devon Anderson, do I have your word that you are fully committed to my team?"

So far, Blaine hadn't had to _lie_ as part of his plan, so he tried to dodge the question by nodding noncommittally.

"What?" Becky shouted. "She can't hear you!"

"Yes, Coach Sylvester," Blaine lied, adding an innocent smile to the end for extra impact.

"Alright," Sue agreed, returning to her seat. "Gymnasium, 3:05. Oh, and a little trick of the trade?" she reached inside a drawer and produced a red thong. "From now on, wear a thong to avoid visible panty lines."

She tossed the thong to Blaine, and he was proud of himself when he managed not to laugh. Instead, he huffed out a long sigh and walked silently out of the room.

He glanced at the thong in his hand as he walked down the hallway and let the smile he had been holding back stretch across his face. So far, so good.

"How'd it go?" Sam hurried up to Blaine; he had been waiting just out of sight for Blaine to finish his meeting with Sue.

"Exactly as planned," Blaine said proudly. "I'm gonna work from the inside and bring her down. By the time we graduate, Sue Sylvester's reign of terror will finally be over."

"Excellent," Sam approved. They high fived before going their separate ways. Blaine wanted to put the thong in his locker and grab his bag before meeting the group for lunch.

He connected, face-first, with the row of lockers before his mind even registered that someone had shoved him. Startled, he stumbled against the lockers and managed not to fall over, and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a red letterman jacked disappearing around the corner.

"Hey, _lady_," the boy teased as he departed. "Nice outfit."

As Blaine straightened his uniform and quickly walked to meet his friends for lunch, he wished that he could call Kurt. He wanted to tell Kurt that he had joined the Cheerios, and about his ulterior motive for doing so. He wanted to tell Kurt about what had just happened and let Kurt reassure him that he wasn't going to suddenly become the target of every male athlete at the school. He wanted to ask Kurt if he had heard about Finn's new plan and to ask Kurt if he was doing okay.

But Blaine was still honoring Kurt's request for no communication, so he resisted. Instead, he had Marley take a photo of him in his new Cheerios uniform during lunch and posted it to Facebook where he knew Kurt would see it.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt was wandering across NYADA's main courtyard after a long afternoon of rehearsal for a play his acting class was working on, barely paying any attention to his surroundings, when he realized someone was calling his name.

He turned just as Finn finished jogging across the open courtyard and skidded to a stop beside Kurt.

"_Finn?_" Kurt exclaimed, shocked and thrilled to see his step-brother.

"Hey," Finn grinned.

"What... are you doing here?" Kurt questioned.

Finn's expression hardened. "You _can't_ tell Rachel I was here," he said seriously.

"You don't want Rachel to know you're in New York," Kurt clarified, even more confused than he had been before the strange request.

"Right," Finn confirmed. "It's..."

"I called him," Santana suddenly appeared. Kurt stepped back in surprise, slightly worried that she had retaliation in mind after being kicked out of the apartment.

"Relax," Santana rolled her eyes. "This is about that creep Rachel, and the rest of the city, is sleeping with."

"What?" Kurt inquired.

"I'll give it to Rachel; she was right," Santana said. "That Brody guy's not a drug dealer. He's a hooker."

Kurt hoped that his facial expression was doing a decent job of expressing his emotions because he felt as if he had forgotten how to speak. Brody was selling sex, not drugs.

"Rachel doesn't know," Finn said quickly.

"And we disagree about when she should be made aware," Santana said sourly.

"How do you...?" Kurt shook his head.

"I set up a fake meeting with him," Santana shrugged. "And then Finn... explained how it's gonna be."

Kurt glanced at Finn, alarmed.

"He'll be fine," Finn said. "As long as he stays away from Rachel."

"We can't tell her," Kurt realized, trying to internalize what Santana and Finn were saying and figure out how to protect Rachel all at once.

"Are you _serious_?" Santana snapped. "She needs to kick that ass to the curb and then get all kinds of tests."

"If you tell her about this right now," Kurt explained, "she might freak out. And her _Funny Girl_ audition is _soon_, Santana. If we tell her about this before then and she isn't in the right emotional state to wow those producers, it's on us."

"No," Santana disagreed, "it's on Brody."

"We can't tell her," Finn agreed.

"Oh my god, what _is_ this?" Santana glared at Finn and Kurt.

"This is us looking out for Rachel," Kurt retorted. "We're _going to_ tell her. But _not_ until after her _Funny Girl_ audition."

Santana hesitated.

"Promise," Kurt pressed, glancing at Finn for support.

"Come on Santana," Finn urged. "Until after the audition."

Santana exhaled loudly. "_Fine_," she agreed.

"Promise," Kurt pressed.

"I promise," Santana said.

Kurt was skeptical.

"Good," Finn said, relieved.

"I'm out of here," Santana huffed, turning to walk away as she mumbled something about "stupid".

Kurt and Finn went to dinner – Kurt buried the guilt he felt about excluding Rachel and let himself enjoy his step-brother's presence – and spent a few hours talking and laughing about everything from their high school experiences to their plans for the future.

"You're going to be a wonderful teacher, Finn," Kurt declared after Finn told him about his plans to go to college to get a teaching degree. "That's an amazing plan."

"Yeah, and look at you," Finn grinned. "You're, like, the coolest guy I know."

Kurt snorted out a particularly undignified laugh as he imagined what his sophomore year self would do if he had known that _that_ sentence would ever come out of Finn's mouth.

As Kurt recovered from his moment of personal hilarity, Finn suddenly shifted the conversation to a more serious topic.

"Is Rachel okay?" he asked, looking like he both craved and feared the answer.

Kurt nodded. "She's okay," he allowed. "I– if you ever tell anyone I said this I _will_ deny it, but I think she misses you."

"Yeah?" the look of delight on Finn's face reassured Kurt that he had said the right thing.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed. "I don't understand why you won't just come back to the apartment and see her."

Finn shook his head. "I don't want to be _that_ guy," he said. "That guy who acts entitled to _his_ girl. I had to come because Santana thought I might be able to scare that Brody guy away with, you know, a little forceful conversation. But that doesn't mean I'm deluding myself that Rachel's gonna want me back right now."

Kurt nodded his understanding. "Suddenly you're so wise," he teased.

"This whole thing with Mr. Schu has really made me think a lot about what it means to be an adult and a man, you know?" Finn supplied Kurt's lighthearted comment with a serious response.

"Are you going to ask me about Blaine?" Finn asked abruptly, before Kurt was finished thinking about his previous comment.

"Uh," Kurt glanced down at his plate, "no, I don't– we're not talking. Anymore."

"I know," Finn reminded him, "but that doesn't mean you aren't curious."

"I don't want to be curious," Kurt shook his head, lifting his gaze from the table to Finn's face.

"Well, he's okay," Finn said. "He misses you a lot, though –"

"Please don't," Kurt resisted.

"– but I think he'll be okay without you," Finn finished. "I thought you might want to know that in case you were worried about him."

Kurt said nothing as he dealt with the small bit of reassurance and the large dose of heartache that accompanied Finn's statement.

To Kurt's relief, Finn changed the subject again, and they chatted about Burt and Carole and college and a bunch of completely unimportant things until Finn glanced at his phone and noticed the time.

"You should probably go, right?" he suggested. "My flight doesn't leave until early tomorrow morning, but Rachel might be suspicious if –"

"I promise you," Kurt interrupted, "the _last_ thing in the world Rachel would suspect is that I just spent a few hours with you."

"I know," Finn agreed. He smiled as they both stood up and walked out of the restaurant onto the sidewalk. "I'm just paranoid."

Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately as Finn stopped walking and turned to face him to say goodbye.

"Thanks for not telling Rachel," Finn said seriously.

Kurt hugged him, sadder than he anticipated at the prospect of not seeing his step-brother again for weeks or months after this unexpected meeting.

"Good luck in college," Kurt said as they stepped out of the hug.

"Thanks," Finn smiled. "Good luck with, you know, with NYADA and Vogue and stuff."

"It was really good to see you, Finn," Kurt admitted.

"You too, man," Finn nodded. "See ya."

"Bye," Kurt waved, and they both turned and walked away toward their respective destinations.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Whew, the scene near the end of this episode (not included here since it had nothing to do with Kurt or Blaine) when Finn confronts and then fights with Brody. Generally, I don't like it because it's like... Rachel doesn't belong to either of you. But now, knowing that Finn is never going to get to marry Rachel... "Stay away from my future wife!" is unbearably sad.<strong>_

_**Anyway, sorry for that downer commentary. This is a fun episode! The fact that Blaine and Sam manufactured the feud with Sue in order to bring her down from the inside is the BEST. Sweet, dramatic BFFs. Their friendship is one of my very favorite things about this season. :)**_

_**Up next... 4x17: Guilty Pleasures!**_


	56. 4x17: Guilty Pleasures

_**So, who has a guilty pleasure they want to share? ;) I don't have any musical guilty pleasures that I can think of – I like a whole lot of everything! – but in general... I guess fanfiction might kind of be my guilty pleasure? I'd never deny loving it if someone asked (and everyone I know knows that I am an epic fangirl, so I'm sure they all just assume), but I'm not really one to talk about reading (or writing) fanfiction with the non-fandom people I know in the mythical land of "real life".**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Brody moved out of the apartment the day after his encounter with Finn. Kurt wasn't home when it happened, but he opened the apartment door that evening, found Rachel crying on the couch, and knew immediately what had gone on while he had been at work. He had feigned ignorance, asking Rachel what was wrong and listening as she explained that Brody had grabbed his things, said goodbye, and left the apartment with no solid explanation.

Kurt knew the explanation. Finn. But Finn had made Kurt and Santana promise not to tell Rachel that he had come to New York, so Kurt acted as if Brody's decision baffled him as much as it surprised Rachel.

Despite the shock of Brody's departure, by the following morning, Rachel seemed almost fully recovered. No tears. No lingering sour attitude. In Kurt's eyes, she seemed almost relieved, as if Brody's departure had freed her from some kind of emotional burden. Kurt wondered if he had underestimated the degree to which Rachel had been fooling herself into thinking she and Brody had a future together.

This was nothing like the devastation Rachel had felt after she and Finn had separated.

For Kurt, however, there was a more pressing issue to deal with than Rachel's lack of grief.

"At the risk of sounding crass," Kurt said cautiously as he poured two cups of tea the morning after Brody moved out, "I'm not particularly interested in going back to $900 in rent each month."

"Brody might move back in," Rachel suggested calmly as Kurt sat down across the table from her and slowly slid her cup of tea into her hands. Kurt was trying to think of a gentle way to ask what they should do if Brody _didn't_ move back in when Rachel, staring down into her cup, added, "but I agree."

"Maybe..." Kurt braced himself for resistance, "Santana?"

"I don't know," Rachel disagreed, glancing up to meet Kurt's hopeful gaze.

"We know her," Kurt began the list of pros he had been making in his head all morning. "We wouldn't have to get used to someone entirely new. We already know she's a decent roommate... most of the time. And this time we'll make her pay a third of the rent. Maybe she'll respect our space a little more if she's invested financially."

"We threw her out, Kurt," Rachel reminded him.

"I know," Kurt agreed, "but..." he shrugged. It felt right, although he wasn't sure why. Santana had done very little but make his and Rachel's lives miserable in the few weeks she had spent living with them in the apartment. Maybe, Kurt thought, his desire to invite her back stemmed from the guilt he felt about the fact that they had thrown their friend out onto the streets of New York. Especially when, as it turned out, she had been right about Brody all along. But he couldn't use that argument against Rachel, because he was trying to hide the truth about Brody's secret life from her until after her first big Broadway audition.

Rachel thought about it as she took a sip of her tea.

"Okay," she agreed. "But only on a provisional basis. We reserve the right to kick her out again. For good."

Kurt nodded, glad and a little surprised that Rachel had been so easily swayed, and picked up his phone to call Santana.

She was back in the apartment by lunchtime.

"Where have you been staying, anyway?" Rachel inquired, wrinkling her nose as Santana deposited Rachel's comforter and Kurt's pillow on the floor in the middle of the apartment next to her suitcase.

"You don't want to know," Santana replied vaguely. She smirked at Kurt as she added, "If I never see another hooker in my life, it'll be too soon."

Kurt glared at her and hoped that his facial expression said "Don't make me regret inviting you back."

Santana shrugged at him and disappeared into the bathroom.

"I'm never using that pillow again," Kurt commented, leaving it on the floor as he walked to the kitchen to find something to eat for lunch. "She can have it."

"I can still hear you!" Santana sang from behind the closed bathroom door.

"You owe me a new pillow!" Kurt sang in return as Santana started the shower and he turned his attention back to making his lunch.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Early in the week, Blaine walked up to Sam at his locker before school and discreetly offered him $50 in cash.

"Here," he said without preamble. "Don't tell anyone and you don't have to thank me."

Sam didn't immediately take the money, so Blaine forced it into his hand.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Sam questioned.

"It's only fifty bucks!" Blaine scolded. "Just take the money. I know what you've been up to and it just has to stop."

Sam stuffed his hands into his pockets. "What are you talking about?" he whispered.

"Last week I found a shortcut between my locker and the parking lot," Blaine explained. "Walking through the cafeteria cuts out fifteen seconds from my daily routine. And, yesterday, I saw something."

He knew from the look on Sam's face that Sam knew what he was talking about. Blaine had watched Sam stuff multiple bags of uncooked pasta into his bag when he thought he was out of sight in the cafeteria's pantry.

"Listen, I know your dad's been struggling and I just want to help!" Blaine told Sam as he followed him down the hallway, trying to alleviate some of the new tension in Sam's body language. "Help you feed your family. Hunger is a big problem in this country! Although, so is obesity... which is confusing."

Sam stopped walking and turned to face him. "Okay, can you promise to keep a secret?" he asked, glancing around to make sure nobody would overhear them.

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, "of course."

"I have been stealing pasta," Sam confessed. "But it's not for dinner. It's... it's art."

"It's...?" Blaine raised his eyebrows, requesting more information. Sam was stealing pasta for _art_?

"Just, here, come with me," Sam grabbed Blaine's arm and dragged him down the hallway to the art classroom. They paused outside the closed door.

"Close your eyes," Sam commanded. When Blaine hesitated, Sam stepped behind him and clasped his hands over Blaine's eyes so he couldn't see. Blaine laughed and allowed himself to be guided into the art room and situated so he was facing whatever Sam wanted to show him. He heard Sam take a deep breath behind him before removing his hands from Blaine's eyes so Blaine could see what had happened to the stolen macaroni.

There were five portraits on easels lined up on one side of the classroom. The portraits were made of uncooked pasta instead of paint or ink.

"So," Sam inquired nervously, "what'd'ya think?"

"Are those... macaroni portraits?" Blaine managed.

"They're my guilty pleasure," Sam explained, sounding more confident since Blaine hadn't immediately made fun of him. "My art teacher thinks I'm some kind of genius like the ugly guy in _Shine_. Except with macaroni."

Blaine thought the portraits were amazing.

"Is this Emma Stone?" Blaine asked as he walked closer and examined the artwork.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed, and then continued as Blaine walked by each portrait. "And then you've got LeAnn Rhimes, Ralph Macchio... those are the guys from Duck Dynasty! I even did, uh, Kurt."

"The macaroni really captures him," Blaine said without thinking as he paused by the macaroni portrait of the boy he loved. "Thank you for sharing this with me," he added as he turned and walked back over to where Sam was still standing near the door. "This is really incredible."

"Woah, woah," Sam stopped him with his voice. "Not so fast, though. Now it's your turn. So..." Sam motioned with his hands for Blaine to say something.

"My turn... for what?" Blaine asked.

"Your guilty pleasure," Sam clarified.

"I don't have a guilty pleasure," Blaine told him.

"You're lying," Sam said immediately. "Everybody's got that one thing that they like that they're so ashamed of that they refuse to admit it to anybody."

_You_, Blaine thought, trying not to stare at Sam's lips as he spoke.

"I love..." Blaine struggled to think of something plausible and ended up saying the first thing that came to his mind, "...Wham!."

"What?" Sam didn't understand.

"The band," Blaine explained quickly. "Wham!. They're, like, my favorite band of all time."

"Hi guys," Tina interrupted, knocking on the doorframe to get their attention.

"Hey, Tina," both Sam and Blaine greeted her. Blaine was secretly relieved that she had interrupted any potential awkwardness.

"Did you hear the news?" Tina asked. "Mr. Schu's out with the flu this week."

"Hey, uh, just curious," Sam teased, "are you gonna go over to his house and straddle him while he's passed out? Rub some ointment on his chest?"

Blaine struggled not to laugh as Tina responded, "That was a phase. Anyway, don't bother coming to glee club this week," she added. "It's canceled."

Tina turned and walked away, and Blaine turned his attention back to Sam.

"Not necessarily," Blaine commented on Tina's parting words.

Sam didn't understand.

"Everyone has a musical guilty pleasure," Blaine explained. "It might help boost morale to have a silly assignment this week, right?"

"Yeah!" Sam agreed excitedly.

Blaine nodded. "And _we_," he motioned between himself and Sam, "can demonstrate with _my_ guilty pleasure."

"Wham!," Sam recalled.

"Exactly," Blaine confirmed happily.

"You have to stop stealing pasta from the cafeteria, though," Blaine chastised as they walked to Blaine's locker so he could grab what he needed for his first class of the day.

Sam grunted unhappily. "They've got such a great selection," he whined as they reached Blaine's locker. "There's regular pasta in, like, every shape you can imagine and they've got it in lots of colors, too. And spaghetti..."

It took Blaine three attempts to successfully open his locker because he was laughing so hard.

"But hey," Sam realized as Blaine tried to reign in his laughter and sifted through his locker for the books he needed for class, "now that I've got this $50..."

"Oh my god," Blaine moaned, dropping his head in mock defeat.

"I'm gonna make a portrait of you, my first, uh..." Sam paused, looking to Blaine for the proper word.

"Benefactor," Blaine suggested.

"Yes, that," Sam grinned as the bell rang that meant that they had to hurry to class.

The first half of the day flew by, and Blaine met up with Sam again during their lunch period to plan their glee club lesson for the week. They sent out a text message to all of New Directions, letting them know that rehearsal was not canceled, and got to work designing and making t-shirts for their Wham! demonstration.

"Why are we here?" Kitty asked as she walked through the door to the choir room that afternoon. "I thought Mr. Schu was sick?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Unique admitted.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Blaine scolded. "Regionals is only a few weeks away! Even without an advisor, we can't afford to miss one week of preparation."

"Which is why Blaine and I asked you all to come here!" Sam told them, rushing over to the white board. "We have come up with an assignment for this week."

"Please be songs about sweaters," Brittany commented.

Sam wrote _Guilty Pleasures!_ on the whiteboard, and he and Blaine turned excitedly to the group.

Everyone was silent.

"Guilty pleasures!" Blaine encouraged. "Come on! We all have some musical shame. You know what I'm talking about! You know... that secret love we dare not speak. But, when it comes on the radio, we can't help but turn up the volume and sing along."

"Yeah, and we're supposed to sing one of those songs for Regionals?" Ryder asked skeptically.

"No," Blaine clarified. "Sam and I were speaking earlier. Just, like, shootin' the crap like two bros do, you know... and we felt really safe with each other. So, we decided to reveal our guilty pleasures."

"And it felt amazing," Sam added. "I mean, letting go of this big secret made me feel so good!"

"We figured if we all share musical shame with each other, we could all become a more cohesive team for Regionals!" Blaine finished.

"Unique knows no shame, baby," Unique scolded.

"So, besides Unique," Sam said, "does anybody else have something they would like to share?"

Silence.

"Guys, this is a great team-building exercise!" Sam pressed.

"Okay," Jake suggested as he walked across the room from his seat to the piano where Marley was standing, "well, then, you guys go first."

It was the moment Blaine and Sam had been waiting for.

"We thought," Sam said, "instead of telling you, we could... show you."

Blaine and Sam quickly removed their hoodies to reveal t-shirts that said _CHOOSE LIFE_ – a nod to the music video of Wham!'s _Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – _and the band began playing as Blaine started the song.

"_You put the boom-boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts. A jitterbug into my brain goes a bang-bang-bang 'til my feet do the same._"

Sam picked up the song, and Blaine danced around the room, trying to get everyone energized about the song and the week's assignment.

"_But something's bugging me. Something ain't right. My best friend told me what you did last night. You left me sleeping in my bed. I was dreaming but I should've been with you instead._"

They sang and danced around the room until the song ended and Blaine knew everyone was on board. Some of the other students tried to pretend they were still skeptical, but they were all too willing to follow Blaine and Sam to the auditorium to put the song together with some simple choreography and 80s-inspired costumes. It was all basically an excuse to dance and sing all over the stage without the pressure of the song being a contender for Regionals. Nobody was there to pick apart every little mistake; they could relax and have fun.

"_Wake me up before you go-go. Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo. Wake me up before you go-go. I don't wanna miss it when you hit that high. Wake me up before you go-go 'cause I'm not planning on going solo. Wake me up before you go-go, ah. Take me dancing tonight. I wanna hit that high! Yeah, yeah._"

By the time the song ended, everyone was full of energy. It had been a while since they had all been able to let loose and just sing and dance because they loved it. Since Mr. Schu had come back to supervise New Directions, things had been decidedly more serious and stressful than when Finn had been in charge.

"Alright," Ryder confessed, smiling broadly, "I admit. That was fun."

"Hell _yeah_ it was fun!" Artie agreed as he high-fived Sam. "Who needs a faculty advisor?"

"Seriously, though," Kitty commented.

"Mr. Schu's under a lot of stress," Blaine said, trying not to let the group get too worked up about Mr. Schu's recent behavior. "He'll come around."

"Yeah, when he doesn't feel threatened," Tina argued. "Which is basically never."

"Like it or not," Blaine said firmly, "the fact of the matter is that we have to have a teacher sponsoring us in order to exist at this school."

"Yeah," Sam spoke up, as if he suddenly realized that Blaine was trying to keep the group from turning on its director, "maybe we should just enjoy this week of freedom and deal with Mr. Schu when he gets back."

Blaine looked around at everyone in the group, silently asking them to trust him. No matter how much they resented Mr. Schu's recent bad attitude, New Directions couldn't exist at McKinley without him. They had to work with what they had.

"Okay," Marley nodded, jumping on board. Blaine smiled at her as her acknowledgement triggered a chorus of reluctant agreement.

"Thank you," Blaine said. "So, the week's assignment: let us hear your guilty pleasures! And make it fun, guys. There'll be plenty of time for serious preparation when Mr. Schu gets back."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

In one of Kurt's acting classes on Monday, the professor urged his students to use their secret sources of shame as vehicles to enhance their vulnerability as actors. Kurt watched, slightly horrified, as a few of his fellow students acted out various personally embarrassing scenes from their lives, until suddenly it was his turn.

"Kurt? You're up," the professor said.

Kurt chose a slightly embarrassing, yet not particularly traumatizing moment from his childhood to reenact in front of the class, but the exercise got him thinking about his real guilty secrets.

He was obsessed with marathon watching old television shows. He loved Richard Simmons workout videos, a fact that he had managed to keep secret from both Rachel and Santana, despite their living situation.

But Kurt's real guilty pleasure had come to him one night a few weeks after his breakup with Blaine. He had been alone in his room, mindlessly watching videos online in an attempt to numb his brain until the Ambien he had just taken worked its magic and allowed him to sleep, and he had seen an advertisement.

A boyfriend pillow.

It was essentially a pillow to cuddle with at night, but it had an extra feature. A curved arm that wrapped around your body and simulated, as much as a pillow could, the gentle embrace of a boyfriend.

The video advertisement had been all about curing loneliness and helping you sleep at night, both of which had been problems for Kurt at the time. So, his half-asleep mind had decided that he needed one.

When it had arrived a few days later, non-drugged Kurt was horribly embarrassed. He had quickly found a place for the pillow under his bed and decided to forget about it. But, that night, as the sharp stab of loneliness and exhaustion settled over him in the darkness of his bedroom, he had given in and tried it.

He had gotten so used to sleeping with it that he rarely slept without it. It was comfortable. He had even named it – Bruce – in an attempt to feel less insane about being so attached to a pillow.

Rachel and Santana didn't know about Bruce. Kurt had thought that Santana had discovered the boyfriend pillow when she had rifled through his and Rachel's things after moving in, but she hadn't mentioned it. Kurt was sure that, if she knew about Bruce, Santana would've said something by now, so he was starting to relax. She must not have looked inside the case under his bed where Bruce spent each day hidden away from the world.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After gym class the following day, Blaine was getting dressed back into his Cheerios uniform, daydreaming about confessing his crush to Sam, when Sam suddenly appeared beside him.

"Dude," Sam barely stopped as he walked past, "put some pants on. I need to talk to you."

Sam's tone was serious, so Blaine quickly pulled on his Cheerios pants and followed Sam down a small hallway in the locker room.

"So, lately, I've been battling a really deep-seeded sense of shame about something in my life," Sam explained as they walked. "And it's a secret I've kept buried for as long as I can remember."

"Really?" Blaine asked, trying to ignore the way his heart rate had suddenly increased. Was Sam...?

"Yeah," Sam confirmed as they stopped walking and Sam turned to face Blaine. "And I– I've been waiting to, like, let it out and release this inner sin that has tortured my insides."

Blaine glanced around to make sure nobody was standing too close.

"Do... you have feelings for me?" he asked hesitantly.

"What?" Sam scoffed immediately. "Dude, no! Come on."

"Obviously," Blaine backtracked as fast as he could, trying to brush his comment off as a joke. "Obviously, I'm kidding. I'm just trying to loosen you up!" he punched at Sam's chest briefly, mentally berating himself for being so forward. Of _course_ Sam wasn't gay. Blaine knew that.

"It's a million times worse than that!" Sam explained desperately.

Blaine scrambled to keep up. "Well," he said encouragingly, flinging his emotional turmoil aside so he could offer decent advice, "until you can speak it, you're gonna be stuck in this shame spiral forever." He grabbed Sam's upper arms to make sure Sam was hearing him. "So, hey, you can trust me. You can tell me anything."

Sam glanced around before leaning forward to whisper something in Blaine's ear. Blaine couldn't understand him.

"What?" Blaine whispered as Sam stepped away.

"I said 'I like Barry Manilow'!" Sam blurted loudly.

All the other guys in the locker room turned to look at Sam and Blaine.

"No," Blaine shook his head, "no, no. No, you can't... you can't say that in the locker room!" He grabbed Sam and dragged him a few feet to a more private space. He could tell that some of the other students were still watching them.

"I know, I know," Sam agreed, "I know, but, alright, I just relate to the stories. The breakups. The lost love. Oh, and the rain! Who shot who? It's like he's talking right to me!"

"Well, then," Blaine encouraged, "I think you need to come out to everyone and say that."

"No," Sam disagreed.

"Once you stop hiding, you'll feel so much better," Blaine told him, thinking of how free he had felt after finally coming out during his first year of high school. Despite all the emotional and physical pain of being bullied, the clarify of self Blaine felt as an out and proud gay man was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

"You really think I could just stand up in front of everybody and... say that I'm a Fanilow?" Sam asked anxiously.

"Absolutely," Blaine said firmly.

"I don't know," Sam protested, glancing around to see how many people were still watching them.

"This week is about going for it," Blaine reminded him. "Confessing the things you feel guilty about loving... because, really, there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to love."

"I agree," Sam said intensely, locking eyes with Blaine as if his words had profound meaning.

"Uh, so," Blaine said awkwardly, suddenly a little shy with Sam looking at him so intently, "are you going for it?"

Sam studied Blaine's face for a moment before he shrugged.

"Fine," Sam agreed. "But only if I get to wear some kind of costume."

"Sure," Blaine nodded. "I'm sure we can find something Barry-esque in the costume closet."

"Thanks, man," Sam clasped him on the shoulder.

"No problem," Blaine said softly as Sam turned and walked away so they could both finish getting re-dressed. "See you after school."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That night, Kurt, Rachel, and Santana had dinner together in the apartment and Kurt started to feel like maybe their new arrangement was going to work out. They laughed their way through memories of high school and told stories of the craziest people they had encountered since moving to New York. Rachel tried to explain Jewish holidays to Santana and Kurt tried to explain to both of the girls why he was _definitely_ not interested in going to a gay bar with either of them. Eventually, the conversation flowed into a discussion about Mr. Schu's failed wedding – Santana was convinced they had been cursed by choosing Valentine's Day as their wedding date – and, somehow, Kurt was coerced into saying out loud that he had slept with Blaine that weekend.

"I can't even believe you're blushing right now," Santana rolled her eyes as Kurt immediately regretted saying anything. "_Really_? The sexual tension between the two of you was so intense that it turned _me_ on."

"I am an adult; this is none of your business," Kurt defended himself, trying to maintain his composure as Santana read into his actions. "It was just... a fling."

"Oh please," Santana judged, "_I_ had a fling that weekend. You had make-up sex."

"We did not _make up_," Kurt disagreed as Rachel asked "You had a 'fling'?"

"Yeah," Santana shrugged complacently, "it turns out Quinn's more adventuresome in bed than I would've guessed."

Kurt felt his mouth fall open as Rachel tried to stammer out a sentence of disbelief and only succeeded in squeaking out a few syllables before falling silent.

Santana studied their faces briefly before adding, "It was nice."

"Oh god," Kurt rolled his eyes.

They cleaned their dishes in silence and watched a few episodes of a show Rachel had recorded to their DVR before getting ready for bed. Kurt waited until Rachel was definitely in the shower – hidden behind the curtain – before pushing the bathroom door open and wandering into the small room to brush his teeth.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," Santana commented from behind Kurt as she walked through the open door. "If I'm going to be paying a third of the rent, I'm going to be needing a third of the shelf space."

"Don't get too comfortable, okay?" Rachel disagreed from behind the shower curtain. "This is only temporary."

"I don't even think you need all of these beauty products, Rachel, because they're not really having the desired effect," Santana shot back as she examined the shelves that held Kurt's and Rachel's skincare and hairstyling products. "Unless your goal is to look like a reject from the _Shahs of Sunset_."

Kurt leaned over and spit into the sink so he could interject.

"One: Rachel is beautiful," he scolded, turning briefly to glare at Santana. "Two: you're a bitch and those are my products, okay? And maybe if you used them you wouldn't have more oil than the Middle East on your face."

"Ohhhh!" Rachel acknowledged the slam against Santana before starting her daily vocal exercises. She claimed that doing them in the shower was best because she didn't have to worry about a lack of humidity that could dry out her throat.

"Okay, that's really funny," Santana said, lowering her voice as she approached Kurt so that Rachel couldn't hear. "You wanna play with me, Kurt? Because I can play. All day, every day. What if I just told your BFF about her BF and his man-whoring ways?"

Kurt spit his toothpaste into the sink one final time and glared at Santana in the mirror.

"We had a pact," he reminded her.

"What if I broke that pact, huh?" Santana said as Kurt put his toothbrush down and turned to face her. "What would you do? Attack me with your exfoliating loofah?"

"She can't find out until after her Funny Girl audition, alright?" Kurt replied sharply. "That would _wreck_ her!"

"Maybe if you made me some space I'd care a little bit more," Santana challenged.

Kurt didn't want to argue, so he made sure that Santana noticed his eye roll before marching over to the shelving unit to clear a shelf for Santana.

"I want that whole top row," Santana clarified.

Kurt didn't have the patience to try to arrange all of his products on one shelf, so he piled everything that was on Santana's desired shelf into his arms and retreated to his room. He dumped the products on top of his dresser and decided that, as soon as Rachel's _Funny Girl_ audition was over, he was going to tamper with every single one of Santana's skincare products.

After shrugging off his hoodie and tossing it over his full-length mirror so he didn't have to bother folding it, Kurt quietly removed Bruce from his trunk and climbed into bed.

He was almost asleep when Santana's voice and the sudden flood of light in the room as she turned on the light startled him awake.

"What the hell is that?" Santana scoffed.

"Oh my god!" Kurt sat up, his boyfriend pillow still wrapped around him, and saw both Santana and Rachel standing in his room. "The curtain means _privacy_!"

"Oh my god, _Kurt_," Rachel said, not bothering to hide her amusement as Kurt yanked the boyfriend pillow off from around his body and dropped it into his lap. "That thing is really creepy... what _is_ that?"

Kurt was too mentally exhausted to lie. "I thought it was stupid the first time I saw it, too," he whined. "But I kept thinking about the ad, you know? 'Are you lonely? Do you need companionship?' Yes, yes, I need all those things. It just offers you a nice, protective arm around you while you sleep at night."

"Hey, I mean, it's probably safer than trolling Grindr for a man whore," Santana approved as Rachel put something down near the end of Kurt's bed and climbed onto the bed to sit beside him.

"Did you name it?" Rachel asked in a tone of voice that suggested she already knew the answer.

"His name is Bruce," Kurt admitted. "And we're exclusive. So you cannot borrow him!" he added as Rachel put her hands on the pillow.

Rachel glanced at Santana, and they both dissolved into giggles.

"I'm so glad I'm here for your amusement," Kurt pouted.

"Awww," Rachel leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him in a hug before releasing him.

"So," Santana questioned, sitting down on the end of Kurt's bed, "why's it named Bruce?"

Before Kurt could stop her, she had snatched Bruce out of his hands so she could look at the pillow more closely.

"I just like the name Bruce, okay?" Kurt rolled his eyes. "Now can you please go away so I can get some sleep?"

"And 'Bruce', your _boyfriend_ _pillow_, just happens to start with the same letter as, oh, I dunno, your ex-boyfriend's name?" Santana pressed.

"There are only twenty six letters in the alphabet, _Santana_," Kurt scolded. "Some people's names start with the same letter."

Santana threw Bruce back to Kurt and stood up. "Whatever you say, Mr. We're-Just-Friends."

She bent over to pick up whatever Rachel had put down by the end of Kurt's bed and carried it out of the room.

"Have you –" Rachel started.

"Goodnight," Kurt turned to her, offering no room for arguing.

Rachel pouted, but obeyed. Just before she slipped out of the room, she turned her head back in Kurt's direction.

"Goodnight, Kurt," she said before dropping her gaze to the pillow in Kurt's lap. "Bruce."

"The only reason I'm not throwing Bruce at you is because I'd have to get out of bed to pick him up!" Kurt shouted after her as she disappeared in a fit of giggles. He heard Santana say something inaudible from the kitchen, and both girls burst into laughter.

Kurt wrapped himself in Bruce's embrace.

"They're just jealous," he whined as he settled back down onto his mattress and pulled his comforter up to his chin.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine and Sam's English class was held in the library as part of their teacher's attempt to encourage reading. Blaine was relaxing at one of the library's tables with his feet propped up and a _Goosebumps_ book open in his lap when he was distracted by a student waving a red handkerchief around as he walked past. Blaine glanced up and saw Sam approaching – pausing briefly to take in the student with the red handkerchief's unusual, old-fashioned attire.

"Looks like your guilty pleasure lesson has really been taking over the school," Sam commented as he walked over to the table where Blaine was sitting.

"Yeah, that kid's always had a weird obsession with culottes," Blaine grinned up at him. "What's up?"

"Here's the thing," Sam said. "So far this week, you know, you've been talking the talk, but now I need you to walk the walk, pilgrim!"

Blaine didn't know what Sam was talking about, so he didn't interrupt.

"I've been honest about my guilty pleasures," Sam said, "and I even wore those tiny little Wham! sh –"

"Shhhh!" the librarian hushed him.

"I wore those tiny little Wham! shorts," Sam lowered his voice and continued, "and we did that great number, but now it's your turn to be honest because you haven't really been yet, so far."

He sat down across the table from Blaine, and Blaine removed his feet from the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Blaine dodged.

"Well, you know, you're only as sick as your secrets, dude," Sam elaborated. "And that's what this week's assignment is really about. This is your chance to really set an example for the glee club! What's yours going to be?" Sam challenged, pointing purposefully at Blaine before standing up and walking away.

Blaine watched Sam walk away and wished that he could run after him and tell him everything. There was never going to be anything between them. Blaine knew that. He didn't even _want_ that. Not really. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kurt, not Sam. But he couldn't stop thinking about it. Even as he tried to work out a way to reconcile with Kurt, there was always a little part of Blaine's mind that made room for fantasies about Sam. He rarely allowed himself to indulge in anything more intense than a daydream of Sam kissing him or saying stupid, romantic things to him, but Blaine still felt like he was betraying some kind of code of brothers by even _thinking_ about it.

He also felt like a hypocrite for keeping his secret so tightly guarded as he encouraged everyone around him to open up. Blaine considered Sam's challenge as he picked up his book again and flipped it open so he could pretend to read while his mind tried to figure things out. He needed a song that would accomplish two tasks: provide him with a solo performance for guilty pleasures week and help him let go of the shame of having feelings for someone who would never feel the same.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The morning after Rachel and Santana found out about Bruce, Kurt had an idea on the train ride to Manhattan that wouldn't leave his mind all day. So, after his final class, armed with research he had done online during lunch, he set out to buy two boyfriend pillows and supplies to change one of them from a boyfriend pillow to a girlfriend pillow. He rushed back to the apartment, desperately hoping that neither Rachel nor Santana would be there when he arrived, and he was relieved to find the apartment empty.

Kurt hurried to his bedroom and pulled the curtain closed so he could go to work on changing the body of one of the pillows. He added a breast and a longer, nightgown-esque outfit, and then he laughed at his handiwork as he stood back and looked at Bruce and the two new pillows side-by-side on his bed.

Rachel came home first, and Kurt had to pour all of his attention into his homework to keep from telling her about his surprise. By the time Santana got home three hours later, Kurt felt ready to explode with anticipation.

"Okay!" he announced as soon as Santana had finished dumping her bag off beside the couch. "Sit. Both of you."

"Are we in trouble?" Rachel worried as she got up from the table and walked over to sit beside Santana on the couch.

"No," Kurt grinned. He held up two eye masks. "I have a surprise."

"Wanky," Santana commented as Kurt covered their eyes with the masks.

"Only in your dreams," Kurt said pleasantly. "Alright, _no peeking_."

"What _is_ it?" Rachel squealed anxiously, laughing as Kurt stepped into his room and grabbed their pillows off his bed.

"No peeking!" Kurt reminded them as he slipped their respective pillows around their necks. He rushed around to stand in front of them and bounced up and down excitedly. "And... peek! Peek, peek, peek!"

Santana laughed as she removed her eye mask and saw her modified now-girlfriend pillow.

"Oh my god! Kurt, you gave my boyfriend pillow a sex change!" she exclaimed, sincerely pleased. "That's so sweet."

"A little perfume and voilà!" Kurt teased.

"If you ever tell anyone about this," Santana said as she stood up with her pillow still hooked around her neck, "I have no ethical problems with Hummelcide."

She looked pleased as she walked away, but Rachel didn't look as enthusiastic. She remained on the couch with her new boyfriend pillow in her lap.

"You don't seem as excited about yours," Kurt commented as he sat down beside her.

"This is weird," Rachel motioned to her pillow. "And I'm not lonely, okay? I don't need anything to cuddle with. Just because Brody moved out doesn't mean that we're not gonna get back together."

"Okay, no," Santana's stern voice piped up from across the room.

Kurt snapped his head around to glare at her, but he knew immediately that it was too late.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sorry, it _is_ over," Santana commanded as she abandoned her girlfriend pillow and walked back over to stand near the couch. "And it's going to _stay_ over. I was wrong about Brody being a drug dealer, but I was just wrong about what he was selling. Your boyfriend wasn't a cater waiter. He was a gigolo. Like Magic Mike with happy endings for money."

Kurt felt a horrible sense of inevitability as he turned to look at Rachel. This moment had been rapidly approaching ever since Finn had come to New York.

"That's not true, right?" Rachel begged, staring at him. "You– you didn't know about that... it's not true, right? _Right?_"

Kurt didn't have to reply. Rachel saw everything she needed to know in his face. She jumped up and ran to her room, dragging the curtain closed behind her.

"You're welcome!" Santana shouted after her.

Kurt turned a frustrated glare on her. "Why'd you have to do that?" he asked.

"It's for her own good," Santana told him.

Kurt closed his eyes and leaned his head over to rest on his hand on the back of the couch. Santana's need to be brutally honest at all times had just thrown Rachel's emotional well-being into chaos, and the whole situation was causing Kurt more stress than he wanted to accept. He had his own issues to deal with.

"You think Rachel needs to be coddled," Santana leaned over to whisper, "but what she _needs_ is a best friend – best friend_s_ – who's honest with her."

"Here's a little _honesty_," Kurt snapped, keeping his voice quiet despite the frustration boiling inside him. "Just because you think you're right about everything doesn't mean you can just do and say whatever you want, whenever you want."

"I _am_ right," Santana shot back. "And you know it."

"About this?" Kurt allowed. "_Maybe_. But you don't always get to decide, singlehandedly, what's best for everyone."

"Whatever," Santana said defensively. "Get off my couch; I need my sleep."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine had the band members help him move the piano into the auditorium so he could perform the song he had chosen to represent his guilty pleasure. The other students of New Directions settled into chairs in the audience, and Blaine sat down at the piano without saying anything. He was too anxious to explain the song before he sang it.

As he played the song's introduction on the piano, Blaine tried to relax. The song was one he had spent quite a bit of time working on in the weeks immediately following his breakup with Kurt as he struggled to come to terms with the uncertain future of their relationship.

"_How can I just let you walk away? Just let you leave without a trace? When I stand here taking every breath with you, oh. You're the only one who really knew me at all._"

Blaine glanced at Sam, but couldn't read his friend's expression.

When Blaine's agony of being separated from Kurt had been at its most intense, Sam had been there. With Blaine all the time, holding onto the idea that Blaine was a good person, even when Blaine couldn't. Sam _saw_ him, _understood_ him in a way that no friend ever had before.

"_How can you just walk away from me when all I can do is watch you leave? 'Cause we shared the laughter and the pain, and even shared the tears. You're the only one who really knew me at all._ _So take a look at me now. Well, there's just an empty space. And there's nothing left here to remind me. Just the memory of your face._"

Blaine was frustrated that he felt so vulnerable about his feelings for Sam. Intellectually, he knew that his emotions regarding Sam were probably remnants of the strong feelings he had for Kurt, but it felt so real. It was comforting to feel attached to someone.

"_I wish I could just make you turn around. Turn around and see me cry. There's so much I need to say to you. So many reasons why. You're the only one who really knew me at all._"

Part of Blaine wished that Sam would _notice_, like he had noticed Blaine's despair after he returned from New York carrying the burden of his shattered relationship with Kurt. Then, maybe Blaine could tell him how grateful he was that Sam had been there for him all year. And how scared he was that confessing his crush might ruin everything.

"_Oh, so take a look at me now. Well, there's just an empty space. And there's nothing left here to remind me. Just the memory of your face. Now, take a look at me now 'cause I'll still be standing here. And you coming back to me is against all odds. It's the chance I've got to take. So, take a look at me now. So, take a look at me now._"

The group gave Blaine a standing ovation, but Blaine could sense the confusion in the room. He was nervous as he turned to face his friends.

"So, who was that about, exactly, Blaine?" Tina questioned.

Kitty leaned forward from her place behind Tina and shoved Tina's shoulder. "Shut it," she snapped.

"Uh, it was about Kurt," Blaine half-lied as his friends sat down. "Obviously. That breakup's still a fresh wound."

"But," Blaine continued as he walked down the stairs at the front of the stage and moved toward his friends, "it's really about the musical genius of Phil Collins. And, like any musician of his time, when you dominate that period with such success, people tend to make fun of you and put them down. But, the truth is, he's a musical legend and I'm tired of people making fun of him and I'm going to dedicate a good part of my future ensuring that his genius is understood and appreciated."

He knew he had said too much as soon as the words left his mouth. He was panicking. Trying to divert attention from what he had been feeling as he sang. He paused briefly and glanced at Sam.

"I am no longer in the closet about my love for Phil Collins," Blaine added.

In the short moment of silence that followed, Blaine couldn't get a good read on Sam's feelings, so he offered Sam a friendly smile and prayed that he hadn't made Sam feel uncomfortable.

"Alright, everybody," Sam said, standing up again and clapping his hands, "give it up for Blaine Anderson!"

The group gave him another round of applause and Blaine dropped his gaze to the floor, embarrassed and confused. Why was he so attached to _Sam_ when he loved and wanted to spend his life with _Kurt_?

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Over the next few days, the girls did a Spice Girls number and Jake danced and sang to _My Prerogative_, and it was all a welcome distraction for Blaine. After school on Friday, Blaine went to the auditorium to work out the last few details of an arrangement of _Sussudio_ he was planning to sing for New Directions that afternoon. He really _did_ like Phil Collins, and he wanted to end the week with an upbeat song.

"What's that?" Sam's voice distracted him from his task, and he glanced up to see Sam walking across the stage toward him.

"I wanted to do one more Phil Collins song before they made us put our guilty pleasures back in the closet," Blaine explained cheerfully, making a quick correction to the arrangement in his notebook.

"Well, maybe we don't have to," Sam countered, leaning on the piano. "I mean, everybody seems to be having so much fun with them out on the table, you know, maybe life's just better this way."

"I don't know about that," Blaine said skeptically. "I think if we always indulged ourselves in that kind of thing I think we'd make a lot of people pretty uncomfortable."

"You don't have to be uncomfortable," Sam said seriously.

Blaine looked up at him as a spark of panic flared inside him.

"Dude, it's okay," Sam reassured him. "I– I get it. Your guilty pleasure is me."

Blaine couldn't make his brain engage fast enough to say anything, so he stammered out a nervous "um" and fell silent.

"I mean, I've known all year," Sam continued, "and, you know, frankly, I'm an attractive guy and you _are_ into dudes and if you weren't into me I'd probably be pretty offended."

Blaine stared down at the piano keys as Sam spoke, ashamed and strangely relieved that Sam had known about his crush all along. Sam was so _calm_.

"Um," Blaine said, full of apprehension. "You're not... freaked out?" he finally looked up at Sam and tried not to get too flustered as he attempted to explain himself. "Because I don't want to jeopardize our friendship. I mean, you've been there for me throughout this whole Kurt thing and it's been a very –"

"Dude, okay, just stop!" Sam tried to interrupt as Blaine spoke. "No, don't do that – _stop_!" Sam commanded, and Blaine cut himself off so Sam could say, "Nothing is going to change."

Blaine exhaled heavily, trying to release some of his embarrassment. He dropped his gaze back to the piano.

"Okay?" Sam pressed. "We're like brothers. I trust you." Sam suddenly looked and sounded a little amused. "And, you know, to tell you the truth," he said, "the attention feels kinda good. It's flattering."

Blaine smiled and ducked his head slightly. He could barely process what that Sam was saying. Every time Blaine had imagined Sam finding out about his crush, the conversation had ended with the implosion of their friendship. Blaine had never known a straight guy who was so comfortable with his gay friend having a crush on him. He didn't know what to say.

"Hug it out," Sam demanded. "Let's go! Come on! Hug it out!"

Blaine stood up and Sam quickly dragged him into a tight hug. Blaine hugged him back, hoping that the action somehow expressed how grateful he felt.

"Um," Sam said suddenly, his voice tinged with unease, "Dude, um, please tell me that is a pack of Life Savers in your pocket."

"Oh!" Blaine pulled out of the hug. "Yeah, no, they're breath mints. Do you want one?

"Yeah, sure," Sam agreed, and Blaine gave him one. "Alright, mmm, thanks. Alright, let's go lead one more class. I have a song that everyone's gonna love, so..."

"Wait up!" Blaine called as Sam rushed away before Blaine was finished gathering his things. He snatched his notebook off the top of the piano and rushed after his friend.

"_Mamma Mia!_" Sam announced to the group as he and Blaine walked into the choir room.

"Oh my god, I saw that movie three times in two days," Tina approved as the other girls squealed their support.

"It was so weird seeing Pierce Brosnan singing," Jake commented. Ryder hid his face in his hands.

"But," Sam said, "you liked it anyway. Everyone did. Am I right?" he turned to Blaine.

"You're right," Blaine agreed, smiling at the calm affection he saw in Sam's eyes.

They were still friends. Everything was going to be okay.

"Alright, then!" Sam announced, pointing in the direction of the door. "Let's go, everyone! Time to get ABBA-fied!"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt and Santana were engrossed in a _Facts of Life_ marathon – snuggling with their boyfriend and girlfriend pillows on the couch – when Rachel arrived home. She and Kurt had eaten lunch together at NYADA earlier in the day, and Rachel had told him not to wait around for her after class because she was going to talk to Brody before coming home. Ever since, a little part of Kurt had been worrying about what kind of emotional state Rachel would be in when she returned to the apartment.

"Okay, we have to turn this into a musical so I can play Jo," Santana commented on the television show as Rachel walked through the doorway.

"Can I be Blair and we can do a duet?" Rachel asked. The question, and Rachel's tone of voice, offered Kurt a glimmer of hope that whatever had happened with Brody had not been terribly traumatizing for his friend. He paused the show and he and Santana turned their attention to Rachel.

"Well, that depends on what happened with you and the American Psycho," Santana replied.

"Yeah, we had a pretty mature and honest conversation," Rachel said evenly as she walked over to sit in a chair near Kurt. "You know, we decided that we're obviously going to be professional because we're gonna see each other all the time and be in each other's lives because we go to the same school. But, um... but yeah. It's over. For real."

Rachel paused, and Kurt glanced at Santana.

"And, you know, I really have you to thank," Rachel spoke again, her eyes trained on Santana. "Because you didn't give up and you were really trying to make me see and I– I appreciate you getting Finn to come and defend my honor. I know that was you, so..."

Kurt and Santana shared a glance that expressed pleasant surprise that Rachel had taken the news of Finn's trip to New York so well.

"I swear, I will never doubt your Mexican psychic third eye ever again," Rachel finished.

Rachel leaned back into her chair, and Kurt untangled himself from Bruce so he could lean over and rub Rachel's knee. He was glad that she was so calm – maybe, he wondered, she had known this was coming even if she didn't want to admit it – but he was still worried about her.

"Why the long face?" he teased. "You've got a hot boyfriend pillow in there named Colin. I named him Colin after the non-threatening boy in _The Secret Garden_ because I know how much you loved it."

Rachel smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Don't be sad," Kurt encouraged, trying to gain some insight into Rachel's emotional state.

"I'm not," Rachel reassured him. "I'm good. I feel ready, you know? I'm ready for my _Funny Girl_ audition and to maybe start seeing older guys..."

Kurt knew she was going to be okay as she grinned at her own suggestion.

"And I'm definitely ready for our new and permanent roommate," Rachel added, pointing at Santana.

Part of Kurt wanted to argue that Rachel had not consulted him before offering Santana a permanent home in their apartment, but he didn't mind that much. The longer Santana was around, the more he realized that he knew how to deal with her. She was a good friend. And she _was_ smart about people. Plus, Kurt knew, it would be difficult to go back to paying half the rent when he was so used to paying a third of the rent, and he _really_ didn't want another stranger moving in with them. Santana could stay.

"But!" Rachel threw a hand out. "I'm gonna use the pity card just for a second, since I'm the one who is heartbroken and going through a break up and finding out that my boyfriend was some weirdo man whore. I'm gonna get to pick the movie tonight, okay?" She stood up and walked to the bookshelf where some of their DVDs were stored. "And I think we should pick the best guilty pleasure movie musical ever..."

She turned around with _Mamma Mia!_ in her hands.

It ended up being more of a sing-and-dance-along than a regular movie night. Kurt, Rachel, and Santana danced and sang to nearly every song, making up simple choreography to some of the group numbers and goofing off with hula hoops and anything else they could think of to use as a prop. By the end of the movie, Kurt felt happy and hopeful for the future. Despite the upheaval in their lives over the past few months, they had each other and they were starting to settle into the New York life they had always dreamed of.

"I think," Santana laughed as she collapsed onto the couch and Rachel turned off the television, "I might be missing New Directions a tiny bit right now."

Kurt looked at Rachel, and he could see that she agreed. But, before he could say anything, Santana pointed at the empty space between Kurt's and Rachel's bedrooms.

"You _do_ know that we're going to spend this weekend making me a proper bedroom, right?" she told Kurt and Rachel. "'Cause my back can't take much more of this couch."

They all laughed and went their separate ways to get ready for bed. As Kurt pulled the curtain that served as the boundary to his bedroom closed, he caught sight of Rachel through a little gap in her curtain. She looked peaceful, curled up in bed with Colin's arm wrapped securely around her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is such an enjoyable episode! Not much going on in terms of advancing the overall plot, but the music is amazing and the guilty pleasures theme was executed wonderfully! (Seriously, can Blaine and Sam just run New Directions all the time?) Plus, could Sam be ANY sweeter? The SamBlaine dynamic this season is just the BEST.**_

_**And, despite the fact that they don't interact at all, I think this is an interesting episode for Klaine. To some extent, both of their individual storylines in this episode are about their relationship (or current lack thereof!). They miss each other. Kurt's dealing with the loneliness by sleeping with Bruce the boyfriend pillow at night and Blaine's dealing with the loneliness by projecting his feelings onto Sam. At this point, Kurt and Blaine just need to start talking again and get reacquainted... :)**_

_**Up next... 4x18: Shooting Star.**_


	57. 4x18: Shooting Star

_**Watching this episode again now, knowing what's coming up for the Glee family in terms of Cory's/Finn's death... it's hard. Finn isn't in this episode (the actual episode or this chapter), but wow. It's all I could think about. Also, this episode as a whole is so well done. Blaine knocking the metronome off the piano so it could tick-tick-tick during the lockdown is really something. Anyway, here we go...**_

_**A reminder: this episode deals with the issue of gun violence at school.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

When Mr. Schu returned to McKinley after recovering from a severe case of the flu, he brought with him a letter that named New Directions' competition for Regionals. A high school glee club from Indianapolis called the Hoosierdaddies and the Nuntouchables, a glee club made up of nuns from Michigan. But, before Mr. Schu could finish his comments about New Directions' chances against the two groups, Brittany interrupted.

"Mr. Schu, please stop talking. I have an announcement."

The group humored her.

"I regret to inform you," Brittany stated, "a deadly asteroid is headed our way."

For a moment, everyone just stared at her.

"Wait," Blaine said with a disbelieving shake of his head, "didn't we just go through this at Christmas?"

"Yeah," Tina added, "and is it true you and Sam got married? Did that happen?"

"Shut up, Tina," Brittany scolded. "I'm naming this comet Tubbington-Bopp and it is headed straight for Lima."

"Wait," Artie protested, "so is it an asteroid or a comet?"

"It's both," Brittany explained.

"Wouldn't NASA know something about this?" Marley suggested.

"Well, we can't trust NASA," Brittany told the group. "I mean, last month, a meteor exactly like Tubbington-Bopp hit Russia with no warning at all."

"Oh," Artie commented in a tone of voice that suggested he was rapidly running out of patience, "so now it's a meteor."

"That's right, Artie," Brittany snapped back, "and when this meteorite hits, I will not be spending my time in this room preparing for Regionals. I will be spending my last hours making amends with somebody who I need to get right with. Somebody who I love very much. Lord Tubbington."

She made a few final comments about hiding everyone's wives before saluting the group and walking out of the auditorium.

"Is she serious?" Jake questioned as soon as she was out of earshot. "Sometimes... it's hard to tell."

"She's serious," Sam replied unhappily.

"Well," Mr. Schu said, "we'll deal with Tubbington-Bopp tomorrow. Today, we need to work on –"

"There is no Tubbington-Bopp to deal with," Blaine interrupted, frustrated that they were wasting time on what would inevitably be a non-issue. "I know we humor her sometimes because she's our friend, but this is –"

"Not your decision," Mr. Schu scolded.

Blaine shook his head in dissatisfaction, crossed his arms across his chest, and decided not to continue the argument. It wasn't worth it. Maybe Brittany would be over Tubbington-Bopp by the next afternoon and they could focus on more important things.

She wasn't.

She was still talking about the rapidly-approaching threat from space the next day at lunch. And as Blaine walked past her on his way into the choir room for glee rehearsal. Blaine ignored her and found a seat at the back of the room to chat with Ryder and Kitty until Mr. Schu arrived.

"Show of hands," Mr. Schu announced as he walked into the room, "who's worried about Brittany's meteor/asteroid/comet prediction?"

Sam raised his hand, and Unique threw her hand up briefly, but everyone else remained still. Blaine couldn't believe they were giving Brittany's baseless prediction a second thought.

"Okay, well, here's how I see it," Mr. Schu said, settling into a chair among the students. "There are two possible outcomes. First, the meteor misses us and we go to Regionals and we kick butt, which will only happen if we prepare. Or, we only have a few days to live. And, if that's the case, we need to say everything we need to say to the people we love. I can tell you – from those couple of weeks when I couldn't talk to Emma – that there is nothing worse than unfinished business with the one you love. And, meteor or no meteor, any moment you have with those people might be your last one."

Blaine thought about Kurt. They still weren't talking, and Blaine knew he would regret how things had ended between them if something terrible happened to either of them. Blaine's plan when it came to Kurt was to wait and let Kurt come back to him when Kurt was ready. Trusting that, with time, they would be together again. But what if they didn't have time? The thought was unbearable, so Blaine focused on what Mr. Schu was saying.

"Bruce Springsteen always says that he plays every show as if it's his last and _that_ is the kind of urgency we need at Regionals this year!" Mr. Schu said as he stood up and walked to the white board. He wrote _Last Chance_. "So, this week we're either going to sing our last songs to each other or get in touch with what it feels like to do that. Okay everyone, let's make the most of it."

Blaine had to admit, it was a good lesson plan. As the group dispersed, Blaine couldn't stop thinking about the idea of a _last chance_ with Kurt. What if they never got a last chance? One of them could die. Kurt could find someone else to love. When Kurt had started dating Adam, Blaine had been convinced that it was just a rebound relationship. That Adam was just a placeholder for Blaine while Kurt's heartbreak healed. But now he wasn't _sure_.

Maybe, Blaine thought, he should call Kurt. Passively waiting for Kurt to figure things out wasn't working, and they weren't on speaking terms as it was, so what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That afternoon, Kurt and Rachel were alone in one of NYADA's dance studios, practicing various ballroom dances together, when Kurt's ringtone filled the room.

"Hold on..." Kurt rushed over to his bag.

"Who is it?" Rachel inquired as Kurt found his phone and glanced at the screen to see who was calling.

"It's Blaine," Kurt glanced up at Rachel from where he was crouched beside his bag. She waved her hand at him, telling him to answer it, but Kurt dropped the phone back into his bag and stood up.

"If it's important, he'll leave a voicemail," Kurt suggested as Rachel scowled at him.

His phone beeped to let him know he had a voicemail before he had finished walking back to where Rachel was standing.

"Kurt," she scolded.

"It's... _no_." Kurt resisted. "I'm busy. It can wait."

"Okay," Rachel agreed, a glint in her eyes betraying her attempt at nonchalance. "But just, hold on, I need to make a call..."

"Rachel Berry," Kurt hurried after her as she walked to her bag, "if you even _think_ about calling him I am going to –"

Rachel held up her phone and offered a silent ultimatum.

"_Fine_," Kurt huffed, leaning over to pull his phone out of his bag and listen to Blaine's voicemail. He didn't object as Rachel leaned close to him so she could hear it, too.

"_Hey,_" Blaine said, sounding a little nervous but also a little excited, "_I was just thinking about you and wondering how you are. So, I wanted to say that I miss you and I love you and I hope everything is wonderful in New York. Okay, bye._"

"Oh my god, _Kurt_, that was sweet!" Rachel nudged him with her elbow. "Call him back."

"Can we just step back in time briefly and remember how open _you_ were to people trying to tell you what to do in your relationship in recent months?" Kurt reminded her.

"Oh," Rachel teased, "so we're talking about your _relationship_ here?"

"We are no longer friends," Kurt pouted.

"Yes we are," Rachel grinned as she turned around and walked back into the open space in the middle of the room, "and you should call him."

"I'll think about it," Kurt allowed, annoyed that Rachel could so obviously tell that he _wanted_ to talk to Blaine despite his protests.

"Good enough," Rachel motioned for him to join her so they could continue dancing together.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That night, Blaine was in the middle of his math homework when Sam called.

"Hey," Blaine answered, grateful for the distraction.

"Dude, you have to help me," Sam said.

Blaine frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked, unable to read Sam's tone of voice.

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "Or, _yes_, but no."

"Okay...?" Blaine waited for Sam to explain himself.

"It's Brittany," Sam said. "She's convinced that Lord Tubbington doesn't love her."

"Lord Tubbington is a cat," Blaine snorted, "who is very well fed. I'm sure he loves her."

"Yeah, but she doesn't think so!" Sam argued. "And I kind of... well, I volunteered New Directions to help serenade him for her."

"Him?" Blaine asked before his brain caught up. "You want us to sing to Lord Tubbington?"

"I was trying to think of something to make her feel better and it just kind of slipped out!" Sam said. "You know, the whole 'sing your feelings' thing."

Blaine laughed. "So," he allowed, "how can I help?"

"We've gotta convince everyone to sing with us," Sam explained.

Blaine couldn't say no, so they got to work texting and calling everyone. Blaine decided that the best way to convince the group was to make their plan about removing a distraction, so the argument became "we need to help Brittany feel better about this so she can focus".

Everyone agreed, albeit reluctantly, and Blaine and Sam stayed up late planning the whole thing. And then, the next day, New Directions sang _More Than Words_ to Lord Tubbington in the auditorium after school. Blaine was proud of the group; nobody laughed as they stood on the stage and sang to a cat. When the song ended, Blaine glanced at Sam to see if the performance had lived up to Sam's expectations. Sam was watching Brittany, so Blaine couldn't tell what he was thinking as Brittany scooped Lord Tubbington into her arms and hugged him.

"Thank you all," Brittany said, turning to face the other students with Lord Tubbington in her arms. "Lord Tubbington is pleased with this tribute."

She turned and walked out of the auditorium and Sam hurried after her.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kitty asked as soon as they were both gone.

"This _is_ especially crazy," Unique added.

"Sam wanted our help," Blaine shrugged.

"I guess," Kitty rolled her eyes. "So, are we done here?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed. He motioned around them at the candles they had set up for the performance. "Let's clean this up and then we're done."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine predicted, the whole Tubbington-Bopp idea was irrelevant by the time the group started to gather in the choir room for the rehearsal the following day. Brittany announced that Tubbington-Bopp had been a false alarm – she had fallen victim to a dead bug inside her telescope, which was actually a kaleidoscope – and that was the end of it. Everyone settled into their seats to wait for the few students who were still making their way to the choir room from their last classes of the day.

"Hey, Will?" Coach Bieste said as she walked through the doorway. "You wanted to see me?"

"We wanted you to join us for our first annual 'thank God the world isn't ending' glee practice," Mr. Schu explained.

"It's where I can throw Junior Mints at Marley without feeling bad about it again," Kitty commented as she walked into the room.

"Sit down," Mr. Schu scolded.

Mr. Schu and Coach Bieste stood together in the middle of the room and spoke quietly for a moment, and Blaine couldn't hear them. He zoned out a little, only vaguely paying attention when Mr. Schu turned his attention back to New Directions.

"Alright!" Mr. Schu announced, "let's get started!"

A loud _bang_ echoed through the room, the sound coming from somewhere down the hallway, and the sound of screams and running footsteps quickly followed. Blaine and the rest of New Directions froze, unclear about what had caused the noise.

Until it happened a second time.

It sounded like gunfire.

Mr. Schu sprung into action. "Everyone spread out and hide," he instructed, motioning with his hands for the students to find hiding places around the room. Coach Bieste ran to close and lock the doors and turn off the lights. "Spread out and hide!"

Blaine jumped out of his chair and was immediately concerned about Artie. In his wheelchair, he couldn't move around in small spaces as well as the rest of them. Blaine ran to the piano and tried to push it against the wall to create a barrier between one of the doors and where he and Artie were going to sit against the wall near the whiteboard, but it was too heavy. The piano jolted just enough to throw the metronome off onto the floor, and Blaine knew it was a losing battle. Changing his plan, he grabbed Artie, lifted him out of his wheelchair, and placed him with his back against the front wall of the choir room. If something happened, Blaine decided, he would make sure Artie was okay. Blaine sat down in front of Artie with his back against the piano and pulled his knees up to his chest.

Silence fell over the room as everyone strained to hear what was going on outside the now-locked doors. The only sound was the ticking of the metronome Blaine had knocked onto the floor.

With the initial surge of panic subsiding, Blaine realized they didn't even know what had happened. Maybe something had fallen from the ceiling.

"Are we even sure those were gunshots?" he asked.

The group turned on him with a chorus of frantic hisses to be quiet, and Blaine felt as if the fear that flooded through him was going to suffocate him.

Marley started crying, and Mr. Schu quickly intervened.

"Hey, guys, guys," Mr. Schu said, standing up so everyone could hear his soft voice. "Guys, start texting, tweeting. Let everyone know what's going on. But don't tell them we're here, alright? Shooters have smart phones, too."

Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket and made sure it was on vibrate before sending his text messages.

He texted his parents. _There's something going on at school. Possibly someone with a gun, but we don't know. We're locked in the choir room. Safe for now. I love you._

He texted Cooper. _Love you, Coop. I'm glad you're my brother. I want to come out to LA to see you sometime soon._

"Look, guys, we're all just going to stay here, okay?" Mr. Schu reassured them as they all typed quickly into their phones. "We've got nowhere to be. We don't know what's out there."

He texted Kurt. _There were gunshots in the hallway during glee rehearsal. We're locked in the choir room. Don't hear anything now. Just hiding and waiting. I love you._

He texted Tina, who wasn't in the choir room. _Are you safe? We're hiding in the choir room. Okay for now._

There was an unidentifiable noise from the hallway, and everyone jumped. The silence quickly returned, but nobody relaxed.

He went to Twitter. _Possible gunman at McKinley. Call the police._

The sound of someone's phone vibrating startled the group – it sounded unbearably loud – and Blaine quickly switched his phone to silent to avoid the same mistake.

"I love you guys," Mr. Schu said, his voice tense but calm.

Abruptly, the sound of someone running in the hallway filled the room, and everyone held perfectly still. The person in the hallway tried to open the door to the choir room, rattling it violently, before running to the second door and doing the same. Blaine pressed his free hand into his face, trying to control the fear, and clutched his phone. Nobody had texted him back yet. The footsteps ran away, and something slammed loudly a few seconds later. Everyone jumped. Blaine thought it sounded like a door slamming closed, but all he could think about was _what if_ it had been another gunshot?

He put his phone in his pocket so he would stop looking at it every two seconds. It was the middle of the afternoon. Everyone was busy.

"It's okay," Coach Bieste said as a few of the students started crying loudly enough to be heard. "Shh, it's okay."

Suddenly, Mr. Schu was hissing Sam's name in disapproval, and Blaine turned to see Sam trying to stand up near the door where Mr. Schu and Coach Bieste were sitting. Mr. Schu tried to force Sam to sit down, but Sam frantically explained that Brittany was out there – she had gone to the bathroom without her phone – and he wanted to get her. Mr. Schu struggled with him – "sit _down_!" – and managed to push Sam down to sit near Blaine and Artie. Artie grabbed Sam's shirt and pulled him closer. Further away from the door.

"Tina isn't here, either," Blaine said softly, glancing at Sam. Sam looked defeated, and Blaine wrapped his arms around the back of his head and dropped his head onto his knees. He was so scared.

When Marley and Kitty had a brief conversation about Marley's mom being stuck in the kitchen with no way out, Blaine and the others had no choice but to hear it. Blaine thought of the sweet lunch lady and hoped that she was okay.

Then, Kitty confessed that she had taken in Marley's costumes when they had been doing _Grease_ so Marley would think she was gaining weight. Instead of fueling anger inside him as it might have in any other circumstance, the confession just enhanced Blaine's fear. She was confessing because she was afraid she'd never get another chance. They could die here in the choir room on what had otherwise been a normal school day.

Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket and found new text messages waiting for him.

From his mom: _You're going to be just fine, sweetheart, hang in there. They're saying on the news that nobody has seen the shooter, so it may be a false alarm. I love you. Your dad and I are so proud of you. Keep doing what you're doing and listen to what your teacher says. Keep me updated if you can._

From Tina: _I'm outside. Everyone's being forced to stay back. Is everyone else there with you? Are you still okay?_

There were also quite a few replies to his message on Twitter. People letting him know that the police were definitely there and people offering support and worry.

Blaine quickly responded to both his mother and Tina, letting them know that things were still the same. As he finished, there was a commotion where Marley, Jake, and Kitty were sitting, and Blaine turned his head just in time to watch Kitty break free of their hiding place and run across the room to Unique and Ryder.

Sam jumped to his feet. Blaine tried to grab him, but he wasn't fast enough. Sam rushed toward the door.

Both Mr. Schu and Coach Bieste protested, getting between Sam and the door, but Sam was panicking. At first the argument was frantic but relatively quiet, but then it got out of hand.

"I don't care! No! Let go of me!" Sam shouted as Mr. Schu and Coach Bieste physically restrained him. Sam fought their grasp, and it was _so_ loud. Blaine buried his face in his hands, terrified, as Mr. Schu clasped a hand over Sam's mouth. As he struggled, Sam knocked over a small trophy on a shelf on the wall, and the sound of it falling over sounded so loud that Blaine felt physically ill.

"Sam, listen! You are putting everybody's life in danger!" Coach Bieste cut off Sam's verbal protests as Mr. Schu held him still. "Look at them. Look at them. Look at them."

Blaine wrapped his arms around his bent legs and buried his face in his knees. He had never been so afraid.

"Sam, it's okay," Coach Bieste said, more calmly, as Sam started to cry. "It's okay, Sam. Go sit. Go sit with Artie."

Blaine lifted his head as Sam fell back into a seated position beside Artie. Mr. Schu knelt down beside Sam, keeping a hand on Sam's shoulder to keep him in place. Blaine watched his friend's face for a moment, but Sam wouldn't look at him, so Blaine stared at the wall and strained to hear if anything was happening in the hallway.

He couldn't hear anything but the constant ticking of the metronome.

As Ryder crawled across the room to take Kitty's old place by Jake and Marley, Blaine checked his phone again. He had another encouraging message from his mom and an unusually serious message from Cooper: _Keep your head down, little brother. You're going to be okay._

Still nothing from Kurt. Blaine knew he was probably in class or at work and just hadn't looked at his phone, but every second that went by without a message from Kurt felt like a missed opportunity.

_I miss you so much,_ Blaine texted Kurt, wondering if maybe Kurt just hadn't heard his phone buzzing when Blaine's first text came in. _I'm so sorry for everything._

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and glanced up just in time to see Artie pull a little video recorder out of his bag. He switched it on and aimed it at Blaine.

"Artie, what're you doing?" Blaine disapproved.

"If we don't get out of here," Artie whispered, "people need to see this."

Blaine couldn't let himself _really_ think about the possibility of not getting out of the choir room alive. He waved his hand to ask Artie not to film him and buried his face in his arms, pulling his knees close to his chest.

"Does anybody have anything they want to say?" Artie whispered to the group.

"Yeah, me," Ryder said quietly. Blaine heard the sound of Artie shuffling to turn a little so he could film Ryder.

In the otherwise silent room, Ryder's words burned into Blaine's brain as he spoke them.

"I love you, Dad. Thanks for, like, everything. And I know I don't always let you know it, but you've taught me a lot."

As Artie's camera made its way to Marley and Jake, Blaine squeezed his knees to his chest and kept his face hidden as the thought of how his father would react if he died overwhelmed him. He and his father didn't always get along as well as Blaine wished they would; Blaine always felt as if the issue of his sexuality colored his dad's opinion of him. They didn't argue about it much anymore – Blaine thought maybe his father had resigned himself to just dealing with Blaine's gayness – but Blaine wished they were closer. After spending so much time with Burt Hummel over the past few months, Blaine knew that _that_ was the kind of warmth he wanted his own children to feel from him as a father. If he ever had the chance to have children.

Blaine lifted his head just long enough to check his phone. No new messages.

The other students started crawling over to Artie to say their goodbyes and last words to the camera, and Blaine buried his face again. Unique encouraged everyone to be true to themselves. Kitty told her parents she loved them and admitted that this year was the best of her life so far.

Blaine lifted his head as Artie turned the camera on Sam and Coach Bieste whispered for them to turn it off.

Sam reached out and grabbed the camera from Artie and stopped the recording. Artie looked unhappy, but he didn't verbally protest. Instead, he just grabbed the camera back, turned it back on, and held it out to film himself.

"I just want to say that I've had the best experience of my entire life in this room and that I love these people more than anything," Artie said to the camera.

Then, he turned the camera back to Blaine.

"No," Blaine shook his head. He couldn't say goodbye like this. He couldn't die like this.

"Actually..." Sam whispered as if he had just realized something. He motioned for Artie to film him.

"Mom, Dad," Sam said, "I love you guys and there is a cat in my backpack in my locker. Please feed her for me."

Blaine blinked at him, confused, but couldn't find enough humor to laugh.

"Okay," Mr. Schu said quietly to the group as Artie put his camera away, "things are quiet in the hallway. I'm going to go to the girls' bathroom and get Brittany."

"I'm gonna lock the door behind him," Coach Bieste reassured the group.

"Coach Bieste is in charge," Mr. Schu explained firmly as he walked to the door. "I love you guys. Be right back."

He left the room, and the click of Coach Bieste locking the door behind him didn't do much to ease Blaine's anxiety.

"I want to call her," Ryder suddenly whispered to Jake. After a short conversation, Ryder decided to call the number of the girl who had been texting him over the past few weeks, and Blaine understood. This could be his last chance.

As Ryder lifted his phone to his ear, someone's phone rang where it had been left behind on one of the choir room chairs.

Blaine was quick to join the chorus of voices urging Ryder to hang up as the sound reverberated through the quiet room. After a few rings, Ryder did end the call and the silence returned, but it was short lived. Someone knocked on the door, and Blaine and the others jumped in surprise and fear even though they had been waiting for Mr. Schu to return with Brittany.

As soon as Mr. Schu and Brittany, plus two extra students, came through the door, Sam jumped up and ran to Brittany. As they embraced, Blaine struggled not to cry. He still hadn't heard from Kurt.

From far away, someone suddenly shouted "all clear!" and all the adrenaline and panic that had been building up inside of Blaine flowed out of him as the person shouted the words again and he realized they were safe.

They were going to live.

Someone turned on the light, and then everyone was hugging. Blaine grabbed Sam and burst into tears as they clung to each other.

Eventually, they joined a big group hug, and Mr. Schu told them he loved them.

"You guys were awesome," Coach Bieste added.

As soon as he stepped out of the group hug, Blaine knew he had to call his mom. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

"Blaine?" she answered quickly, her voice as anxious as Blaine anticipated.

"Hey, Mom," Blaine said tearfully, leaning back against the front wall of the choir room.

"_Blaine_," his mother breathed. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Still at school," Blaine managed to choke out. "It's okay. There's no shooter."

After he finished reassuring his mom that he was okay and that he was fine to drive home, Blaine gave his friends in the choir room one more round of hugs – holding especially tight to Sam – before hurrying out to the parking lot to find Tina.

She was waiting by his car. They hugged and cried and gave each other short accounts of what they had experienced during the chaos, and then Blaine insisted that they would talk more the next day because he had to drive home.

The journey felt strangely normal. It was the same route as always. The same car, the same music on the radio. But, at the same time, everything felt different. And, unlike usual, when he got home and walked through the front door, both of his parents were waiting for him.

They hugged and cried, and then Blaine sat in the kitchen and chatted with his father while his mother hurried to make Blaine's favorite meal. They had dinner together – interrupted by a call from Cooper, who wanted to know what it felt like to have a near-death experience ("It wasn't a _near-death experience_, Coop!" Blaine argued) – and ended up spending almost three hours just _talking_ in a way they hadn't talked in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After a nearly two hour dance class late that afternoon, Kurt went straight to NYADA's small gym to shower. He took his time letting the hot water relax his muscles, his mind still caught up in the dance class and all the things he was learning about dance as an art form, before drying off and putting on a casual outfit for the train ride back to Bushwick.

As he walked across campus toward the nearest train station, Kurt realized that he couldn't remember if he was supposed to meet Rachel so they could ride home together or if she was staying late. He dug into his bag for his phone.

He had four missed calls – one from his father, one from Tina, and two from Rachel – and more than twenty new text messages.

Kurt stopped walking and leaned his back against one of NYADA's buildings as he read the text messages. His hands shook as he experienced the progression of events through everyone's texts.

He read Blaine's messages last.

_There were gunshots in the hallway during glee rehearsal. We're locked in the choir room. Don't hear anything now. Just hiding and waiting. I love you._

_I miss you so much. I'm so sorry for everything._

Then, almost an hour later: _The police came and couldn't find anyone with a gun, so we've been released. Nobody's hurt. On my way home now. Hope your day has been less crazy than mine._

Kurt's eyes had barely passed over the little red heart icon Blaine had added to the end of his message before he was dialing Blaine's number.

The call went straight to voicemail, and Kurt tried to sound as calm as possible as he left a message.

"Hey, I just got out of class and saw your texts. Can... will you call me back? I– uh, thanks. Bye."

As he hung up, Kurt shook his head disapprovingly at the awkward message. He needed to calm down. Even though he knew that Blaine – that _everyone_ – was okay, it was unnerving to know that something could have happened. Something that might've meant that he could never speak to Blaine again.

Kurt knew that he had been holding onto the idea of not talking to Blaine as a matter of principle. He thought he _should_ want to break away from Blaine, but it wasn't _really_ what he wanted.

"Kurt!"

Rachel's voice broke Kurt out of his thoughts, and he glanced up to see Rachel hurrying down the sidewalk toward him. He stepped away from the building and met her in the middle, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Everyone's okay," Rachel reassured him as they stepped out of the hug. "It was a false alarm."

Kurt nodded. "Blaine's okay," he said, because he needed to hear it out loud.

"Did you talk to him?" Rachel asked, worried.

"Not yet," Kurt explained. "He's driving home, so I guess he'll call me back later."

"He will," Rachel reassured him.

Kurt sighed heavily. "I was going to find you," he said, "to figure out if we're riding home together today."

"We are," Rachel nodded, intertwining their arms for the walk to the train station. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After dinner, Blaine's parents reluctantly agreed to let Blaine out of their sight so he could get ready for bed and spend some time on his computer and phone to make sure all of his friends were okay. After a quick shower, Blaine put on his favorite pajamas and curled up in the chair beside his bed to return Kurt's call.

"Blaine!" Kurt answered almost immediately. The relief in his voice washed over Blaine like a comforting blanket, and his throat suddenly felt tight with emotion.

"I'm sorry I didn't call right back," Blaine said softly.

"Are you-?" Kurt paused briefly before continuing. "It's okay. It's _okay_."

Blaine wiped at his eyes with his free hand. "Happy to hear your voice," he admitted.

"Where's your laptop?" Kurt asked abruptly.

"Uh... right here," Blaine's eyes fell on his computer on his desk. "Video chat?" he asked hopefully.

Kurt hummed an affirmative and Blaine jumped out of his chair to turn on his laptop.

"It's coming on," he explained to Kurt as he settled into his desk chair.

"I'm right here," Kurt said warmly.

As soon as Blaine's computer was ready, Kurt initiated the chat. Kurt's image on the screen – he was still holding his phone to his ear – blurred as tears filled Blaine's eyes.

"Hey," Blaine choked out.

"Hi," Kurt smiled and ended their phone call so he could put his phone down. Blaine tossed his own phone onto his bed and exhaled a shaky, slightly embarrassed laugh as he wiped the tears off his cheeks.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kurt asked. "Or do you want a distraction?"

"I'm sorry I'm so..." Blaine said, trying to explain his tears with a wave of his hand.

"Please don't apologize," Kurt said. "I wish I had been there with you."

"No!" Blaine disagreed immediately. "I'm so glad you weren't. You're safe."

"_You're_ safe, Blaine," Kurt reminded him. "Are your parents there? How are you feeling?"

"Emotional," Blaine's voice cracked at the end of the word and his breath hitched a few times as he tried to keep his tears from turning into a full-blown meltdown. "My parents are downstairs. They... we all cried a lot," Blaine tried to laugh at the absurdity of everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours.

There were tears in Kurt's eyes, too. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Blaine studied Kurt's face and was reminded of how desperately he missed him. "I miss you." Before his brain had time to plan, words were pouring out of his mouth. "I'm sorry I messed up what we had and I don't think I've adequately apologized. I don't think I _could_ ever apologize profoundly enough because what I did was so... _bad_."

Kurt shook his head, more of an attempt to say "it's okay" than to disagree with Blaine's assessment of his infidelity, and Blaine kept going.

"But when I was sitting there thinking that it could be my last moment," Blaine told him, "I didn't think about that. I thought about you. I thought about how _good_ it feels to love you and I thought about being with you and how _safe_ I feel when you're around."

Kurt wiped furiously at his tear-filled eyes as Blaine stopped for a moment to breathe.

"And I miss you," Blaine added. "I miss you _so_ much, Kurt. I miss the future we planned together even though it hasn't even happened yet. And– and I'm so proud of you. You're the most interesting, kindest, smartest man I know and... just in case I never get another chance to say it."

"_Blaine_," Kurt scolded.

"You don't have to say anything," Blaine reassured him. "I just wanted you to hear me say those things."

Kurt studied Blaine's face on the screen for what felt like an eternity before he spoke again.

"It's hard for me to forget," Kurt admitted. "What happened. But if anything had– I– there are things I want you to know, too."

Blaine wrung his hands in his lap and waited for Kurt to continue.

"You always make me feel like I'm the only person who matters in the whole world," Kurt said, and Blaine knew he was omitting the one time when that had aggressively _not_ been the case. "And I know you hate when I say this, but I'm not sure I would have survived high school without you."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt paused just long enough for Blaine to interrupt.

"I don't want to be your high school boyfriend," Blaine argued gently.

"I know," Kurt acknowledged. He dropped his gaze to his hands in his lap and tried to decide what he wanted to say. He loved Blaine so much that it still felt like a physical wound opening up inside his body when he thought about what had happened between them. Every time he felt like he was relaxing and allowing himself to open up to Blaine again, his brain snapped at him that Blaine couldn't be trusted. Blaine had committed an unforgivable act. But seeing Blaine's tear-streaked face after facing the possibility of being killed at school made Kurt want to throw all his caution away and start again. He felt trapped in a battle between his head and his heart.

"You could've died," Kurt said softly. "And I'm trying to figure out what I would've regretted not saying."

"There's nothing you should regret," Blaine argued. "You always do the right thing."

"I broke up with Adam," Kurt blurted.

"Oh," Blaine said, his voice and face suddenly unashamedly hopeful despite the tears lingering in his eyes.

Something about his tone of voice lifted Kurt's sorrow away and he suddenly felt much more at ease. Their friendship was still there. _They_ were still there.

"I'm really glad you didn't die today," Kurt said.

Blaine nodded his agreement, and Kurt wished that he could climb through the computer screen and hug him.

"I want to see you when I come back to Lima for my dad's appointment," Kurt said confidently. He knew Blaine probably already had the date of the appointment in his calendar. "But... not like last time," he added.

Blaine's eyes filled with real amusement for the first time since the conversation began, but he said nothing. Kurt chose not to comment.

"Maybe we could get coffee or something," Blaine suggested. "And talk."

Kurt nodded. "I'd like that," he admitted.

"Does this mean the ban on talking is lifted?" Blaine asked lightheartedly.

"Are you seriously going to joke about that?" Kurt tried to be upset and failed. "I was _angry_!"

"But you're not angry now," Blaine said with conviction.

Kurt couldn't stop the rush of warm affection that filled his chest as he watched Blaine's face soften.

"No," he allowed. "I'm not angry now."

"Good," Blaine nodded once, as if that settled everything. Then, he abruptly turned his head and Kurt could tell that someone was talking to him from the doorway to his bedroom.

"I don't know," Blaine said to whoever had interrupted. "I'm talking to Kurt. Yeah... okay."

A moment later, Blaine's mom was leaning over Blaine's shoulder, smiling at Kurt through the webcam.

"Hi, Kurt," she waved.

"Hi," Kurt waved back, smiling as Mrs. Anderson kissed Blaine's cheek before disappearing in the direction of the door.

"She wanted to say hello," Blaine grinned as the door closed behind his mother. Kurt understood the unspoken "she's feeling extra affectionate about everything and everyone after what happened today".

Kurt glanced at the time. "You should get some sleep," he suggested.

He watched as Blaine checked the time and shrugged. "Yeah, probably," he agreed.

"I'm glad you're in my life, Blaine," Kurt told him, a pleasant feeling settling over him as he realized that he wanted to be friends with Blaine and it was okay.

"Me too," Blaine agreed. "Thanks for this," he motioned at the computer screen.

"Goodnight," Kurt waved.

"'Night," Blaine started to wave back, but the motion turned into an attention-grabbing jerk of his hand. "Wait!" Blaine protested as Kurt reached out to end the video chat. Kurt paused, his hand hovering over his mouse, and Blaine leaned closer to his camera so his face filled most of Kurt's screen.

"I'm going to call you tomorrow," he said happily.

Kurt flashed him a toothy smile before ending the call.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine tried to fall asleep, but he could hear the faint sounds of his parents talking downstairs and, when his mother cracked his door open to check on him about an hour after she had stopped by and said hello to Kurt, he gave up on sleeping and invited her into his room. His father came by shortly after.

They stayed up all night. They talked about what had happened. They talked about fond memories and plans for the future. Occasionally, they dozed off for short periods of time – Blaine and his mother were curled up together on Blaine's bed and his father was settled into the chair beside the bed – but they always woke up and talked more.

As a result, Blaine was exhausted the next morning as he got ready for school. As he stepped off the front porch, with both of his parents hovering in the doorway behind him, he was hit with an intense moment of déjà vu. He almost stopped walking, trying to figure out where the feeling had come from, but he pushed past it and walked to his car.

He was halfway to school before he realized that he felt like he was on his way to his first day at Dalton. Unlike his first day back to school after being beaten up at a Sadie Hawkins dance, he was going back to the same school this time, but it was the same kind of anxiety. The worry that maybe he wasn't safe at school.

When he arrived at McKinley, Blaine realized that it was an anxiety shared by the school's administration. Side entrances to the school were locked, forcing everyone to walk through the school's main doors, where new metal detectors had been installed overnight.

There were new security cameras, too, watching everyone in the hallways and in the parking lot and in the courtyard. And the administrators – with policemen and specially trained dogs – were searching every locker in the school.

Unsurprisingly, some students had opted to stay home. The gun that had gone off had not been found, and everyone was on edge.

"I couldn't sleep," Blaine admitted as he and Tina walked together down the hallway before classes began. "Neither could my mom and dad. So we just stayed up all night, talking and crying and hugging each other."

"I know," Tina said. "My parents wanted me to stay home this week. I told them no way."

Blaine had had a similar conversation with his parents that morning before he left, but he had known that he had to go back to school immediately. If he stayed home, the fear of what had happened would just simmer in his mind until it overwhelmed him. Blaine wanted to face the demons before they could take control of him.

"It sounds crazy, Blaine," Tina added as they passed Kitty and Marley hugging at Marley's locker, "but I wanted to be in that choir room with you guys."

"Believe me, you didn't," Blaine disagreed. "It was the most scared I think I've ever been in my life."

"Me too," Tina said, her voice trembling with memories of the day before. "But not because of what was happening, but because I couldn't get to you or do anything to help you or..."

She stopped walking, and Blaine stepped around so he was standing in front of her.

...or even say goodbye," Tina finished.

Blaine felt tears stinging in his eyes as he absorbed the pain in Tina's face. He put a hand on her arm.

"I think the important thing is that nobody got hurt," he tried to comfort them both.

"Yeah," Tina agreed. "And that you know that you're my family. Everybody in that room is my family. And I didn't want the last thing you guys heard from me is some snarky comment about how I never get solos."

Blaine pulled her into a hug, grateful that she was safe – that they were all safe – and that, at least, they could say everything they needed to say to each other now.

"Oh, I love you, Tina," he said, kissing the side of her head as they both cried. "And hey, listen to me," he stepped back from the hug and made sure she was looking at him. "You were there in the choir room with us, okay? You were there."

She nodded, and Blaine grabbed her hand as they continued walking down the hallway.

"Did you talk to Kurt?" Tina asked as they walked toward the auditorium.

"Yes," Blaine replied. "We're still... complicated. But we're talking again."

He paused as he thought about their conversation. It had been emotional and urgent, but it had also felt comfortable. It felt like _them_.

"It's going to work out," he added.

Tina squeezed his hand.

They stopped by their respective lockers so they could put their things away before walking to the auditorium where the students of New Directions were planning to skip a mandatory assembly in favor of a secret glee club meeting. It was Blaine's idea; he had texted everyone the night before to ask them to join him in the auditorium instead of the gymnasium where the assembly was taking place. He wanted them to be together again, as New Directions, so they could sing the final song of the week and just spend time together now that they were safe.

"_Take all of your wasted honor, every little past frustration. Take all of your so-called problems. Better put them in quotations. Say what you need to say. Say what you need to say. Say what you need to say. Say what you need to say._"

Blaine was relieved that he and Kurt were talking again after being out of contact for a few weeks. It felt like a fresh start. A reminder of what was good about their relationship. And Kurt's eagerness to talk and his desire to see Blaine the next time he was in Ohio had reinvigorated the hope and certainty that had sprung up inside of Blaine on Valentine's Day. Kurt loved him. They both knew it. When Kurt returned to Ohio for his father's big medical appointment, Blaine decided, things were going to change between them. Somehow. It was time to stop waiting around for Kurt to spontaneously decide he was ready to rekindle their romance.

"_You better know that, in the end, it's better to say too much than never to say what you need to say again._"

As the song ended, the students looked at each other and there was a brief moment of silence until Blaine and Ryder locked eyes briefly and Ryder had something to say.

"Oh, hey," he motioned at Blaine, "what's up with Coach Sylvester?"

"What?" Blaine asked.

"You're a Cheerio," Ryder shrugged, glancing at Kitty, who was also in her Cheerio uniform.

"I'm pretty sure by 'what?' he meant 'I have no idea what you're talking about'," Kitty commented.

"She quit," Ryder explained. "Or was fired or something. I don't know."

Blaine glanced at Sam to see if he knew anything, but Sam looked as shocked as Blaine felt.

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked as he stood up.

"She said she didn't work here anymore," Ryder clarified. "And she was carrying a box full of stuff, so it looked like she was clearing her office out."

Blaine and Sam excused themselves from the secret rehearsal and ran together through the empty hallways – steering clear of the gymnasium, where the mandatory assembly was still going on – to Sue's office.

It was, as Ryder had assumed, empty.

"Guys!" Mr. Schu's voice suddenly echoed down the empty hallway from behind them, startling both students, and Blaine knees felt weak as a result of the minor surge of fear as he turned to face their teacher. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be at the assembly."

"Sorry, Mr. Schu," Sam apologized.

"What happened to Coach Sue?" Blaine asked, motioning over his shoulder at the empty office.

Mr. Schu's expression hardened as he reached where Blaine and Sam were standing and slowed to a halt.

"The gun was Sue's," he explained sadly.

Blaine and Sam were both so stunned that they just stared at Mr. Schu until he continued.

"She... was cleaning it and it went off," Mr. Schu shrugged, and Blaine knew immediately that he didn't believe the story. "So, she dropped it and it went off again."

"But –" Sam protested.

"That's terrible," Blaine interrupted loudly enough to force Sam to stop talking. "Was she fired?"

"Principal Figgins may have allowed her to resign," Mr. Schu explained, "but I'm not sure. There was no choice, really. There's a strict no-tolerance policy for weapons at this school."

"I can't believe this," Blaine said dramatically.

"Well," Mr. Schu said, "the important thing now is that we're safe, okay? I don't want you guys worrying about any of that."

Blaine and Sam both nodded, and Mr. Schu walked away.

"What was that?" Sam questioned, turning a critical gaze on Blaine.

"I want to look in her office," Blaine explained as he turned around and walked through the doorway into Sue's now-empty office. "And we can't do that with Mr. Schu standing here, so it was best not to argue."

"Ah," Sam understood.

There wasn't much to look at in the office. The two bullet holes were very apparent – one at about waist-level on the wall between the office and the hallway, and another very near the floor near the doorway – but there was little else to suggest what had happened.

"Have you ever shot a gun?" Blaine asked Sam.

"Duh," Sam told him.

"Despite all her crazy," Blaine shook his head, "it seems unlike Coach Sue to have a _gun_ at school. And, if she did, why would she clean it in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Maybe she didn't think it would ever go off like this," Sam shrugged.

Blaine looked at Sam. "This is what we wanted," he said. "But it doesn't feel right."

"Well, hey," Sam responded, "you can quit the Cheerios now. Think of all the extra free time!"

Blaine shook his head.

"I think I'm going to stay for another week, at least," he disagreed, looking around Sue's empty office. "I want to see if I can figure out what went on here."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt was alone in the apartment, sitting on the couch with a huge bowl of popcorn in his lap as a movie kept him company, when his phone rang.

He had been anticipating the call all day, and the sight of Blaine on the screen brought a huge smile to his face. He quickly muted the television before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Blaine said. Kurt grinned at Blaine's tone of voice; he sounded much more himself than he had the previous day.

"You sound better," Kurt commented on the change in tone.

"I feel better," Blaine agreed. "Still a little jumpy – they installed cameras and metal detectors at school, which is going to be a constant reminder of what happened – but I'm going to be fine."

"Metal detectors?" Kurt couldn't believe it.

"Everyone's pretty rattled," Blaine said. "Did you hear about Coach Sylvester?"

"No...?" Kurt replied.

"The gun that went off was hers," Blaine explained. "She's been fired."

"You better not be teasing me right now," Kurt threatened.

"I'm not," Blaine confirmed.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, bewildered, before he realized that he had just fallen into the perfect opportunity to ask a question that had been bouncing around in the back of his mind for weeks.

"Okay," Kurt said, "I know this is serious but I have to ask. Why did you join the Cheerios?"

"Re-join," Blaine reminded him, and a new excitement filled his voice. "Sam and I planned to bring her down from the inside."

"You re-joined the Cheerios to be a spy?" Kurt shook his head, both impressed and amused.

"It was going to work," Blaine said. "I already found out about some of the ridiculous financial perks some of the girls receive. That alone would be enough to disqualify the Cheerios from competing."

Kurt thought about the mattress fiasco of his sophomore year and nodded even though Blaine couldn't see him.

"What about you?" Blaine asked. "How are you? How's NYADA?"

"It's all going surprisingly well," Kurt smiled. "Seriously, winning Midnight Madness opened up some kind of magical portal or something because... this is what I thought New York would be."

Blaine voiced his approval with a content rush of air and Kurt imagined the dreamy look on his face.

"You'll have to come visit sometime soon," Kurt suggested.

"Yeah?" the smile in Blaine's voice was infectious.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "As long as you think you can handle what I am _sure_ will be an endless stream of rude commentary from Santana."

Blaine laughed. "I welcome the challenge," he agreed. "How is Santana? And Rachel? _Funny Girl_ auditions are soon, right? Are you nervous?"

"Okay," Kurt lined up the questions in his mind, "one, Santana is a bitch. One second I hate her and the next second I love her, so I guess she's basically the same as always. Two, Rachel and Brody broke up – it's a long story, I'll tell you layer – and, fortunately, it seems to have reignited Rachel's ambition so I think she's going to kill her audition. Don't tell Santana I said that. And three, I'm not auditioning for _Funny Girl_, as it turns out. I guess I'm not the right age or something. They're not even interested in seeing me."

"I'm sorry," Blaine said, genuinely unhappy.

"It's fine," Kurt acknowledged. "Surprisingly so, actually. I knew it was an extreme long shot when I signed up, and the producer who called let me down gently so my dignity remains intact."

As he spoke, Kurt remembered the bowl of popcorn in his lap. Once he finished his sentence, he grabbed a few pieces and tossed them into his mouth. The sound of his chewing was louder than he anticipated, and he heard Blaine's slight laugh.

"I interrupted a movie, didn't I?" Blaine guessed.

"Well," Kurt said, "it's a movie I've seen before, so it's okay. I'd rather talk to you, anyway."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay, they're talking again! There's no way they didn't have some kind of heartfelt conversation after what happened in this episode. I wish we had gotten to seehear it!**_

_**I'm so curious to know more about Blaine's parents! The only thing we know for sure about either of them (this is the first episode where we get confirmation that Blaine's mom is alive and well!) is that Blaine and his father don't have the warmest relationship in the world. Some people take Blaine's statements from season 2 ("You think my dad built a car with me because he loves cars? I think he did it because he thought getting my hands dirty might make me straight." and "I don't have the relationship with my dad that you have with Kurt.") and make Mr. and Mrs. Anderson out to be borderline abusive in terms of their neglect and lack of warmth/love for their son, but my mental image of them is much gentler. I think they may be a bit older than Burt and Carole – they have a son who is ten years older than Blaine – and perhaps they're just not **_**super**_** affectionate people, overall. And maybe they didn't handle Blaine's coming out as well as they should have (clearly Blaine thinks they could have handled it better in terms of giving him proper sex ed, at the very least), but I don't see any evidence to suggest that Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are anything worse than two people conflicted about how to handle their son's homosexuality. I mean, would two borderline abusive parents stay up all night hugging and crying with their son after a traumatic experience like what happened in this episode? I don't think so. I like to think that they're generally nice people. :)**_

_**Up next... 4x19: Sweet Dreams!**_


	58. 4x19: Sweet Dreams

_**Nothing to say here at the start, so let's jump right in... :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As the week of Rachel's _Funny Girl_ audition arrived, Kurt was hugely relived to find his friend in better spirits than she had been since they arrived in New York. She was channeling all of her energy into preparing for her audition. She had put out all of her Barbara Streisand memorabilia in her bedroom so she would see it every morning when she woke up and every evening before she went to bed. She had started drinking tea at precise hours throughout the day to keep her vocal cords warm and ready for anything. She had sworn off men so she could focus.

And, to Kurt's surprise, Rachel also seemed to want, more than ever, to mend and strengthen her friendships. She initiated a strict rule that she, Kurt, and Santana would have dinner together at their kitchen table every Sunday night. She started hanging out with Kurt at NYADA, fulfilling a dream that had lived in Kurt's head since he moved to New York. He and Rachel were closer now than they had been in months, and Kurt loved it. Rachel was suddenly herself again, with a dash more maturity than when they had been in high school.

"So you're _sure_ you can come with me to the audition this weekend?" Rachel asked on Monday morning as she, Kurt, and Santana ate breakfast.

"Are you kidding?" Kurt scolded. "This is your first _Broadway audition_. I wouldn't miss it."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Rachel asked Santana.

"Oh, I'm sure," Santana rolled her eyes. "I promise, I will display copious amounts of interest when I see you after the fact."

"Your loss," Rachel teased as she stood up and walked to the sink to wash her dishes.

Kurt and Rachel rode the train to Manhattan together, and the NYADA campus was buzzing about _Funny Girl_ all day. Rachel's audition was still days away, but the audition process was already underway and, with so many NYADA students trying out, it was the biggest news of the week.

Rachel fluctuated between utter confidence ("I was _born_ to play this role, Kurt.") and complete despair ("Think about how many people are auditioning, Kurt! Out of _all_ of those people... _me_?), and Kurt made it his mission for the week to keep her spirits up.

When he wasn't texting Blaine.

Since the gun scare at McKinley the week before and Kurt's realization that he wanted Blaine back in his life, they had been catching up almost nonstop. Kurt had reiterated his strict boundary on their relationship – _just friends_ – and had then surrendered to his desire to talk to Blaine as much as he wanted.

And he wanted to talk to Blaine all the time.

Kurt was finally starting to feel like he _really_ wanted them to be friends again. Not because he felt empty without Blaine or because he thought he should, but because he wanted to. Because it felt right. Blaine was definitely on board – he had been all along, Kurt knew – and it felt like a release for Kurt to finally let go and let Blaine back into his life because he _wanted_ Blaine there. It was exciting.

He still wasn't sure about their romantic relationship, but he had decided to wait until he saw Blaine again – in a less than two weeks, when he was going to return to Ohio for a big appointment with his father's doctor – to consider anything beyond their friendship. Until then, he would put the idea of _boyfriend_ out of his mind and just enjoy rediscovering his best friend.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As he passed through McKinley's new metal detectors on Monday morning, Blaine realized that things were never going to be quite the same as they had been before the shooting. Everyone was on edge. Blaine knew the tension would relax as time passed, but some things had changed for good. Everyone felt just a little more guarded.

Sam was already at his locker when Blaine arrived, so Blaine wandered over to say hello.

"Hey, Sam," he greeted his friend, pausing by Sam's locker.

Sam glanced back over his shoulder as if he wasn't sure if Blaine was speaking to him or someone else, and Blaine realized Sam was wearing glasses. He didn't need glasses. He also had an orange sweater tied around his shoulders. It wasn't Sam's normal look.

"Sorry," Sam said in an Australian accent, "Sam's not here."

Blaine tilted his head slightly, unsure if Sam was being serious.

"I'm Evan," Sam said, sticking his arm out so Blaine could shake his hand. "Evan Evans."

"Hi...?" Blaine shook Sam's hand, playing along. "I'm Blaine."

"Nice to meet you, Blaine," Sam said, still hanging onto the Australian accent. "Let me just go find Sam for you..."

He turned and walked away, leaving his locker open and Blaine standing beside it, and disappeared around a corner for a few seconds before reemerging without the glasses or the orange sweater over his shoulders.

"Hey, man!" Sam said in his normal voice, hurrying back to where Blaine was standing. "How's it going?"

"Are you okay?" Blaine wondered.

"I'm great!" Sam smiled brightly. "Did you meet Evan yet? It's crazy; I have an identical twin I never even knew about!"

"You...?" Blaine struggled to keep up. "Okay."

"He just moved here from Australia," Sam elaborated before pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Oh, and he's calling... I've gotta go, see you in class!"

Sam slammed his locker closed and hurried away, and Blaine realized that the incident at the end of the previous week must have affected Sam more than he had let on at the time.

As Blaine turned and walked away from Sam's locker, lost in thought about Sam's strange behavior, he walked right into Artie and jumped in surprise. Artie seemed startled, as well, but neither of them commented on the awkward moment.

The strangeness of the day continued during Blaine's first class, when Principal Figgins included in his daily announcements a few words about the new Cheerios coach.

Roz Washington.

"Didn't she go to North Korea or something?" someone wondered as Blaine asked himself why the administrators had chosen to replace one coach with a history of questionable behavior with another.

Glee rehearsal was just as frustrating.

"Big news, guys!" Mr. Schu announced at the start of the week's first glee club rehearsal. "I just got a direct tweet from the Greater Midwest Regional High School Show Choir board of directors. The theme for this year's Regionals is..." He walked to the whiteboard and wrote the word as he said it. "Dreams!"

"As you know," Mr. Schu reminded the students as he turned and walked back toward them, "some of the past judges we've had haven't been that bright. Or that sober. So, our best bet is to take the dream theme literally. We'll start out with _Dreamweaver_, and then we're segue into _Sweet Dreams_, and we'll bring it home with _You Make My Dreams Come True_!"

Some of the students applauded, but Blaine and a few others didn't.

"Marley, you're frowning," Mr. Schu singled Marley out from the sea of dissenting faces.

"No!" Marley said immediately. Blaine knew she didn't want to receive the brunt of one of Mr. Schu's lectures. "I just don't know any of those songs."

"Well, you'll know them soon enough," Mr. Schu replied pleasantly, "because we're learning them today."

As Mr. Schu started handing out sheet music for the announced set list, Marley cleared her throat and spoke again. "Maybe could we try some original songs? Like you did two years ago?"

"Yeah," Sam said in Evan's Australian accent, "my brother Sam told me you guys totally crushed Regionals two years ago with those sweet tunes."

"Well, S– uh, Evan," Mr. Schu responded, "that was a different time. And a different team."

Blaine glanced around the room. Of the students currently in New Directions, only Artie, Tina, Sam, and Brittany had been part of the group when they had written and performed original songs for Regionals two years earlier. Blaine – and Kurt – had still been at Dalton at the time.

"Mr. Schu, could we at least talk about the set list?" Marley argued. "I mean, when Finn was here, we got to help –"

"Do I have to remind you guys how lucky we are to even be at Regionals?" Mr. Schu cut her off. "We are there on a technicality, which means there is absolutely no room for even the smallest of mistakes."

He looked at Marley. "Trust me," he commanded. He glanced at the rest of the group. "Anybody else have something they want to say?"

Silence.

"Great," Mr. Schu said. "Brad, warm them up!"

Between warming up and the start of actual rehearsal, Blaine managed to send a group text to all the students in New Directions: _Secret meeting in the auditorium after rehearsal. Mandatory._

After they suffered through a particularly boring rehearsal, the group dissipated briefly to give the impression that they were all leaving to go home. Blaine stopped by his locker before walking to the auditorium to meet everyone for his secret meeting. He hammered his gavel on the stage to get everyone's attention as the final few students settled into their seats.

"As honorary Rachel, I would like to convene this secret meeting of the glee club," he announced.

"Ah, Sam's sorry he couldn't make it," Sam said with his Australian accent, his glasses on and the orange sweater around his neck. "He said to tell everyone– oh, just got a text... he's here."

Sam jumped out of his chair and ran out of sight.

"How long are we going to let him do this?" Blaine rolled his eyes as they heard Sam pretending to greet Evan.

"Just let it go," Artie suggested. "It's like waking a sleepwalker; it might kill him."

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" Sam said as he reappeared. "What did I miss?"

"What you missed was Mr. Schu's set list!" Blaine stressed. "It's gonna lose us Regionals!"

"Oh yeah, Evan was saying something about that," Sam replied.

"_Dreamweaver_," Blaine continued, ignoring Sam. "Great song, but it's from 1975. _Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)_: amazing. Released in 1982. _You Make My Dreams Come True_: originally performed in 1981 and then performed by the glee club in a mash-up that we did last year, which Mr. Schu didn't even remember! He's completely lost touch. We're screwed."

"Can I get a witness?" Artie agreed, and Sam threw his hand up. "We need to do current songs. And, if we do, I know we can win."

"Uh, guys?" Marley stood up with a folder full of papers in her hands. "Can I say something? I wrote some songs. What if we performed those?"

Kitty protested, and she and Marley argued briefly until Blaine intervened.

"Alright, alright," he asked for the group's attention. "Alright, let's get serious. We need to start brainstorming. We'll pick a new set list and then we'll break the news to Mr. Schu."

Marley sat down.

They spent about twenty minutes coming up with a list of current songs (they settled on anything released within the previous ten years as their definition of "current" songs) that fit the "dreams" theme. They ended up with seven songs, which Blaine thought was a good number. It would give Mr. Schu some say in the set list; he could choose which three of the seven he thought would work best.

"Do you think he's going to be open to our list?" Tina wondered as she and Blaine walked to the parking lot together after the meeting.

"I don't know," Blaine admitted. "But we have to try."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine got to skip his first class to take Burt to an appointment. It was a short one – just a quick chat with the doctor to assess how Burt was feeling and some blood work that needed to be done – but Burt preferred to have a second pair of eyes and ears there with him at each of his appointments. With Carole at work and Finn engrossed in his first week of college, Burt had called Blaine the night before and asked if, assuming Burt could call McKinley and get him an excused absence, Blaine would take him.

Blaine had been all too eager to help. He loved spending time with Burt.

"How're you holding up?" Burt asked as they sat in the mostly-empty waiting room. "You know, after what happened last week."

"I'm okay," Blaine reassured him. "It was scary, but nobody got hurt, and that's the most important thing."

"Still can't get my head around Sue Sylvester bringing a gun at school with all you kids around," Burt admitted.

"Me neither," Blaine agreed. He and Sam hadn't had a chance yet to look into the situation, but he knew they needed to talk to Becky. She knew more than she was saying.

After a brief silence, Blaine changed the subject. "How're you feeling?"

"Surprisingly full of energy," Burt explained. "I mean, I'm always ready to collapse into bed after work, but that could just be my old age." He grinned, and Blaine smiled in return.

"I hear you and Kurt are talking again," Burt added.

"We are," Blaine tried to stop his smile from getting any wider and failed.

Burt chuckled. "That's good," he approved. "Kurt needs some good stuff in his life right now. He worries about me too much."

Blaine didn't mention that Kurt asked about Burt and his health almost every time they spoke.

"I think that gun scare last week shook Kurt up more than he'll admit," Burt continued. "He sure loves New York, but it's hard enough living away from home for the first time without your dad having cancer and your friends dealing with the possibility of violence at school."

Blaine nodded.

"And, hey, speaking of New York," Burt relaxed his tone of voice, "any news on your NYADA application?"

"I'm waiting to hear back from them," Blaine explained. "Auditions don't start for a few weeks, though."

"You gonna audition nearby or fly to New York?" Burt wondered.

"I'm not sure," Blaine said truthfully.

The _real_ truth was that he desperately wanted to fly to New York to audition _at_ NYADA, but Blaine wasn't sure yet if that would be the best thing for him to do.

"I'm no expert," Burt said kindly, "but I've gotta say I'll be shocked if they don't, at least, make you a finalist or whatever it's called. Your grades are good, right?"

"Yes," Blaine replied.

"And you've got a crazy list of extracurriculars," Burt recalled.

"Fingers crossed," Blaine nodded as a nurse stepped through the door that separated the waiting room from the examination rooms and made eye contact with Blaine, then Burt.

"Mr. Hummel?" she asked kindly. "We're ready for you."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After school, the students of New Directions were all buzzing with anticipation about their alternate set list.

"He's not going to like this," Tina whispered as the group started to assemble in the choir room.

"Who cares?" Sam said, sounding less sure than his words suggested.

They were all silent as Mr. Schu walked into the room.

"Alright, guys, let's get right into it," Mr. Schu said to begin the day's rehearsal. "And remember, the trick is the change in vocal quality from the smooth, sultry sounds of Gary Wright to the commanding tone of Annie Lennox and then back to the pop-y fun of Daryl Hall."

Blaine could feel everyone staring at him.

"Uh, Mr. Schu?" he interrupted. "Um, we kind of got together as a group after you gave us these songs yesterday and we came up with some... alternatives."

Mr. Schu was predictably unhappy. "Why would you do that?" he asked.

"Mmm, you might need some woman parts to help you sell that," Unique mumbled, pulling an insert out of her bra to hand to Blaine. He declined with a little wave of his hand.

"I'll go get Evan!" Sam said anxiously, jumping to his feet and starting the walk to the door.

"Sam, sit down!" Mr. Schu snapped. Sam obeyed as Mr. Schu continued, addressing the whole group. "Honestly, I don't even know what's going on in this room anymore. What happened to you guys? Openly defying me?"

Blaine scoffed, ready to argue, but Mr. Schu kept going.

"Unique, you need to tone it down with the whole boob thing," he criticized. "Sam, we all know you don't have a twin brother and, frankly, it's distracting. And Blaine, I am disappointed in you for allowing this to go on."

"I'm sorry," Blaine apologized even though he wasn't sorry, "but we're just trying to –"

"No," Mr. Schu cut him off, "what you're _trying_ to do is not rehearsing the song list that I gave you. And that is unacceptable. So, here's what's gonna happen. I'm going to go to the teacher's lounge and get the coffee that I skipped to get here early. And, when I get back in five minutes, you _will_ be ready to rehearse _my_ songs!"

He left the room and Blaine glanced around at the others in disbelief.

"Well, that was a success," Kitty said dryly.

"Shut up," Jake snapped.

"Let's not..." Blaine stood up and turned to face the group. "Let's not fight, please."

"He's never going to listen," Tina whined.

"We should just refuse to sing at all," Unique rolled her eyes.

"We cannot lose Regionals because of Mr. Schu's pride," Artie disagreed firmly.

Blaine nodded. "For today, let's go along with it," he suggested. "If he doesn't come around in a few days, I'll speak to him privately."

"He just called you out in front of everyone for even suggesting a change," Jake said doubtfully. "He doesn't respect you, or any of us."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt got home and found Rachel pouring through a huge stack of sheet music on the kitchen table and Santana stretched out on the couch watching television and doing something on her phone.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, walking over to Rachel.

"I need a song for my audition," Rachel sighed and motioned at the pile of papers, "but nothing speaks to me."

Kurt leaned over and looked at the first few choices.

"I talked to Shelby today, and she said no Barbara," Rachel answered his first question before he could ask it.

"Shelby?" Kurt inquired.

"Yeah," Rachel relaxed a little. "She stopped by to check on me and to see if I wanted help with my audition piece."

"And her suggestion was not to sing something from _Funny Girl_?" Kurt asked, settling into a chair at the table so he could look through some of the sheet music.

"I can't decide if she's right or not," Rachel whined, dropping into the seat next to him.

"You have to do something that's _you_," Kurt suggested as he continued to flip through the stack of papers. "And yes, Barbara Streisand is right up your alley, but that's a given at a _Funny Girl_ audition, right? Every girl there is going to be able to sing a Barbara song. You've got to show them that you're _more_ than that."

They spent the next hour sorting through every piece of sheet music on the table – music which, Kurt learned, Rachel had "borrowed" from NYADA's sheet music storage closet – until they had three solid contenders.

Rachel was grateful for the help, but Kurt could tell that she wasn't sure that any of the three songs was the perfect song for her audition.

"Why don't you sleep on it," Kurt suggested as he forced Rachel to put the sheet music away. "We'll figure it out. We still have time."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day at lunchtime, Blaine and Unique walked together to the auditorium instead of the cafeteria. Marley had texted them earlier in the day, asking them to meet her there.

"I cannot believe Miss Berry has her _Funny Girl_ audition this weekend," Unique commented as they walked. "What a _dream_!"

"I know," Blaine smiled. "A year ago, she was right here, just like us, and now..."

"That's your dream too, huh?" Unique asked glancing at him as they walked. "Singing your cute little heart out on a big New York stage?"

"Yeah," Blaine breathed, trying to imagine it happening for him. It felt so far away. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure yet," Unique admitted. "I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a star, but there are so many ways to showcase my talent, I just don't know."

They both laughed.

"And what about personal dreams?" Unique asked. "Let me guess..." she winked at him.

"I want to marry Kurt and have a family," Blaine admitted, suddenly a little bashful.

"Honey, have faith," Unique encouraged him. "I've seen the way you and that boy look at each other. You give him a big, heartfelt speech the next time you see him – maybe cry a little; that will help – and I wouldn't even be surprised if he falls right into your arms."

Blaine shook his head, but her words seared an image into his mind that he knew he would never be able to get rid of.

What if he proposed when Kurt came back to Ohio?

It was a crazy idea. He felt crazy for even considering it. But, a little part of him whispered, it might be the perfect kind of crazy.

"As for me, it would be nice to find a little more peace with my body," Unique moved the conversation forward, and Blaine forced himself to shove the idea to the back of his mind before it consumed him. "Wigs and clothes and makeup are great for the outside world, but it would be nice to look in the mirror at night and see a woman."

"Do you take hormones?" Blaine wondered, hoping it was okay to ask since Unique had brought it up.

"Not officially," Unique admitted, "but... unofficially, yeah."

Blaine wasn't entirely sure what that meant, so he didn't comment.

"I'm also naturally enhancing my breasts," Unique added as they walked into the auditorium. "Every night I rub them with cocoa butter and vitamin e and wild yams."

"Hi guys," Sam walked onto the stage from the opposite side, dressed as and acting like Evan. "Has anyone seen Sam?"

"Yeah," Blaine replied, "I think he's... behind that curtain." He motioned at a curtain on the side of the stage, and Sam ran behind it.

Blaine waited a few seconds before pointing at the curtain. As if on cue, Sam reappeared as himself.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, rushing back over to them as Marley arrived with Brad to play the piano for them. "What's up, Marley? Brad?"

"Um, I wrote a song," Marley explained the reason for their meeting. "I don't know if it's any good, I just– I want to hear it out loud."

She pulled the sheet music out of her folder and gave everyone a copy. "And no, it's not about my mom or bad Taylor Swift boyfriend drama," she added. "It's about how much friends like you mean to me."

Blaine read the song's title. _You Have More Friends Than You Know_.

"Lord, I am crying already," Unique teased.

"I just saw how upset you guys got after Mr. Schu yelled at us," Marley explained, "and you three seemed to take the worst part of it. So, I wrote this song to make you feel better, as corny as that sounds. Will you sing it with me?"

"No," Sam said.

Blaine smacked his arm even though he knew Sam wasn't serious.

"Just kidding," Sam grinned, "of course we would. Hit it, dude."

They sang the song together, and it didn't take long for Blaine to realize that an original song for Regionals was a good idea. They sounded great together, and Marley's song was heartfelt and catchy. Plus, an original song would make them stand out.

As the song ended, Marley buried her face in her hands, delighted, and Blaine glanced at Sam and Unique.

"Marley," Blaine gushed, "that was incredible!"

"Child, it's the soundtrack to my life," Unique agreed.

"Do you have any more songs like this?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Yeah, a couple," Marley admitted. "Maybe we can meet up again and sing them?"

"No, forget that," Blaine disagreed immediately. "No, what we need to do is tell everyone! We need to tell Mr. Schu about this."

"Nah," Marley argued sadly. "He made it pretty clear he's not interested."

"Well, it's really great," Sam commented, "so..."

"I'm so proud of you," Unique said to Marley, walking around the piano to wrap Marley in an encouraging hug. "I am _so_ proud of you."

"Thank you," Marley beamed.

"I know Mr. Schu's attitude has been less than idea lately," Blaine pressed, "but he _does_ want us to do well. And I'm telling you, Marley, this is the way to stand out at Regionals. We have to tell him."

"He's right," Sam pressed.

"We'll back you up," Unique said encouragingly.

"I don't know," Marley resisted.

"You could write a song about how annoying it is when your teacher is such a grouch," Sam teased.

They all stared at Marley until she shrugged and shook her head.

"I'd _love_ to tell everyone and have us sing one of my songs at Regionals," she explained, "but there's no way Mr. Schu is going to be on board and I don't want to get everyone in trouble."

"Please think about it," Blaine requested as they started the walk to the cafeteria so they could eat during what remained of their lunch break. "I really think you've got something special to offer with these songs."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt arrived home that afternoon, Rachel was pacing around the kitchen and living room with a huge smile on her face.

"Good day?" Kurt asked, giving her permission to gush out all the details of whatever was on her mind as he hung up his jacket.

"I talked to Finn!" she stopped walking and turned toward Kurt, beaming.

"Really?" Kurt arched an eyebrow.

"I wanted an outside opinion on what to sing for my audition," Rachel explained as she started to pace again. "And he just... he knew exactly what to say."

"So," Kurt grinned, not-so-secretly pleased that his best friend and step-brother were talking again, as he grabbed Rachel and pulled her over to the couch to sit down, "what song did he suggest?"

"He didn't," Rachel said happily.

"Okay," Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately.

"He said to do something that reminds me – and shows the producers – why I love singing so much," Rachel explained, a little breathless. "Something that takes me back..."

"And?" Kurt knew she had chosen a song.

"_Don't Stop Believin'_," Rachel said, equal parts energized and nervous as she tried to gauge Kurt's reaction.

Kurt was surprised, but pleasantly so. "I like it," he agreed.

"It's just, you know, it makes me think of where it all started for us," Rachel said, grabbing Kurt's hands in her own. "It feels right."

"Go for it," Kurt said, pulling her forward into a hug. "You're going to nail it."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Near the end of lunch the next day, Becky came into the cafeteria and found Blaine.

"Coach Roz wants to see us," she said, shaking Blaine's shoulder.

"Uh," Blaine glanced at his friends before climbing out of his seat to follow her, "okay."

They walked in silence from the cafeteria to the new cheerleading coach's office.

"You wanted to see us, coach?" Blaine asked as he and Becky walked through the door to Sue's old office and found Roz Washington setting it up as her own.

"Yes," Roz said, "Come on in and have a seat."

Blaine and Becky sat in chairs in front of the coach's desk, and Blaine wondered if maybe he should just quit the squad. His goal had been to bring Sue down, but now she was gone.

"It is my understanding that I have inherited you as co-captains of the Cheerios," Roz said to Blaine and Becky. "And, by looking at the two of you right now, that makes me extremely suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Blaine scoffed. "Why?"

"Oh, I understand why Coach Sylvester's daughter, Robin, is here," Roz replied. "Sue Sylvester is as old as the hills, so, when she gave birth to her fully-grown sixteen-year-old baby with Down's Syndrome, it was a miracle. And she wanted to bring her to school every day and show her off."

She thought Becky was Sue's daughter. Blaine couldn't think of anything to say.

"You're the one who makes me suspicious, Fruity Fonzie," Roz said to Blaine. "You ain't never done a cheerleading routine in your life, but somehow you get Sue Sylvester to make you co-captain of the Cherrios. And then, three weeks later, out of nowhere, Sue Sylvester gets fired. That makes me real suspicious."

It _had_ been Blaine's plan to somehow bring Sue's reign of terror to an end, but he hadn't had time to do much more than a little gossiping with the other Cheerios before Sue had been fired.

"That makes me think that you used your handsome, fruity voodoo powers and put a hex on her and caused her to bring a gun to school for no reason and get real clumsy so she drops it twice and it goes off both times," Roz continued. "That sounds like some dark-sided, fruity voodoo stuff to me."

Blaine couldn't decide if she was actually accusing him of cursing Sue or if she was trying to make the point that she didn't trust him.

"But that didn't really happen!" Becky protested loudly. "Blaine had nothing to do with it!"

"How do you know?" Roz criticized. "Were you there?"

"No," Becky said, her voice suddenly soft and innocent. Blaine turned to look at her as a possibility crept into his mind. Was Becky a witness to what happened with Sue's gun? She _was_ almost always by Sue's side.

"Exactly," Roz agreed. "So, here's the deal. If you want to stay on board as co-captain of the Cheerios, you're going to have to take a blood oath and loyalty pledge."

"What?" Becky retorted. "Blood oath?"

"Is that even safe?" Blaine wondered.

"Probably not," Roz admitted, "so we'll just take the oath. Repeat after me..."

Blaine and Becky humored her, repeating Roz's words as they came. "I, Fruity Fonzie and adult baby Robin, do solemnly swear to never put a hex on coach Roz Washington causing her to bring a gun to school so she gets real clumsy and drops it and it goes off twice in a row. So help me God."

As soon as the oath was over, Roz seemed satisfied.

"You are free to go," she dismissed them. Blaine shook his head in disbelief and jumped out of his chair to chase after Becky, who had bolted from the room.

"Hey, Becky, wait up!" he called as he followed her down the hallway.

"Hurry up!" Becky urged as she continued walking. "I'm going to be late for calculus."

"Becky," Blaine protested, reaching out to touch her shoulder so she would stop walking and turn to face him, "um, you were acting particularly strange in there just now. Do you know something I don't about what happened with Coach Sue?"

"Mind your own gay business, gay Blaine!" Becky snapped before raising her voice and screaming at him. "I don't know anything!"

She turned and walked away with a loud groan of annoyance, knocking a stack of papers out of a passing student's hands and flipping over a xylophone that was being pushed down the hallway.

There was no doubt in Blaine's mind that she knew something.

He rushed back to the cafeteria, grabbed Sam and Sam's lunch, and moved them to an empty classroom so they could speak privately.

"Becky knows," Blaine said as soon as the door closed behind them.

Sam took a large bite of his sandwich and asked, "Knows...?"

"She knows something about what happened with Sue," Blaine clarified.

"Huh," Sam commented, swallowing his food. "How do you know?"

"She's acting strange," Blaine explained. "And she freaked out when I asked her about it."

"What're we gonna do?" Sam asked.

"We need to let her think we're not onto her," Blaine said, "so we should wait to confront her until next week. In the meantime, we need to gather evidence. And then we'll spring it all on her and see if we can get her to confess what she knows."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Friday afternoon, Blaine was dreading glee practice as he arrived at the choir room after his final class. After rehearsal, he was going to have to talk to Mr. Schu about New Directions' dissatisfaction with the set list for Regionals and with Mr. Schu's attitude as a whole, and Blaine was anticipating a heated argument.

He had just walked up to where the other guys of New Directions were standing – chatting before the start of rehearsal – when Mr. Schu walked into the room.

"Lookin' good, Unique!" Mr. Schu said, loudly enough for everyone to hear. The mood in the room quickly soured, despite his attempt at a compliment.

"You, too, Tina," Mr. Schu added, noticing her steampunk outfit. "Very Jules Verne."

Nobody knew what to say. Blaine didn't even want to look at him.

"Hey, Blaine," Mr. Schu greeted, forcing Blaine to turn and briefly meet his gaze. "Sam."

"I'm Evan," Sam said in his Australian accent as he turned away and walked to his seat. "Sam moved to Alaska."

"Oh," Mr. Schu said, "you know what? Well, tell him he's welcome back any time."

Everyone took their seats, not sure what to make of their teacher's drastic change of attitude, and Mr. Schu walked to the center of the room.

"So, just about twenty years ago, I was sitting right where you are now," he said. "I was co-captain of the soccer team with a forehead full of acne and a dream of being the next Vanilla Ice. And standing right here was Mrs. Adler." He motioned at the plaque on the wall that memorialized the former glee club instructor. "She constantly mumbled to herself and she stuffed used Kleenex up her sleeves. We all were convinced that she was crazy. But you know what? That's why we loved her. Because we were crazy, too."

Blaine waited, hoping that the sentimental speech was going to end with an apology.

"This is the room that always felt like home," Mr. Schu said, motioning at the ground beneath his feet, "maybe because we knew Lillian Adler loved music almost as much as she loved us. And that's how I feel about you. Every one of you. And I'm sorry if I made any of you feel like you don't have a voice in this room."

He looked directly at Blaine. "You do."

Blaine wanted to believe him, but he wasn't sure.

"And I know someone else who does, too," Mr. Schu added, turning toward the door.

The sight of Finn walking through the door considerably lifted the mood of the room.

"Finn and I are going to be working together as a team," Mr. Schu explained as Finn walked to stand beside him. "Equal partners."

"And we are not going to eat, sleep, or breathe until you've blasted through Regionals and earned your rightful spot at Nationals!" Finn added enthusiastically.

Blaine felt the energy in the room returning to the kind of positive atmosphere that they needed. Finn met his gaze briefly, and Blaine smiled at him. It was great to have him back.

"Yes!" Mr. Schu agreed happily as the students applauded. "Alright, down to business! Marley, you're up!"

"Okay," Marley agreed as she stood up. "I haven't quite memorized _Dreamweaver_ yet, but I think I have _Sweet Dreams_..."

"Didn't I tell you?" Mr. Schu interrupted happily. "Those are out. I want you to teach us one of your original songs. If that's okay," he added as Marley's face lit up.

"I'd love that!" Marley laughed.

"So shall it be written, so shall it be done!" Sam announced in Evan's voice.

The group cheered, and Blaine and Sam high fived. Sam turned away to high five Artie and then turned back and went in for another high five from Blaine, which almost resulted in Sam slamming his palm into Blaine's face. Blaine laughed and felt much better about their chances at Regionals.

"We'll spend a little time working out the vocals, and then how about some choreography?" Mr. Schu decided. "Sound like a plan?"

There was a chorus of approval, and then all attention shifted to Finn as the group stood up and moved toward the piano to warm up.

Blaine reached him first.

"Welcome back," he smiled at Finn, extending his fist.

"It's good to be back," Finn returned the smile and bumped their fists together.

"I think we need a group hug!" Sam shouted.

"Ahhhh!" Finn laughed as the group converged on him, crushing him in a hug.

"Come in here, Mr. Schu!" Sam added, grabbing their teacher and yanking him into the hug.

It was the best rehearsal they'd had in weeks. Marley's song was fun, as was having Finn around again, and even Mr. Schu seemed relaxed as he rushed onto the stage near the end of their final run-through of the day to cartwheel across the stage.

By the end of the afternoon, when Mr. Schu asked him to stay after rehearsal to help fill out some paperwork that was required for Regionals, Blaine knew they could win Regionals. Emotionally and physically, they were ready. They just needed to choose and spend the next few weeks rehearsing three songs that would blow the judges away.

"How's college?" Blaine asked as he and Finn finished cleaning up the choir room and prepared to leave. He had barely spoken to Finn since Finn had left to pursue his teaching degree at the University of Lima.

"It's amazing," Finn said enthusiastically. "There's tons going on all the time and I'm actually interested in most of the stuff I'm learning, which makes it easier to actually learn things. How's high school?" he teased.

"Fabulous," Blaine said dramatically. They both laughed.

"I'm glad you and Kurt are talking again," Finn said as they started the walk down the hallway toward the parking lot.

"Me too," Blaine replied. "Kurt told me you talked to Rachel...?"

Finn grinned. "It's a start," he determined.

Blaine nodded his agreement as he pushed open the door to the parking lot. Finn followed him out, but waved an arm toward the opposite direction of where Blaine's car was parked.

"I have to park in _visitor parking_," Finn explained.

"See you soon?" Blaine asked, wondering how many times per week Finn would be around. He still had his other classes to attend.

"Definitely," Finn agreed. "Have a great evening, man."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When the day of Rachel's _Funny Girl_ audition arrived, neither Kurt nor Rachel said much on the train to Manhattan. Rachel was sipping a cup of herbal tea, trying to keep her throat from drying out, and Kurt was texting Blaine, who seemed almost as excited as Rachel about the audition.

_Are you still on the train?_ Blaine texted after a fifteen minute lull in their conversation.

_Yes, but we're almost there_, Kurt replied.

_How's Rachel?_ Blaine asked.

"I'm good," Rachel said, reading the conversation over Kurt's shoulder from her seat beside him.

_She's good_, Kurt responded to Blaine. _I'll text you when we get to the theater._

_Okay,_ Blaine agreed. _Good luck, Rachel!_

A moment later, Rachel's phone buzzed with the same words from Blaine. The two of them chatted back and forth for the final ten minutes of the train ride, and then Kurt and Rachel were out on the streets of Manhattan, hurrying to the theater where _Funny Girl_ auditions were being held.

As they entered the lobby, Kurt noticed a small table set up near the entryway with a sign that said _check in_ taped to the front. As Rachel walked over and told the young woman her name, Kurt looked around. The lobby was small, but well decorated. And there was nobody else there. Kurt turned his gaze to the check in table as the girl running things told Rachel that she was the last audition before the producers were going to break for lunch

"Can I go in and watch the audition?" Kurt asked the young woman as Rachel stepped away from the table.

"Sorry, they're not allowing family and friends," the girl said apologetically. "You'll have to wait out here."

Kurt nodded and turned to Rachel.

"You've got this," he said firmly.

Rachel hugged him tightly, took a deep breath, and opened the door to the theater. As the door closed behind her, Kurt dug into his pocket for his phone.

_She just went in, oh my god,_ he texted Blaine.

Blaine sent back an emoticon with its mouth open in an O shape and its hands clasped to the sides of its face, and Kurt stifled a laugh as he sank onto a bench against the wall.

Sitting down didn't agree with the nervous energy pulsing through him, so Kurt stood up after a few seconds and started looking at some of the artwork on the walls. He glanced at the young woman at the check-in table near the door to the street, but she was engrossed in her phone and barely seemed to notice him. Kurt paced around the small lobby, straining to hear any sound from inside the theater. Just as he was starting to think that the doors might actually be soundproof, he heard the piano melody that began _Don't Stop Believin'_, and he ran to one of the doors separating him from Rachel and flattened himself against it so he could press his ear against the door to hear the audition.

Rachel sounded amazing. Kurt stayed as still as possible, trying to hear the whole thing as best as he could. Even after the song ended, Kurt kept his ear pressed to the door, straining to hear what was being said. He was so focused that he couldn't move quickly enough to get out of the way when someone pushed the door open, and he fell backward onto the floor.

He scrambled to his feet, his face burning with embarrassment and his mind racing to apologize, but it was Rachel.

"Oh my god," she grabbed his arm as he stood up and dragged him toward the door. Kurt knew why – she did not want to freak out within earshot of the producers she had just auditioned for – so he stayed silent as Rachel dragged him out onto the street, down the sidewalk, and around the corner.

Then, she turned on him and threw herself into his arms with a squeal of delight. Kurt twirled her around as they both laughed, and then Rachel pulled herself out of his grasp.

"That was... magical!" she beamed at Kurt. "Oh my god, _Kurt_!"

She told him all the details of what had happened as they walked arm-in-arm to the restaurant they had decided on for lunch. Kurt questioned her as they ate – What were the producers like? Had she gotten a positive or negative vibe from them? What was it like singing on the stage? – and Kurt was especially encouraged by the fact that one of the producers had asked Rachel to explain what she had been feeling and thinking on the stage while she performed. That suggested that they would remember her. She had managed to stand out.

They had to split up after lunch. Kurt had to go to Vogue dot com for his usual Saturday at work and Rachel was planning to go back to the apartment and, Kurt imagined, tell Santana more than she ever wanted to know about auditioning for a Broadway show.

The Vogue dot com building wasn't far from where they had lunch, so, after he hugged Rachel goodbye, Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Blaine as he walked.

"So?" Blaine answered quickly.

"Well, hello," Kurt teased. "_So_... it was _amazing_!"

"I knew it would be!" Blaine said excitedly. "Rachel is so talented. Did you get to go in with her?"

"Sadly, no," Kurt explained, "but I could hear her through the door. She sang _Don't Stop Believin'_ and it was just... she used the word 'magic'."

"That's _wonderful_," Blaine sighed happily. "Is she there with you?"

"Not anymore," Kurt explained. "I'm walking to work. You should call her later so she can give you all the details."

"I will," Blaine confirmed.

He paused briefly.

"Rachel might be on _Broadway_," Blaine said, as if the reality of the situation had just hit him.

"It's insane," Kurt agreed. "But in the best possible way. And speaking of being on stage... how's New Directions? Regionals is coming up and, if history is any indication, I'm guessing you don't have a set list yet."

"I'm offended that you think so little of us," Blaine pretended to pout. "You're only sort of correct. We know we're going to do an original song plus two others – the theme is 'dreams' – but we haven't settled on a specific set list yet."

"An original song?" Kurt requested more information.

"Marley's going to write something for us," Blaine said, and Kurt could hear the pride in his voice. "And oh! Finn's back."

"I thought he and Mr. Schu were having an epic feud or something?" Kurt recalled.

"They managed to move past it," Blaine explained. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "How's my dad?"

"Good," Blaine told him. "The appointment a few days ago was really short, so there's not anything new to report. He looks and sounds good, though. I think he may even be gaining back a bit of the weight he lost recently. In a good way."

"He has to be okay," Kurt said, his eyes suddenly teary as he thought about his father's rapidly approaching appointment at the hospital. They were going to learn how well the treatment was – or wasn't – working, and just the possibility that they might receive bad news was enough to send Kurt's mind spinning into worst case scenarios.

"Hey," Blaine said reassuringly, "he's going to be okay, Kurt. It's going to be okay."

"I know," Kurt lied, wiping at his eyes as he arrived at the building that housed Vogue dot com. "I, uh, I'm here at work now, so I should probably go."

"Alright," Blaine allowed. "But Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt said as he waited for the elevator that would take him up to the proper floor of the tall building.

"I love you," Blaine said sweetly.

Kurt snorted out a slight laugh.

"Love you too," he said. "I'll talk to you soon."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Rachel had left her audition on Saturday, she had been told that they would let her know if they were interested in seeing her again by the following evening.

So, when Sunday evening rolled around and Rachel's phone hadn't rung all day, she was understandably anxious.

Kurt tried to distract her with a trip to their favorite restaurant nearby – "they're going to call your cell phone, Rachel, so there's no reason we have to stay at home!" – but it only made her feel worse because there was still no word by the time they got back to the apartment. Santana had gone to work by the time they returned (she was still working at a bar, which made Kurt a little nervous for her safety, but he hadn't yet mentioned it), so it was just Kurt and Rachel and no phone call.

"How about some cookies?" Kurt suggested, digging into the refrigerator for some pre-made cookie dough he had stashed away.

"Sure," Rachel agreed halfheartedly.

Neither of them said much as Kurt put the cookies in the oven and sat down in the living room – leaving Rachel at the kitchen table – to text Blaine.

_No word yet_, he explained. _But the sun hasn't even gone down yet so there's still time._

_Definitely_, Blaine agreed.

_I'll let you know!_ Kurt replied before wandering back into the kitchen to sit with Rachel. He didn't want her to be alone.

"You know, it's not _that_ late yet, anyway," Kurt offered, motioning toward the nearest window where sunlight still shone into the room.

Rachel shrugged, and Kurt knew she wanted to be quiet for a while. He checked on the cookies, went into his room for a few minutes and made sure his clothes were well organized, and then returned to the kitchen to get the cookies out of the oven.

Rachel was still there, her chin resting on one hand on the table as she played absentmindedly with her phone with her other hand.

"So," Kurt said in an attempt to distract her, remembering what Rachel had mentioned about Shelby earlier in the week, "what is Broadway daycare, exactly?"

"All the show people who have kids – while they're rehearsing or performing – they send them to Shelby's studio and she teaches them, like, dance routines and songs and plays theater games with them," Rachel explained as Kurt pulled the cookies out of the oven. "It's like _Fame_ for toddlers."

Kurt nodded as he transferred the cookies from the pan to a plate and carried them to the table.

"Well, no news is good news, right?" he encouraged as he sat down. He slid the plate closer to Rachel. "Cookie?"

She offered a skeptical glare. "At this point, if I haven't heard anything..." she shrugged and shoved her phone so it slid all the way across the table, out of reach. "Life goes on. You know, Fanny was just a dream. I read on broadwayworld dot com that they're doing a production of _Sweeny Todd_ at the Pasadena Play House and, I dunno, I think Johanna could be a good role for me."

Kurt nodded. "Do you regret not doing Barbara for the audition?" he asked.

"No way," Rachel said firmly. "Honestly, something so special and something _magical_ happened in that room and if those producers are too narrow-minded or star-obsessed that –"

Her phone vibrated on the table, and both Rachel and Kurt turned quickly to look at it.

"Oh my god," Rachel whined as she jumped out of her chair and grabbed her phone off the far end of the table. "Oh my god, it's a number I don't recognize!" She turned to Kurt, panicking, and showed him the number. "What do I do? What do I do?"

"Uh, ah," Kurt bounced in his chair, excited. "Answer it!"

"Pick it up?" Rachel worried.

"Yes!" Kurt encouraged. "Yes, yes!"

"Okay!" Rachel agreed. She turned away from Kurt and answered the call, and Kurt stood up. This was it. This was the big moment. He grabbed a cookie off the plate and frantically started eating it in an attempt to occupy himself as he listened to Rachel's side of the conversation.

"Hello? Uh, yes, this is she. Yeah, of course. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you."

She ended the call and slowly turned around to face Kurt.

"It was one of the producers," she told Kurt what he already knew.

"And?!" Kurt said frantically, waving his arms to tell her to hurry up and give him the news.

"And I got a callback for Fanny!" Rachel shrieked, throwing the phone out in front of her as if it were an acceptance letter.

Kurt joined her in screaming and rushed around the table to grab Rachel's arms and bounce around the room with her. "You did it!" he shouted. "You did it!"

"I'm so happy!" Rachel cried as Kurt pulled her into a hug.

"You did it!" Kurt couldn't believe it. Rachel Berry had a callback for _Fanny Brice_. On _Broadway_.

"Oh my god," Rachel gasped as they stepped apart, "I have to tell everyone. My dads! Oh god, they're going to _freak out_! And Finn! And yes," she added as Kurt opened his mouth, "you can tell Blaine. Tell everyone!" she threw her hands in the air as if she was throwing invisible confetti all over both of them.

She ran into her room and dove onto her bed to call her dads, and Kurt laughed and found his own phone to call Blaine. ("I've got a callback for Fanny!" Rachel shouted, apparently to her dads, as he dialed.)

"Hi," Blaine answered cheerfully.

"Hey," Kurt said, barely able to contain his excitement. "Guess what?"

"Oh my god," Blaine gasped.

"Wait!" Rachel shouted, suddenly reappearing from her bedroom with her phone pressed to her ear. "Yeah, hold on, dads..." She hurried over and beckoned for Kurt's phone. "I want to tell him."

Kurt handed his phone to her and then leaned in so he could hear Blaine's reaction.

"Blaine?" Rachel asked, making sure he was there. "I got a callback for Fanny!"

The sound of Blaine's cheering blared out of the phone, and Rachel and Kurt dissolved into laughter. "I just wanted to be the one to say it!" Rachel sang into the phone. "Here's Kurt!"

She shoved the phone back into Kurt's hands and ran back to her room to continue talking to her dads, and Kurt pressed his phone back to his ear.

"She's a little excited," Kurt laughed.

"I hope so!" Blaine said, his voice loud and happy. "She's got a callback for the first-ever revival of _Funny Girl_!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>This was Cory's final episode. :( The rendition of <strong>_**Don't Stop Believin'**_** they did in this episode might be my favorite number Glee has ever done. Such a beautiful throwback to the pilot episode and, in hindsight, an incredibly poignant last song for Finn. That said, in terms of this story, Finn is still alive and well until he passes away on the show (which will happen in season 5). So, he'll be around for the final three episodes of this season, although in a small role (as usual for this Klaine-centric version of the story). I have to admit, I think I'm still in a little bit of denial that we actually have to say goodbye to Finn very soon. I guess we'll all deal with it when it happens.**_

_**To end on a positive note... things are rapidly improving for our boys at this point! I think Kurt's still clutching the idea of "just friends" for dear life, but that's okay. It took Blaine a while to realize that what he was feeling was love, not friendship, in season 2, so it's fair that Kurt gets a turn at being the ridiculous one now. ;)**_

_**Up next... 4x20: Lights Out!**_


	59. 4x20: Lights Out

_**FYI: for some reason, Gmail put the email alert for the previous chapter (plus a few other notifications from FFN) in my spam folder. So, if you get email alerts for updates to this story and you use Gmail, I suggest checking to see if it's doing the same for you! Not sure what that's about. Get a grip, Gmail.**_

_**The stuff in this chapter about Blaine/Sam/Artie dealing with Becky is all inspired by stuff that they actually filmed for this episode but cut before the episode aired. FOX released a bunch of stills of Blaine as Nightbird and Blaine/Sam/Artie interrogating Becky in the days leading up to this episode, but we never got much context for them (and that whole arc was cut from the final edit of the episode) so I just made it all up! :)**_

_**I gave Kurt and Blaine a duet for this episode... basically, the way I imagine it is Blaine singing his portion at the piano in the choir room as part of the week's assignment and Kurt singing his part as he's walking down the street in New York. One of those he's-singing-but-nobody-notices moments that Rachel has all the time. ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Monday afternoon, Kurt got a text from Blaine as he sat on the train that carried him back to Bushwick every day.

_Power went out at McKinley during glee rehearsal._

Despite his mind telling him that a power outage wasn't dangerous, Kurt felt a surge of anxiety that he justified by reminding himself that it hadn't been very long since the incident with Sue's gun. _Are you okay?_ he texted Blaine back. _Where are you?_

_I'm fine!_ Blaine returned almost immediately. _Mr. Schu actually worked this week's assignment around the lack of electricity... "unplugged"._

_Oh,_ he texted again immediately after, _and I'm sitting in my car in the parking lot. Getting ready to drive home_.

Kurt knew he didn't have to tell Blaine not to look at his phone again until he got home. None of them would ever text and drive after what had happened to Quinn.

_I'm on my way home, too,_ Kurt texted him, adding a smiley face to the end of the sentence. _Drive safely!_

_I will!_ Blaine replied. _Try not to fall asleep on the train. Love you._

Kurt rolled his eyes and put his phone away so he could spend the thirty minutes he had left on the train working on homework.

As usual, Santana wasn't at the apartment when he arrived. Rachel came home a few hours later, but Kurt knew that Santana wouldn't return until extremely late that evening. Or possibly very early the next morning.

"Okay," Kurt admitted as he and Rachel worked on dinner, "I really need to know if Santana's situation is bothering you as much as it is bothering me, because I feel insane for being so concerned about her when she's such a bitch pretty much all the time."

"_Yes_," Rachel said, sighing in relief as if she had also been carrying around secret worry for their roommate. "I mean, she's so talented and beautiful and smart, but she's spending her time basically shaking her ass for tips."

"She could do so much better," Kurt agreed. "And that's not even the worst of it... Tina called me earlier and told me she's got a second job as a bouncer at some lesbian beer garden now."

"No," Rachel whined.

"It's true," Kurt said seriously.

"You know," Rachel said thoughtfully, "a few weeks ago Santana sat me down – or, well, we were standing in the waiting room of the clinic, but anyway – and she said some stuff that I really needed to hear about getting a grip on my ambition and my future..."

Kurt nodded. "We have to stage an intervention," he agreed. "But I was the one who had to kick her out before, so you get to do most of the talking this time."

They were sitting in the living room, still talking strategy for their impromptu intervention, when Santana walked in the door a few hours later.

"Wait for it..." Santana said as she backed through the door, dragging a rundown chair into the apartment with her.

"Right?" she announced as the chair came into view. She dragged it into the living room so Kurt and Rachel could see it better. "Found this out by the dumpster. With a little TLC and three clicks from Kurt's ruby slippers, this bad boy would be salvageable."

"Um, can you please take a seat?" Rachel requested. "Because Kurt and I would like to have a conversation with you."

"Okay, you know what, Rachel?" Santana said, stepping over to grab one of her jackets to throw over her new chair so she wouldn't have to sit on its decrepit fabric. "If you are still obsessing over what you're going to sing at your _Funny Girl_ callback, may I suggest your best jam ever: _Run Joey Run_."

"We think you're throwing your life away," Rachel said firmly, ignoring Santana's comments.

Santana looked at each of them but didn't say anything.

"It's bad enough you let those horny tourists grope you for tips at that awful Coyote Ugly bar," Kurt elaborated, "but Tina just informed me that you are now a bouncer at a lesbian beer garden?"

He stood up and walked around to lean on his chair from behind. He was too restless to sit still.

"And you're a go-go girl," Rachel worried. "A go-go girl!"

"I am a cage dancer," Santana corrected. "Big difference. I'm dressed as Barbarella and I'm sorry, but some of us actually need to work for a living."

"That's not the point, okay?" Rachel argued as Kurt rolled his eyes and wandered over to stand near the living room window. "You're so talented, Santana. You're like the most talented person I know, obviously with the exception of me and Kurt."

She motioned at Kurt and he nodded his agreement.

"Your voice – it's electric!" Rachel continued passionately. "And I would kill for half of your dancing abilities. So, I'm telling you what you told me, which is you just need to stop and focus on your talent."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be in _Funny Girl_, okay?" Santana retorted, her tone growing more defensive with every word. "Or be a singing waiter at the Fire Island Pancake Shack. So why don't you just stop trying to force all of your creaky old-time Broadway dreams onto my amazingly awesome dream."

"And what's that?" Rachel inquired.

Santana hesitated.

"I am trying to figure that out," she acknowledged. She glanced at Kurt and then back at Rachel. "What is so wrong with taking a little time to figure things out?"

"Nothing!" Kurt encouraged her. "But what about doing something in the meantime? Like dance lessons. NYADA has a great extension program for non-students, right?" he glanced at Rachel and she agreed. "Something to keep your motors revved, you know?"

"My 'motor' is revved every night that I cage dance," Santana replied as she stood up. "And, while I appreciate your pity, I don't really think I need to be taking any advice from TV's _Blossom_," she pointed at Rachel before motioning at Kurt, "and Lady Elaine Fairchilde."

She turned and walked out of the apartment.

"Would you take your chair with you?" Kurt called after her, but she ignored him.

"At least she closed the door behind her this time," Rachel commented as the door latched closed.

"Baby steps," Kurt agreed as he stared at the closed door.

They had both been able to see in Santana's eyes that their concerns were well-founded. Santana wasn't happy with her life. Maybe she just needed a little more time to work things out.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, Sam was the first to perform a song that fit the week's "unplugged" theme in the still-dark choir room.

"_You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips. And there's no tenderness, like before, in your fingertips. You're trying hard not to show it, but baby, baby I know it. You've lost that lovin' feelin'. Woah, that lovin' feeling. You've lost that lovin' feelin'. Now it's gone, gone, gone._"

The song, along with nearly _everything_ else in Blaine's life over the past few days, made Blaine think of Kurt. He had been pondering the idea of proposing to Kurt almost nonstop since Unique had accidentally planted the idea in his mind the week before. He had decided to wait to make any concrete plans until he saw Kurt the following week (when Kurt was going to return to Ohio for Burt's appointment) – trusting that he would somehow _know_ if he should propose or not when he finally saw Kurt in person again – but the delay in action didn't stop his brain from running through scenario after scenario.

If he was going to propose, should he do it somewhere private, like in one of their bedrooms? Or should he make it a huge production, like when Mr. Schu had enlisted New Directions to help him propose to Ms. Pillsbury with a choreographed number in the swimming pool? He could see it both ways. A private proposal would take the pressure off of Kurt to react a certain way, which might result in the most honest reaction. But Blaine knew that Kurt had always dreamed of a grand proposal. Something memorable.

It was overwhelming to think about.

Would Kurt say yes?

Blaine was torn. Part of him offered an unequivocal affirmative. Of _course_ Kurt would say yes. Kurt loved him. But there was also a sliver of doubt in Blaine's mind. What _if_ Kurt turned him down? _Technically_, as Kurt was always quick to remind Blaine, they weren't boyfriends. But did that matter? They were soul mates, which was so much _more_.

He had a week to decide what to do.

"_We had a love, a love, a love you don't find every day. Oh baby, so don't, don't, don't, don't let it slip away. Baby, bring back that lovin' feelin'. Oh, that lovin' feelin'. Bring back that lovin' feelin' 'cause it's gone, gone, gone. And I can't go on._"

"Wow, see that guys?" Mr. Schu complimented as the group applauded Sam's performance and Sam returned to his seat. "That's the kind of power and passion that we need for Regionals. Good job, Sam!"

"Next up..." Mr. Schu looked around, trying to decide who to choose, "Artie, show us what you've got!"

Artie rolled to the piano and hesitated.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schu," he resisted, "I can't do Miguel without my synth! I needs my synth!" he wailed before dropping his head onto the piano keys.

"No," Sam criticized, "you _needs_ to man up."

"Excuse me?" Artie retorted, lifting his head from the piano.

Sam stood up as Artie rolled around the piano back to the center of the room. "You know how often the power went off at my house?" Sam argued. "How many times my dad couldn't afford to pay the stupid bill?"

"Relax, dude," Artie replied.

"I had to entertain my brother and sister with just my guitar and my voice," Sam explained. "We didn't have any _synth_. And, like, I saw you texting during my song," Sam added as Artie started to look uncomfortable. "And it's not just you; it's all of us. We're so focused on being plugged into the twitterverse and the blogosphere that we don't appreciate what's actually right in front of us and I think that that's just sad and lame."

What could any of them say to that? It made sense. Artie nodded and rolled back to his place among the other students. Mr. Schu called on Marley to perform, instead, and rehearsal carried on as if the little argument hadn't happened.

After glee practice, Blaine grabbed Sam and Artie before they could leave so he could ask for a favor.

"I need to search Coach Sue's office," he explained quietly as they huddled together near the piano.

"We looked around in there already," Sam whispered back as Artie looked from Blaine to Sam and then back again.

"Exactly," Blaine said. "We looked, but we didn't gather any evidence. We need to search in the file cabinets and in the desk, and now's the perfect time to do it."

"It's already dark," Artie understood.

Blaine nodded.

"I'll meet you both in the guys' bathroom near the office in thirty minutes," Blaine decided. "Wear your costumes."

Half an hour later, Nightbird, Blonde Chameleon, and Doctor Y (the latter two without costumes because they had left them at home) snuck into Sue's old office – still only about halfway set up for Roz Washington – and got to work searching for anything that might offer a clue to the truth of what had happened the day the gun went off.

"Anything?" Sam asked after they had been searching for five minutes in complete silence.

"Negative," Artie said. "There's not even a place for a gun safe in here... where did she keep the gun?"

"There has to be _something_," Blaine said desperately.

He glanced toward the windows that separated the office from the hallway to check for lights that would signal an approaching teacher or administrator, but the hallway was dark. As he turned his attention back to the final desk drawer he hadn't searched, the paper shredder in the corner of the room caught his attention.

It was full.

"Here!" Blaine whispered loudly. He closed the desk drawer and rushed over to pull the lid off the shredder to reveal all the narrow strips of paper inside.

"For all we know, Coach Washington shredded that stuff," Sam suggested.

"Maybe," Blaine allowed, "but –"

The sound of a door slamming and an accompanying voice – someone talking on their phone, Blaine guessed – sent a shot of adrenaline through all three students.

"We're trapped!" Artie hissed as they all turned off their flashlights.

"We have to go out the window," Sam suggested as the voice grew louder. It wasn't a voice any of them recognized, but Blaine knew they would be in a lot of trouble if _anyone_ caught them snooping around in Roz's office.

"I can't go out the window!" Artie argued.

"Yes, you can," Blaine decided. "Sam..." he motioned toward the windows that opened to outside.

Blaine grabbed the paper shredder, opened his bag, and dumped the strips of paper in. As he reassembled the shredder so nobody would notice that he had touched it, he heard Sam lifting Artie out of his wheelchair.

"You cannot throw my wheelchair out the window," Artie disapproved.

"Shh!" Sam scolded. "We're not going to _throw_ it out the window."

With Artie in Sam's arms, Blaine folded the wheelchair down so it was as thin as possible and then dragged it out the window behind him. He landed in the grass below the window with a soft _thump_, immediately realizing that he had made a mistake in jumping out _before_ the wheelchair as it crashed down on top of him.

"Blaine?" Sam asked.

"Shh, I'm fine!" Blaine whispered as he shoved the wheelchair off and looked up to see Sam, holding Artie, sitting on the edge of the windowsill.

"Oh god," Artie whined.

Sam lowered Artie down enough so Blaine could grab him and pull him the rest of the way into his arms, and then Sam jumped down, pulling the window closed behind him. Blaine held Artie while Sam set up the wheelchair and, once Artie was settled, they paused and listened.

"This was all for nothing," Artie huffed as they heard nothing but silence.

"We couldn't risk it, dude," Sam said seriously.

"Okay," Blaine said as they snuck along the side of the building to the sidewalk, "let's go to the library and see if we can put some of this together."

The librarian barely glanced at the trio as they walked into the library. Blaine wore his Nightbird costume on a regular enough basis that everyone was used to it, and the library was open after school until six o'clock so they were still allowed to be there.

Blaine glanced at the clock.

"We have to hurry," he suggested.

They set up their lanterns and went to work piecing all the papers back together. It was especially difficult because Blaine had poured everything into his bag – messing up any possible order the strips of paper had been in inside the shredder – but, by the time the librarian started pestering them that she was going to lock up soon, they had reassembled almost everything.

"Nothing," Sam said, defeated, as they gathered the reassembled papers and prepared to leave.

Blaine sighed his agreement. The shredder contained a bunch of strange receipts and a few pages that made up an article from a cheerleading magazine, but nothing incriminating.

They were going to have to get their information from Becky, or maybe Coach Sue herself, if they were ever going to find out the truth.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Tuesday afternoon, Kurt rushed from his final class to Vogue dot com and was surprised to find a note on his desk.

_Come see me as soon as you arrive. – Isabelle_

Internally, Kurt panicked.

She was going to fire him.

When he had first arrived in New York, he had been looking for something to occupy all his time. As a result, he had accepted a full time internship at Vogue dot com, but, since being accepted to NYADA, his hours spent working for the website had declined significantly.

Nobody had ever commented on his unusual schedule; they all knew he was now a full time student at NYADA. But Kurt had never _officially_ cleared the change of schedule with Isabelle, and he had been secretly scared that he was going to be in trouble for it ever since his first day at NYADA.

Kurt tried to relax as he wandered down the hall to the room where Isabelle was waiting. If she was going to fire him, at least she was likely to be kind about it.

"Great," Isabelle was talking on the phone when he arrived, "so we'll include a Blu-Ray of _Black Swan_ and a gift bag and a note from the director... 'How Ballet Inspired Me'. Oh, that's perfect. Thanks, Darren, I appreciate it. Oh! And, um, listen. You're at my table, seated next to Christopher, so be nice. Alright, bye."

"Darren...?" Kurt wondered as she ended the call.

"Aronofsky," Isabelle clarified. "Christopher Nolan."

"Oh," Kurt realized.

"You may be seated," Isabelle said as she settled into a chair at the table. Kurt sat down and tried not to panic as Isabelle asked, "So, first of all, how is your dad?"

"Oh," Kurt was surprised by the question, "uh, thank you for asking! He's doing good. He's back at work and all of his treatments seem to be working."

"Good," Isabelle smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."

"I thought that you might've called me in here because, um, you were gonna fire me," Kurt admitted, just to get it over with.

"What?" Isabelle laughed. "Why would I do that?"

"When you gave me the internship, you said it would be 24/7," Kurt recalled, "and, ever since I got accepted to NYADA..."

"... you haven't been coming in as much," Isabelle said with mock sternness. "We've noticed. But, quality trumps quantity, always. And, though NYADA's gain is Vogue dot com's loss," she placed a dramatic hand over her heart, "I will never stop anyone from pursuing their passion."

"Bless you, fairy godmother," Kurt breathed.

"But," Isabelle said, "I need your help. You know I'm co-chairing the gala for New York City Ballet's educational programs?"

"Yeah, it's only _the_ social event of the performing arts season," Kurt acknowledged.

"My celebrity wrangler just canceled," Isabelle explained. "It was going to be Anna's daughter, but she got the chicken pox à la Barbara Walters."

Kurt struggled to sit still as his heart rate accelerated. Was she asking _him_ to go with her to the gala?

"So," Isabelle said, teasing him, "I need somebody. I need somebody _good_ who can dive in ASAP."

"If anyone else does this, I will literally die," Kurt accepted.

"Alright!" Isabelle laughed as her phone buzzed on the table in front of her. "And listen, um, if you want to draft a couple of friends to help you out, that's good too."

She smiled at him as she answered her phone ("Yeah?"), and Kurt knew he was dismissed.

He spent the next few hours pouring all of his attention into what he would be doing at the gala. Making sure all the rich and famous people in the room were taken care of and staying out of trouble. Kurt was so excited that he didn't notice everyone leaving until a sharp rapping sound on the wall near his desk startled him and he looked up to see Isabelle standing beside his desk.

"Oh!" he glanced around at the mostly-dark office. "Oh my god, I didn't even realize –"

"I knew I picked the right man for the job," Isabelle teased. "Come on."

They locked up and left the office, and Isabelle insisted on paying for a cab to take Kurt back to the apartment.

Kurt hugged her just before getting into the taxi, unable to resist.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity," he gushed as he released her.

"I have faith in you, Kurt Hummel," Isabelle smiled. "Goodnight."

When the taxi dropped Kurt off outside his building, he ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

"Ladies!" Kurt sang excitedly as he hurried through the door into the apartment. Rachel was making dinner and Santana was sitting in the kitchen, so Kurt paused by the table and looked at both of them as he spoke. "What is the event the Big Apple's hoi polloi must be invited to or they'll pull a Javert and swan dive off the Chrysler building?"

"The New York City Ballet Gala, duh," Rachel answered.

"And," Kurt rushed around the table toward her, unable to contain his excitement, "guess who gets to attend if they just volunteer a few short hours?"

"Anne Hathaway?" Santana deadpanned.

"It's us!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Rachel shrieked with delight.

"And just when you thought it couldn't get any gayer," Santana whined as Kurt and Rachel danced in place to celebrate their invitation to the gala, "it does."

"Make fun of it all you want," Rachel turned to her, "but the New York City Ballet Gala... it's a celebration of a timeless art. If it wasn't for ballet, I wouldn't be here. It was my gateway into show business. My dance teacher told me that I was a mini Margot Fonteyn. She taught me the power of music and, although that studio was just a tiny, moldy Lima storefront, to me it was the most beautiful place on Earth."

"I started ballet at the ripe old age of three," Kurt reminisced. "My mom enrolled me after seeing me in front of the TV jeté-ing and déboulé-ing to the _Blue's Clues_ theme song. That ballet class was one of the few places that just seemed to fit. And, even when I saw some of the kids and their parents laughing at me, something inside my little brain said 'screw them. Just go for it, Hummel'. My can-do attitude was born in that room."

"And I skipped all that crap to study the timeless art of crunk," Santana retorted.

"Look," Rachel said excitedly, turning to Kurt, "you can tell Isabelle that I am _definitely_ in."

"Not me," Santana declined. "Count me out."

"You mean you don't want to wear a designer dress from the legendary Vogue dot com vault that you get to keep as a gift?" Kurt wondered, leaning toward Santana over the table.

"I'm in," she said immediately.

"She's in," Rachel said knowingly.

"She's in," Kurt agreed.

"Well, you know, I look great in a gown," Santana shrugged.

"Oh, please," Rachel scolded. "You're going to have fun. _We're_ going to have fun! Oh my god, Kurt, we have to figure out who's going to be there! What if– oh god, who _knows_ who we might meet..."

Kurt held up a hand to stop her from grabbing him and dragging him away to plan.

"I have to call Blaine," he grinned.

"He's going to _die_," Rachel beamed.

"Oh, yay," Santana said, and Kurt could tell without even looking at her that she had rolled her eyes.

"Be back in a minute!" Kurt said cheerfully before hurrying through Rachel's bedroom and out the window onto the fire escape.

"Hello?" Blaine answered the phone at the last second before it would've gone to voicemail. He sounded disoriented.

"Oh god, sorry," Kurt cringed. He had forgotten how late it was.

"No, hey," Blaine said quietly, happily. "What's up?"

"You are _never_, not in a million years, going to guess where I'm going," Kurt challenged.

"Going?" Blaine asked.

"On Friday evening," Kurt clarified.

"Paris?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Better!" Kurt nearly shouted. "The New York City Ballet Gala!"

"_What_?" Blaine gasped, appropriately surprised.

"I _know_!" Kurt laughed. "I can hardly believe it. Someone canceled on Isabelle so she asked me to step in. _Me_! And oh my god, Rachel and Santana get to come too and we're going to get to wear the most _amazing_ clothes."

"That is... truly _amazing_, Kurt," Blaine said. "The _Ballet Gala_."

"I wish you were here to come with us," Kurt confessed.

"Me too," Blaine agreed.

"I promise I will tell you _all_ the details as soon as I get home on Friday," Kurt said.

"I'd love that," Blaine said, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

"Now go back to bed," Kurt teased.

Blaine didn't argue. "Okay," he agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Kurt echoed. He waited until Blaine ended the call, and then he crawled back through the window and ran to find Rachel so they could stay up all night freaking out about attending such a huge event.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, Blaine decided that things were getting serious enough that he needed to talk to Coach Sue. Roz Washington was insane; honestly, Blaine thought, possibly more so than Sue. And the Cheerios were all incredibly upset about the change in leadership. Things were unraveling faster than Blaine could fix them, so Blaine decided to ask for help.

He snuck into one of Sue's fitness classes at a local gym –Sue had started freelancing as a fitness instructor after her exit from McKinley – and sweated his way through the grueling class so he could talk to the ex-cheerleading coach afterward.

As he stood up at the end of the class and the other students rushed out of the room, one of them crying because the class had been so physically demanding, Sue pointed at Blaine.

"Fact: if I hadn't mistaken you for a butch Israeli girl," Sue said, walking up to him, "I would've never let you in here."

Blaine waited for her to continue, still catching his breath after the workout.

"B, the fact that you survived my boot camp 101, also known as Sue 90x, trademark pending... I will allow you to speak," Sue informed him. "Just don't sing."

"I'll admit," Blaine explained, "I re-joined the Cheerios with the sole plan of destroying you from the inside."

"Admirable," Sue acknowledged.

"But, now that you're gone, I can see that all the Cheerio girls are lost without you," Blaine added, "and, frankly, as student council president, I'm a little worried about the kind of advice Coach Roz is giving."

"Such as?" Sue inquired.

"She wants the girls to get some of their ribs taken out so they can be more flexible," Blaine told her.

"You know, I always thought Becky could look like a young Dolly Parton with a couple less ribs," Sue mused.

"Something went down at that school," Blaine challenged, "and it has something to do with you. Some way, somehow. The kids are still shaken up; no one feels safe. Set the record straight."

He stepped around her to walk away.

"We need you Coach Sue," he added as he brushed by her.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next afternoon, it was Ryder's turn to sing for the group.

"I know these songs are supposed to be unplugged," Ryder acknowledged, "but I asked Mr. Schu permission to do a full orchestration."

"Which I gladly agreed to," Mr. Schu explained, "because Ryder elegantly told me that what he wanted to unplug were his feelings."

"I want to really reveal myself through this song," Ryder said. "And, frankly, I think I kinda need the support to get there. I'd like to dedicate this song to all of us. For all the slushies, real and proverbial, that we've all taken to the face over the years."

The song was R.E.M.'s _Everybody Hurts_, and Blaine and the other students watched and listened as Ryder sang.

"_When your day is long and the night, the night is yours alone. When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on. Don't let yourself go 'cause everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes._"

The melancholy song made Blaine think of his own darkest days; the weeks following his breakup with Kurt, when the pain of what he had done had consumed him. He had come so far since then in terms of forgiving himself, but the guilt and the memories of crying himself to sleep night after night still stung.

And then, when the song was over, Ryder confessed that he had been molested by a babysitter when he was eleven. Sam and Artie tried to make it out to be some kind of young boy's fantasy to be touched by an older woman, and Ryder backed down, trying to play it off as no big deal. The whole situation did not sit well with Blaine, but he was too shocked to say anything as it was happening. So, when rehearsal ended, Blaine jumped up to follow Ryder out of the room. Ryder got a little head start, so he was already standing at his open locker when Blaine found him.

"Hey," Blaine said, offering a friendly smile as he approached. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Ryder shrugged.

"I'm sorry about Sam and Artie," Blaine apologized on behalf of his friends. "They're –"

"You know what?" Ryder said defensively, slamming his locker closed, "who cares about them? It's not a big deal, alright?"

"I'm not... I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong with admitting that something hurts you, even if other people don't understand," Blaine responded.

"You know what I really don't need?" Ryder snapped. "Mr. Perfect coming to make sure I'm emotionally stable so I don't ruin our chances at Regionals."

"No," Blaine disagreed, frustrated, "I'm here because I want to make sure you're okay. That's it."

"Well, I'm okay," Ryder rolled his eyes.

"Clearly not," Blaine challenged.

"What do you know?" Ryder said. "You live in this happy little world where everything's easy and the worst thing that ever happens to you is some breakup with your boyfriend!"

Blaine swallowed his anger as Ryder paused and seemed to regret his outburst.

"I know a little something about the long-lasting emotional impact of a physical attack," Blaine said, trying to replace the anger he was feeling with compassion.

Suddenly, Ryder wouldn't look at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I know. There's just a lot going on for me, so... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Blaine accepted his apology. He waited until Ryder looked at him again to add, "Really."

"It did feel good to say it out loud," Ryder admitted.

Blaine nodded.

"Blaine!"

Sam's urgent voice interrupted, and Blaine turned to see Sam – or, at least, a dark shape at the end of the hallway – frantically waving at him to come.

"Go ahead," Ryder said, much calmer than he had been a few moments before. "Thanks for checking on me."

Blaine put his hand on Ryder's shoulder briefly, studying his face to make sure Ryder would be okay, before turning and running down the hallway to where Sam was waiting for him.

"Dude," Sam said, "Becky's at her locker down the hall and didn't you say Cheerios practice is canceled today? This is the moment!"

They split up. Sam ran to get Artie and Blaine ran to find Becky.

"Becky?" Blaine asked when he rounded a corner and found her just as she slammed her locker closed. "Could you come with us for a minute?"

"Whatever," Becky agreed, and she followed them into an empty classroom. Sam closed the door behind them.

"Please sit down," Blaine requested, motioning at a lone chair in front of the teacher's desk.

Becky sat down.

"Look, Becky," Sam started the interrogation as he and Blaine leaned against the large desk in front of the cheerleader. "We know you know something about what happened to Coach Sylvester."

"I do not," Becky said.

"You're a terrible liar," Artie commented from where he was situated behind the teacher's desk.

"Becky," Blaine walked over to her and leaned close to her face, putting his hands on the chair's armrests on either side of her. "This has to stop. Look at me."

She obeyed, but hesitantly.

"Who are you protecting?" Blaine asked.

"Nobody," Becky said firmly.

"I don't believe you," Blaine pressed.

"That's your problem," Becky shot back.

Blaine glanced at Sam, who shrugged.

"You are going to tell us what you know right now," Blaine said seriously, "or we're going to go to Principal Figgins and tell him we suspect that you're withholding important information about what happened that day."

"I don't know anything!" Becky shouted in his face. "Get out of my _way_!"

She ducked under Blaine's arm and ran away, slamming the door closed behind her with so much force that the clock on the wall beside the door fell to the floor.

Blaine, Sam, and Artie stared after her.

"What are we going to do?" Artie wondered.

Blaine straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck. "She's scared," he surmised. "But she _knows_ something. Maybe... we _should_ tell Principal Figgins?"

"Tell him what?" Artie asked. "That she's acting weird? She's Coach Sylvester's protégé; of course she's acting weird."

"Then we just have to wait," Blaine realized. "And hope that someone will crack."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Blaine?" Mr. Schu asked at the start of glee rehearsal the next afternoon. "Do you have a song for us?"

"Yes," Blaine nodded, jumping out of his chair to walk to the piano. He sat down and stared at the black and white keys for a moment.

There were so many things he didn't know about Kurt after so much time apart. There were the little things. What was Kurt's favorite restaurant in New York? What fashion trends were on Kurt's radar lately? What was his favorite song on the radio? And there were the big things. Was Kurt leaning toward performing arts or fashion, or was he still planning to tackle both? Was Blaine still in Kurt's vision of his future?

They had talked about some of those things on the phone over the course of the past week, but it wasn't the same as _knowing_. It wasn't the same as being there, physically and emotionally, for everything in Kurt's life.

It made Blaine's heart ache to think about how much both he and Kurt had changed since their separation. His confidence about their future – the inevitability of a rekindling of their romance – was still there, but he also knew that there was a _chance_ he was wrong. Maybe the damage was too much to overcome. What if Kurt had changed so much that he didn't want Blaine anymore?

Blaine took a deep breath and began his song.

_I would like to visit you for a while_

_Get away and out of this city_

_Maybe I shouldn't have called but someone had to be the first to break_

_We can go sit on your back porch_

_Relax, talk about anything, it don't matter_

_I'll be courageous if you can pretend that you've forgiven me_

'_Cause I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from the pain_

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

That afternoon, Kurt let his mind wander as he strolled down the sidewalk on his way to the train station after his final class. There was still snow on the ground, but Kurt thought he could feel the first hint of springtime in the air. It felt nice. Like a big, warm change was imminent.

He had a lot on his mind.

Burt's appointment was rapidly approaching, and Kurt couldn't settle on any single emotion when he thought about it. He was terrified that they might get bad news. He was hopeful that they might get great news. He was anxious that Burt didn't seem to want to talk about it much any time they talked on the phone.

And then there was Blaine. Kurt was looking forward to seeing him, but he was also nervous because of the looming question of what their relationship was or wasn't. When he saw Blaine again, in person, would he _know_? How could he possibly know without getting to know Blaine all over again? They had both changed so much. Kurt was no longer the boy from Ohio who was clueless about life in the big city. How was Blaine different? Kurt knew that, deep down inside, Blaine was still _Blaine_, but it scared him a little to think that Blaine might feel as different about himself now versus when they had broken up as Kurt felt when he thought about himself back then.

Things were different. He was still Kurt and Blaine was still Blaine, but could they ever be _Kurt and Blaine_ again, even if they wanted to be?

_Springtime in the city_

_Always such relief from the winter freeze_

_The snow is more lonely than cold if you know what I mean_

_Everyone's got an agenda_

_Don't stop, keep that chin up, you'll be all right_

_Can you believe what a year it's been?_

_Are you still the same?_

_Has your opinion changed?_

'_Cause I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from these sentences_

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

* * *

><p><strong>BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine sang, he could feel everyone in the room absorbing his somber mood, but it felt like a release. Everyone knew how much he missed Kurt, but Blaine hadn't talked to anyone about how _nervous_ he was to see Kurt again.

_I know I let you down_

_I've paid the price_

_I'm still paying for it every day_

_So maybe I shouldn't have called_

_Was it too soon to tell?_

_Oh, what the hell, it doesn't really matter_

_How do you redefine something that never really had a name?_

_Has your opinion changed?_

'_Cause I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from the pain_

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

_I see your face_

_I see your face_

* * *

><p><strong>KURT <strong>

On Friday afternoon, Kurt, Rachel, and Santana arrived at the theater where the Ballet Gala was going to take place later that evening and Isabelle was waiting for them. She showed them the rack of outfits they could choose from and sent them into a dressing room to put on their new clothes. Kurt's outfit had already been tailored – he had picked it out the day after Isabelle had asked him to help and had convinced another intern to help him tailor it to his body – so he helped Rachel and Santana make the little changes necessary to make their gowns fit perfectly before getting dressed himself.

Rachel shed a few tears when the three of them finally crowded around a full-length mirror and saw what they looked like in their new outfits.

"I don't know where we'll ever be able to wear these again," Santana commented, "but damn."

"Look," Kurt said seriously as they prepared to return to the theater and get to work, "this is going to be fun, but it's also my job. So please, _please_ work hard and be nice."

He held Santana's gaze a little longer than Rachel's.

Isabelle was delighted when she saw the three of them. "Oh, you guys look _fabulous_!" she gushed, motioning with her hand for each of them to spin around so she could see their outfits. "Those are dresses, and a suit, worthy of the New York City Ballet Gala, for sure."

Kurt was so excited and nervous that he could only nod and bounce a little on the balls of his feet.

"Okay," Isabelle said as they hurried down the aisle of the theater toward the stage, "you're on Rex Reed duty, Kurt. Keep him away from the open bar."

"Gotcha," Kurt understood.

"Hey Santana?" Isabelle asked as they reached the stage. "How do you feel about Cherry Jones?"

"Whatevs," Santana shrugged.

"Miss Isabelle?" Rachel asked, her voice tinted with nerves and excitement as she and Kurt hurried up onto the stage after Isabelle, "I'm sorry, I know that we're just volunteers here but Kurt and I were wondering if there was any possibility that we could maybe watch the performance from the audience?"

Kurt tried to subtly glare at her as she spoke to shut her up. They were _working_ at the gala, not invited as guests. Their private conversation as they had gotten dressed about _what if_ they were allowed to watch the performance had just been a fantasy.

"Absolutely not!" Isabelle scolded, and Kurt dropped his gaze to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Rachel backtracked immediately.

"You're gonna be watching from the wings with me!" Isabelle corrected, smiling broadly.

Kurt could not believe his good fortune. He and Rachel glanced at each other, trying not to freak out too visibly, as Isabelle added, "It's the best seat in the house. Santana, you want to join us?"

"Oh, Santana doesn't like the ballet," Kurt explained. "She's only here for the gown and the swag bag."

"Oh, I don't believe that," Isabelle disagreed. "Every little girl, no matter where she ends up – even at Vogue dot com – starts out wanting to be a ballerina."

"Not Santana," Rachel commented. "We've discussed it." She grabbed Kurt and started to drag him away. "Kurt, can I just show you –?"

"Shut _up_, Berry," Santana snapped quietly as they passed. Kurt and Rachel paused and looked back at Santana and Isabelle as Santana turned to the Vogue dot com editor and confessed, "I actually did take ballet classes."

Rachel glanced at Kurt. He shrugged.

"My abuela put me in them when I was little because I was such a tomboy and it really pissed my dad off," Santana elaborated. "I only took a few lessons, but it helped me escape a little, you know? It was the first time I danced. I felt safe there and not different. A part of something beautiful."

Rachel smiled at Kurt, and he was impressed that Santana was opening up. Isabelle had a knack for making people feel at ease.

"Well," Isabelle smiled, "come here..."

She arranged Kurt, Rachel, and Santana in a line across the front of the stage.

"Sometimes," she smiled as she finished the line by taking her place beside Santana, "I think people forget to dream big. To remember the freedom of imagination that they had when they were little. So," she motioned out toward the empty seats, "take a moment and let yourself just _imagine_."

They stood in silence for a moment, each contemplating their past experiences with ballet and performing in general, until Santana snapped out of it.

"Sorry," Santana said, breaking out of her fantasy. She turned to Isabelle as Kurt and Rachel walked over. "Listen, I really love dancing. I just– I'm not like you guys. I don't know what I want to do or how I'm even going to get there."

"But you have plenty of time to figure it out," Isabelle encouraged, reaching out to briefly squeeze one of Santana's hands as Rachel leaned against Kurt and he put his arm around her. "And it doesn't have to be ballet or Broadway. Just as long as it's something that you love. Something that feeds your soul. And, Santana, baby steps are okay."

Santana turned to look at Kurt and Rachel before focusing back on Isabelle.

"Thank you," she said, the words loaded with emotion.

"You're very welcome," Isabelle smiled. "Now... let's get to work!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Electricity was finally restored at McKinley on Friday afternoon. Everything seemed bright and cheerful as New Directions gathered in the auditorium for the final rehearsal of the week.

"Okay," Jake said once everyone was settled, "let's flip some switches and rock out, please!"

"Woah, woah," Mr. Schu stopped them as they all started to stand up. "Hold on, guys. Don't plug back in just yet. There's one more thing this power outage can really drive home for us. The power of singing _a cappella_."

"I hate whistling," Kitty whined as Blaine thought about his time as a Warbler.

"Nothing but our voices for this next number," Mr. Schu suggested. "No other instruments or bottles or tools or anything. At the end of the day, our voices are the only instruments that truly matter. So, make it count."

Everyone turned to look at Blaine.

"Okay," he laughed, "it's not really as hard as you think. Come on..."

_The Longest Time_ was a song they had already been working on, with instrumental background music, so they already knew the choreography and the lead vocals. All it took was a little encouragement from Blaine and Mr. Schu, and the group was dancing and singing around the stage without any instruments by the end of rehearsal.

Blaine was still whistling the tune as he grabbed a few things out of his locker and prepared to head home.

As he turned the corner toward the exit to the parking lot, he was confronted with Principal Figgins clearing things out of someone's locker.

"Principal Figgins," Blaine greeted him, walking over to the administrator, "what's going on? Is this..." he glanced at the decorations on the inside of the locker door "... Becky's locker?"

"Miss Jackson has come forward with information about the frightening incident of a few weeks ago," the principal informed him, "and has been suspended."

Surprise flooded through Blaine.

"Is she... coming back?" he wondered.

"That is to be determined," Principal Figgins told him, "and is none of your concern, young student."

Blaine nodded and continued walking, pushing the door open to the parking lot and scanning the area to see if Sam was still around.

Sam's car wasn't there, so Blaine pulled out his phone to call him and tell him that their mission was over.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt, Rachel, and Santana finally made it home on Friday night, Kurt was so exhausted that he could barely remember how to brush his teeth and do his moisturizing routine. So, he waited until Saturday to call Blaine.

"It was _crazy_," he explained after telling Blaine most of the details of the busy night. "Running all over the place in this sea of rich people, making sure everything was running smoothly and that everyone was happy."

"You're so good at that kind of thing," Blaine complimented.

"Thanks," Kurt grinned. "It _felt_ good. And Isabelle was pleased, so that's probably the most important part."

"I still can't believe you know _Isabelle Wright_," Blaine remarked.

"I promise," Kurt said, "the next time you come to New York, I'll introduce you."

Blaine hummed his approval, and Kurt thought about the first time he had told Isabelle about Blaine. It felt like a different life. When he had shown his mentor a photo of him and Blaine, his _boyfriend_.

"Oh, and guess what?" Blaine changed the subject. "Becky Jackson confessed that she was the one who brought the gun to school, not Coach Sue."

"What?" Kurt gasped. "_Becky_?"

"I know," Blaine agreed.

"So, is Sue getting her job back?" Kurt wondered.

"It's unclear," Blaine explained. "I mean, she _did_ lie about what happened. So, for now, I think we're stuck with Roz Washington."

"Good luck with that," Kurt teased.

Blaine groaned in frustration and a brief silence passed between them.

"So..." Blaine said casually, "are you still... do you still want to see me next week?"

"Of course I do!" Kurt scolded gently.

"Good," Blaine replied happily, and Kurt's stomach flipped as the reality of seeing Blaine again set in. "Just make sure you're not wearing anything too metallic when you come to McKinley to see everyone... there are metal detectors now."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The song is "I Don't Know You Anymore" by Savage Garden. "I'll be courageous if you can pretend that you've forgiven me" COME ON. I liked it for this episode because it's just a piano accompaniment. Fits the "unplugged" theme. And I think the whole concept of Kurt and Blaine having changed since the start of the season is really interesting. They're still Kurt and Blaine, but they've been separated for at least five months at this point, so they'll definitely have some rediscovering to do once they inevitably get back together. :)<strong>_

_**Up next... 4x21: Wonder-ful!**_


	60. 4x21: Wonderful

_**This is such a sweet episode for Klaine! Also, so funny in terms of the way Blaine is just in full blown I LOVE YOU KURT mode and Kurt is still devoted to JUST FRIENDS. He is in such denial. Or maybe not. I kinda think he's fighting his instinct to trust Blaine because he's nervous to open up and set himself up for the possibility of being hurt again. That's the last hurdle. Anyway, here goes...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Rachel had her _Funny Girl_ callback on Monday morning.

"Okay," Kurt said as he hugged her goodbye in the apartment that morning and prepared to rush out the door so he could catch his train to the city, "I've got class all day and I've got to work until really late since I'll be gone the rest of the week, so I _need_ you to text me and tell me what happened as soon as it's over or I may keel over and die of anticipation before I make it home tonight."

"I will," Rachel promised, smiling broadly as they stepped out of the hug but held onto each other's forearms.

"Just remember," Kurt encouraged her, "they wanted to see you again because you stood out. They _like_ you."

Rachel nodded. "I'm ready. I've been preparing for this day my whole life."

"I love you, Rachel," Kurt hugged her once more.

"Love you, Kurt," Rachel smiled as Kurt stepped away and grabbed his bag off the table. "Have a great day!" she shouted after him as he ran out the door.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That afternoon, Mr. Schu was smiling as he walked through the door into the choir room for glee practice.

"Alright, guys, I just got some _wonderful_..." he wrote _Wonder-ful_ on the whiteboard, "... news from Rachel! She's got a second callback for _Funny Girl_!"

"_What_?" Blaine exclaimed happily as the rest of the group voiced their approval. Blaine had known about Rachel's callback that morning, but he hadn't heard from Kurt whether or not it had been successful so the news was a surprise.

"And that's not our only good news," Mr. Schu explained as he walked back to the center of the room. "Brittany is at MIT touring the campus because she's got her early acceptance."

"That can't be true," Kitty voiced everyone's doubt.

"_And_," Mr. Schu added, ignoring Kitty and the confusion everyone felt about Brittany's college plans, "I re-proposed to Emma. She re-accepted, and we're getting married after Regionals."

Blaine suddenly felt a little short of breath. Kurt was flying back to Ohio the following morning, and then Blaine had to decide if he wanted to propose.

Tina raised her hand. "I've got some good news, too," she declared. "I'm waitlisted at the Columbus College of Veterinary Medicine. It's a fallback if I don't pursue acting."

"Bless her heart," Unique approved.

"Tina," Mr. Schu exclaimed, "that's not just good news, it's _wonderful_!" he motioned behind him at the whiteboard. "And that's what this week is all about. We're taking a lesson from one of the greatest musical artists of all time. Despite facing a ton of obstacles, he's a living example of embracing, no, _celebrating_ joy and optimism. And he's collected twenty five Grammys along the way. So," Mr. Schu teased, "don't you worry 'bout a thing. Because, whether you're ebony or ivory, you are the sunshine of my life! And, next week at Regionals, we will be jammin' on higher ground!"

The group started to get excited as they realized who Mr. Schu was talking about.

"It's a Stevie Wonder week!"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

In the late afternoon – hours later than expected – Rachel finally sent Kurt a text message.

_I want to tell you about it when you get home_.

Kurt had so much anticipation built up inside his body that he wanted to throw his phone across the room.

_I'm not going to be home until at least midnight_, he reminded her. _Tell me now._

_I'll wait up,_ Rachel disagreed.

Kurt called her twenty minutes later when he got out of his final class of the day and started the walk to Vogue dot com.

"It was perfect!" Rachel squealed in lieu of a greeting.

"See, was that so hard?" Kurt scolded. "My hair is going to go prematurely gray dealing with your need to make everything as dramatic as possible."

"Oh my god," Rachel ignored the jab, "there were, like, ten of us there and I think they said there were four more who already sang for them twice..."

"_And_?" Kurt pressed, although her assessment that the callback had been _perfect_ suggested that she was still in the running.

"It's between me and two other girls!" Rachel shouted.

"You're the _top three_?" Kurt exclaimed. "_Rachel!_ Who are the other two?"

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "There are rumors, but the producers didn't say. I'm trying not to think about it."

"So...?" Kurt wondered if she just had to wait.

"I have _another_ callback next week!" Rachel understood his question.

"This is _insane_," Kurt approved. "What was it like today?"

"Well," Rachel explained, "as you know, they wanted all of us to do something from _Funny Girl_ this time."

"And you did _Don't Rain On My Parade_," Kurt recalled.

"Much better than last time," Rachel laughed, and Kurt remembered the agony of Rachel choking during her NYADA audition.

"I'm so glad," he said.

"Not as glad as I am," Rachel teased. "But, anyway, after the callback next week... I think it'll just be waiting game."

"You're gonna get it," Kurt said confidently.

"Thanks," she said happily.

She asked about Kurt's day, and he told her about his day spent in class and wandering all over campus making sure each of his professors remembered that he would be gone for the rest of the week. They had all been surprisingly okay with the four day leave to fly to Ohio and help his father through his appointment.

"So, I'm free of class for two weeks!" Kurt realized as he reached the building that housed Vogue dot com.

"Oh my god, I forgot that spring break was next week!" Rachel exclaimed happily. "I'm going to sleep all day, every day. Are you going to stay in Ohio?"

"Probably," Kurt acknowledged, "at least for part of the week. It's Regionals, you know, so... and Mercedes is going to be home!"

"Aww!" Rachel whined. "Say hi to her for me!"

"I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning," Kurt laughed. "I'll collect all your messages before I go."

"Okay," Rachel agreed.

"I'm at work," Kurt told her as he pushed the door open and stepped into the lobby, "so... see you tonight?"

"If I'm not asleep," Rachel clarified.

"See you tomorrow, then," Kurt teased. "Congratulations on your callback today!"

"Thanks, Kurt!" Rachel said. "Bye!"

"Bye," Kurt echoed.

As Kurt anticipated, he worked until almost midnight. When he finished his final task for the day, he straightened his desk – he might not be back for two weeks – and walked down the hall to say goodbye to Isabelle.

"Oh, try to have fun if you can, okay?" Isabelle hugged him. "And, of course, good luck with your dad's appointment."

"Thanks," Kurt nodded. "We're cautiously optimistic."

"Well," Isabelle said, "that's all you can do. Hang on to that hope. Shoot me an email and let me know, will you? I don't think I can stand waiting two weeks to know if you're really relaxing on your time off."

"I will," Kurt agreed. "Thank you so much. For everything."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As Kurt packed early the next morning, he felt incredibly apprehensive.

There were only two possible outcomes of the appointment. Either his father's treatment had been a success, or it hadn't. Either he still had cancer, or he was cancer-free.

Kurt knew the stress was getting to him. He always got a little crazy and hyper-organized when anxiety piled up inside him and, over the course of the previous few days, it had started to get ridiculous. His room looked as if it had been professionally cleaned. He tapped his nose three times at specific intervals throughout the day for good luck. He had started wearing light blue socks to channel the metaphor of a clear sky.

Rachel didn't think he was crazy. After catching him tapping his nose at fourteen minutes after nine one morning, Kurt had admitted his steadily increasing need to do everything in a very particular way, and Rachel had nodded and announced that it was perfectly normal. "It's just your way of trying to control your anxiety," she had said, kissing the top of his head as he sat at the kitchen table and stared down into his cereal bowl.

It made Kurt feel better to know that she didn't think he was losing his mind, but nothing short of a clean bill of health for his father was going to put Kurt's mind at ease.

He forced himself not to think about what it would mean if the doctor didn't have any good news for them.

His flight to Ohio was uneventful, but Kurt was met with a surprise when he wandered out of the terminal in Ohio and found Finn waiting for him.

"Finn!" Kurt wasn't sure whether he should be excited to see his step-brother or worried about why his father hadn't come. "Is Dad okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Finn nodded immediately. "He had some stuff to do at the shop today – he's trying to keep his mind off the appointment, if you ask me – so he asked me if I could come get you since I don't have class for another hour and a half."

Kurt relaxed.

"Okay," he said as Finn motioned for Kurt to follow him to the car.

"So, uh, do you want to go home or...?" Finn wondered.

"Let's go home so I can dump my stuff off and change," Kurt decided. "And then I think I'm going to head to McKinley to see everyone."

It was, as Blaine had told him multiple times over the course of the past two weeks, incredibly strange to walk through a metal detector to gain access to the school. But the feeling was quickly forgotten as Kurt entered the building where the choir room was located just in time to catch Blaine, Mr. Schu, Marley, and Jake laughing together in the hallway.

At first, Blaine didn't see him, so Kurt paused and watched as the small group dispersed. Blaine walked the few steps to his locker and opened it, and Kurt tried to decipher his feelings as he watched Blaine grab a few sheets of paper out of his locker and study them briefly before putting them in his bag.

It felt weird to see him. But not as weird as it had before.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the back and he turned to find Mercedes standing beside him.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

As Blaine closed his locker, Kurt's bright yellow shirt and the sound of Kurt's laughter as he greeted Mercedes and Mike caught his attention at the same time. He stared down the hallway as Kurt hugged their friends and then turned looked at Blaine.

Blaine felt a rush of nervous, delighted warmth in his chest as Kurt smiled at him.

Mercedes whispered something in Kurt's ear, and Kurt rolled his eyes and left her and Mike behind as he walked toward Blaine. For a moment, Blaine felt frozen – what should he do? – but Kurt looked so open and relaxed and _happy_ that Blaine quickly recovered and moved to close the gap between them as quickly as possible.

"Hi!" Blaine breathed happily as Kurt crushed him in a hug.

He was definitely going to propose.

"It's so good to see you," Kurt said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine couldn't control the huge smile on his face as they stepped apart and he studied Kurt's body language. And his body. He was opening his mouth to compliment Kurt on his appearance when Kitty leaned out into the hallway from the choir room and called, "Blaine!"

"Oh!" Blaine remembered, digging into his bag for the sheet music he had just retrieved from his locker and shooting an apologetic glance at Kurt. "I'm on piano today... you coming?"

"No," Kurt teased, "I just stopped by for that hug and now I'm leaving. _Yes_, I'm coming. Let me get Mike and Mercedes."

Blaine turned and hurried into the choir room so they could start the day's rehearsal, and Kurt, Mike, and Mercedes skipped into the room together as Kitty began her Stevie Wonder song.

"_Oh, hey! Oh yeah, baby. Like a fool I went and stayed too long. Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong. Oh, baby, here I am. Signed, sealed, delivered. I'm yours._"

Kitty, Ryder, and Jake danced around the room as Kitty sang and Blaine jammed on the piano, and everyone cheered loudly when the song ended.

"Seemed like the perfect Stevie song to celebrate Artie getting his acceptance letter into film school," Kitty commented as Blaine stood up from the piano bench and hurried across the room to sit in front of Kurt.

"That's incredible!" Blaine cheered as the group applauded Artie's accomplishment. But, instead of accepting the congratulations, Artie shied away from the attention. Blaine wasn't sure why, but he didn't have time to think about it because Mercedes spoke up.

"Well, you know, that may have been the perfect song," Mercedes agreed, "but that performance was just one package that I'm not signing for. I mean, honestly, it was good. But you guys have got to be _great_ for Regionals."

"Yeah, clearly we should be taking our advice from somebody who came crawling back to Ohio after apparently having her L.A. dreams shattered," Kitty criticized. "Did you learn your new lyrics yet?"

She put a finger in her ear and dramatically sang "Do you want fries with that?"

"Oh," Mercedes said, "well, maybe if you put some of that sass in your performance your teacher wouldn't have begged me to come here and be your new vocal coach."

"Mercedes is one of the strongest vocalists in McKinley glee club history," Mr. Schu spoke up to stop the argument from escalating.

"So get on point, Kitty," Kurt added. "Your little theory about Mercedes' shattered dreams, like most of the garbage that comes out of your mouth, is wrong, alright? Mercedes is back because she has a new album coming out all about home, and she's come back to film a video for it."

"Wow!" Sam approved. "Mercedes, that's awesome!"

"And Mr. Schu asked me to help choreograph for Regionals," Mike explained his role.

"I love you, Mike," Tina said immediately. "I love all my exes. But this isn't wonderful news, it's shocking. Now we need some guy to help us dance? Hashtag: glee hates girls."

She turned toward Kurt.

"And what are you here to lecture us about, Kurt?" she accused. "Our horrible taste in clothing?"

"My dad has cancer," Kurt reminded her.

Tina turned silently back to face the front of the room.

"Thanks, Tina," Blaine scolded.

Mercedes broke up the tension by declaring that it was time to get started with rehearsal, and Blaine glanced at Kurt.

"Don't just sit there," Kurt teased, waving his hand toward the front of the room, "you're here to be taught by the very best."

Blaine laughed and obeyed, and the rest of rehearsal flew by with Mercedes, Mike, and Kurt around.

As everyone gathered their things and started leaving the choir room to go home, Blaine pulled Kurt, Mercedes, and Mike aside and suggested that they grab coffee together at the Lima Bean.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When they reached the coffee shop, Kurt and Blaine volunteered to order the drinks while Mike and Mercedes found a table.

Kurt felt comfortable standing in line with Blaine. It reminded him of when things had been simpler between them. They chatted about Kurt's flight that morning and about Rachel's _Funny Girl_ callback and, just before they ordered, Blaine was thrilled when his phone alerted him to an article about all the ways the legalization of gay marriage was going to positively impact New York's economy.

"All this marriage equality news is _so_ exciting!" Blaine said as their coffee arrived. "_New York_!"

"I know," Kurt agreed as he accepted his, Mercedes', and Mike's drinks from the barista in a drink tray, "it's going to be insane. Isabelle's already consulting on, like, seven different gay weddings."

Blaine barely took his eyes off the article on his phone as he grabbed a handful of sugar packets and a few stirring sticks and plopped them onto the tray Kurt was holding.

"It's historic," Blaine said eagerly, his eyes full of wonder as he turned his attention to Kurt, "and, soon, I'm going to be in New York to see it!"

Blaine grabbed his drink from the barista, and they both turned to walk to the table where Mike and Mercedes were waiting.

"By the way," Blaine said as they walked, "you look cute today."

Blaine nudged his arm. "And I mean, like, dirty cute."

Kurt paused as Blaine walked away and tried to control the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth as butterflies churned in his stomach. After a few seconds, he felt in control enough to follow Blaine to the table, and he sat down across from Blaine as Mercedes talked about her upcoming album.

"The album is called 'Hell to the No', based off of the soon-to-be hit single," she explained.

"Love it!" Kurt approved.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Mercedes started talking to Mike about the music video for her single, but Blaine was suddenly distracted by Kurt. He had grabbed all of the sugar packets from the tray and was trying to arrange them into orderly piles on the table.

"You are so L.A. right now, it's breathless," Kurt commented, clearly listening as he worked.

"Mike knows what I'm talking about, right?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh, I totally know what you mean!" Mike agreed before turning to Blaine and shaking his head no.

Blaine laughed.

"Don't worry," Mike said to Mercedes, "I'm all over it. With what I've learned at The Joffrey, I've got new moves so hot you're gonna want to say hell to the _yes_!"

As Mike spoke, Kurt continued to arrange the sugar packets, and Blaine watched him but did not call attention to the action.

They all groaned at Mike's play on the name of Mercedes' song.

"I'm so glad you guys are back here just before Regionals," Blaine confessed. "We really need you around."

"You're gonna nail it!" Mike reassured him. "No sweat!"

"Alright," Mercedes said, glancing between Kurt and Blaine, "so what's going on between you two? Because it was pretty boy-on-boy heavy at the wedding."

"We're not together," Blaine said immediately, trying not to panic. "Um," he glanced at Kurt, "but it's cool!"

"Why did I hear that Tina did something to you called the Vapo...?" Mike wondered.

"Okay, is that really important right now?" Kurt suddenly snapped. The last of his small piles of sugar packets fell over as he spoke, and he looked distraught as he motioned around and added, "This doesn't matter!"

"Kurt," Mercedes said, grabbing one of his hands, "your dad is going to be fine. Everything is going to be okay. We're here. Trust."

Blaine reached across the table and grabbed Kurt's other hand.

"Wow," Kurt said, glancing up at each of them, "Blaine's right. Thank god you guys are here because we both need you right now."

Blaine reached across the table with his other arm and squeezed Kurt's hand with both of his. Kurt finally made lasting eye contact with him, and Blaine saw a storm of uncertainty in Kurt's eyes. He squeezed Kurt's hand again and offered a little, toothless smile, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay.

"Thanks," Kurt whispered.

"So," Blaine decided to change the subject, "how's Rachel?"

"Oh my god, I cannot believe that girl," Mercedes said. "_Two_ callbacks already? She's making us all look bad," she teased.

Kurt relaxed a little, and Blaine pulled one of his hands back but continued to hold Kurt's hand on top of the table with the other. Kurt didn't seem to mind.

"Rachel's amazing," Kurt explained. "She's really re-discovered her confidence since she broke up with Brody."

"So, was he a drug dealer or a hooker?" Mike asked. "I never really got the full story."

"Hooker," Kurt rolled his eyes. "And yes, Rachel got tested for pretty much every STD there is and, thank god, she's fine."

They spent the next hour talking about their lives (they each lived in a different city, so there were plenty of stories to tell). Blaine eventually released Kurt's hand, but only because Mercedes kept glancing over at their hands on the table and he could tell it was making Kurt uncomfortable. Eventually, when they had all finished their coffee and the conversation fell into a natural lull, they decided to head out.

"Well," Mercedes said, hugging Blaine and then Kurt just outside the doors of the Lima Bean, "see you guys tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Kurt smiled.

Mercedes shot Mike a meaningful glance and the two of them quickly walked away.

Kurt turned to Blaine and rolled his eyes to let him know that yes, he had noticed.

"Tomorrow's the big day," he said softly.

"It's going to be good news," Blaine reassured him.

"I hope so," Kurt said. "Thanks for taking him to all those little appointments, by the way."

"I told you I'd take care of him when you couldn't be here," Blaine replied seriously.

Kurt nodded and blinked rapidly as tears filled his eyes. Blaine started to step forward to hug him, but Kurt stepped back and put his arms out to stop Blaine from coming any closer.

"I don't..." Kurt struggled with his words, but Blaine could tell from the look on his face that he didn't want to have a meltdown in the middle of the Lima Bean parking lot.

"Okay," Blaine said softly, taking a step back. "It's okay, Kurt."

Kurt took a deep breath.

"See you tomorrow?" he suggested.

Blaine wanted to hug him _so_ badly, but he nodded, instead. "Take an Ambien tonight, okay?" he suggested, knowing that Kurt wasn't going to sleep at all.

Kurt surprised him by breathing out a short laugh as he turned to walk away. "Maybe," he agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Blaine smiled. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

When Kurt woke up the next day and remembered that his father's appointment was only hours away, he was so anxious that he couldn't eat breakfast.

Fortunately, Blaine texted him as he was stirring his cereal around and around and around in his bowl.

_We're going to have an informal glee rehearsal during lunch_, Blaine explained. _Want to come? I promise, it'll be over before you have to go to the appointment._

What Kurt _wanted_ to do was curl up on the couch and cry, but he decided to go for it. He had to hold himself together for his father's sake.

_Sure!_ he replied.

_Today's going to be a good day, Kurt_, Blaine texted him back. _See you in a few hours!_

Kurt straightened the kitchen and vacuumed the living room and made himself a sandwich that he knew he wasn't going to eat to pass the time until he drove to McKinley to hang out with his friends. They all sang and danced together on the stage as Mercedes, Blaine, and Marley led them in a rendition of _Superstition_, and it was a welcome distraction for Kurt.

Until the song ended and Kurt felt the weight of his father's upcoming appointment settling back onto his shoulders. He glanced at his phone. He had to leave in thirty minutes to meet his father and Carole at the hospital.

"Hey," Blaine walked up to him from behind and clasped his hands on Kurt's shoulders. The familiar feel of Blaine's weight hanging on his shoulders pushed Kurt over the edge, and he yanked out of Blaine's grip and walked quickly, but calmly, out of the auditorium.

"Kurt?" Blaine followed him.

There were students everywhere – it was lunchtime – so Kurt kept walking until he found an empty classroom. As he locked the door behind him and Blaine, Kurt decided that he had to let his emotions out or he was going to have a meltdown in the middle of the hospital, in front of his father. He turned to face Blaine and burst into tears.

Blaine beckoned with his hands, and Kurt stepped into Blaine's arms let Blaine rub his back and tell him it was okay, that it was good to let it out.

"Oh god," he moaned as he finally started to calm down. "What time is it? I'm going to be late!"

The little jolt of panic that accompanied that possibility chased away the last of his tears, and he pulled out of Blaine's arms to twist around and look at the clock on the wall. He still had five minutes until he had to leave.

"I should go," he said. He really, _really_ didn't want to be late. Blaine studied his face, still concerned, and Kurt guessed, "My eyes are all red and puffy, aren't they?"

"Your eyes are beautiful," Blaine said, a spark of amusement springing to life in his eyes.

"Oh, please," Kurt tried to look annoyed, but he could feel himself blushing and he knew he probably just looked flustered.

Blaine grabbed one of Kurt's hands and squeezed it.

"It's going to be okay, Kurt," he said confidently.

"I guess I'm about to find out if that's true or not," Kurt sighed, squeezing Blaine's hand in return. "I'll let you know."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. He released Kurt's hand.

"I love you," Kurt said, feeling overly sentimental about everything as he prepared to go and find out if his father was going to live or die.

"I love you so much, Kurt," Blaine replied softly. "Give your dad and Carole my love, too."

"I will," Kurt agreed.

He grabbed Blaine and squeezed him in a hug once more before he turned and hurried away.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt arrived at the hospital three minutes ahead of schedule, but he quickly realized that he shouldn't have worried about being late. He sat with his father and Carole in the waiting room for thirty minutes before a nurse finally came and asked them to follow her to the doctor's private office. Burt wasn't getting any tests done – just results – so there was no need to visit an examination room. Kurt was glad.

Once they were in the large office, Burt and Carole sat down on a couch against the wall across from the room's large desk and Kurt paced.

None of them said much. Burt asked Kurt how everyone at McKinley was doing, and Kurt answered in as few words as possible because he didn't trust himself to talk much without crying. Carole told them she had talked to Finn, and he sent his love, which reminded Kurt to tell them that Blaine sent his love, too.

And then they waited.

"How long have we been waiting?" Kurt asked after what felt like at least an hour. Where was the doctor? What if the news was so bad that he didn't want to come tell them?

"I dunno," Carole shrugged, "like, fifteen minutes?"

"After a half hour in the waiting room?" Kurt whined.

Carole gave him a look that said "drop it", and Kurt's gaze fell on his father's shirt.

"Please tell me that is not a dark blue t-shirt under your flannel, alright?" Kurt scolded. "I asked you not to wear dark colors, okay? Dark blue is close to black, and we all know what black means!"

"I don't think my wardrobe is going to have any impact on what the results are," Burt said skeptically.

"But you don't know for_ sure_, okay?" Kurt said, feeling the panic starting to spill out of him. He couldn't stop talking. "I asked you to do one thing!"

"I am barely keeping it together, Kurt!" his father shouted.

Burt never shouted. Kurt felt faint.

"Can you just knock it off, please?" Burt said sternly, "And sit down!"

As Kurt sank into a chair next to his father, the doctor entered the room and Kurt turned to look at him, trying to decide if he looked optimistic or not.

"Hey, Doc," Burt greeted him. "What's the good word?"

"You know," the doctor said as he walked to sit down at his desk, "I'm going to skip the clichés about my golf game and get right to it."

Kurt hung on his every word, desperate to _know_.

"As you know," the doctor said to Burt, "we were mildly aggressive with your treatment, considering you were still in stage one. We used implant radiation therapy."

"And he completely changed his diet," Kurt added, as if that might change what the doctor had to say.

"Well," the doctor acknowledged Kurt's comment, "whatever you were doing, it worked."

Kurt had never felt such a surge of hope in his entire life.

"Tumor's gone," the doctor said plainly. "Your PSA levels are back to normal and you have the prostate of a twenty year old according to your Gleason scores."

"Okay," Carole said in disbelief, "wait, so... so you're saying he's cured?"

"We prefer 'in remission'," the doctor clarified, "but, in layman's terms, yeah."

Burt and Carole turned to look at each other and quickly wrapped their arms around each other for a hug.

"Looks like I picked the right shirt, huh buddy?" Burt exclaimed as he twisted away from Carole to high five Kurt.

Kurt and Burt both jumped to their feet. "Come on, man!" Burt cried as he grabbed his son and hugged him. Then, Kurt hugged Carole as Burt thanked the doctor, and suddenly they were alone in the room again. Kurt sank onto the couch beside Carole and felt as if his entire body had turned to mush from an overdose of relief.

"I just... I wasn't ready to leave you guys yet," Burt said tearfully, walking over to sit beside Kurt. "Things aren't finished, right? So much to do! You," he motioned at Kurt, "getting married. And grandbabies. Having old people sex with Carole!"

Kurt tried to scoff unhappily at the mental image, but he couldn't do much other than laughing and crying in his state of delighted shock.

"I'm just so happy I'm not going to miss it," Burt said. He stood up and Kurt and Carole stood up, too.

Burt wrapped his arms around both of them.

"I love you guys," he said, squeezing them tightly. "I love you guys! I don't have cancer."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine knew the time of Burt's appointment, so when the time came and went and there was no news from Kurt, he started to worry.

Then, the school day ended with no word from Kurt and Blaine didn't know what to do. He was standing at his locker, contemplating the possibility of calling or texting Kurt, even if it meant interrupting whatever was going on, when someone suddenly walked up beside him, grabbed him, and planted a warm, wet kiss on his cheek.

"My dad doesn't have cancer," Kurt whispered in his ear.

This time, Blaine was the one who cried. It wasn't quite the sobbing meltdown Kurt had experienced earlier in the day, but it was enough that Blaine had to wipe tears off his cheeks multiple times as Kurt told him about the appointment.

"I'm so happy," Blaine motioned to his tear-filled eyes as Kurt finished the story.

Kurt hugged him, squeezing him as tightly as he could.

"Thank you," Kurt said. "Thank you, thank you."

"I love you," Blaine closed his eyes and let himself feel safe in Kurt's embrace.

As they stepped apart, there was a fire in Kurt's eyes that brought a smile to Blaine's face and dried up the last of his tears.

"Let's go tell New Directions," Kurt suggested, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet. "And then I have a song to sing."

Everyone was predictably happy to learn that Burt's appointment had gone so well. Kurt hugged everyone, even Kitty and the other sophomores he didn't know, and the room was full of energy.

Eventually, Kurt walked over to Mr. Schu and asked him something and Mr. Schu nodded so Kurt skipped to the center of the room.

"So," Kurt said as the group settled down to hear what he had to say, "my dad doesn't have cancer."

Everyone applauded.

"And, because I can," Kurt teased, "I want to sing a song for him. So, I have invited him to join us in..." he glanced at the clock on the wall, "ten minutes."

Burt was late.

"He'll be here any minute, I'm sure," Kurt said, fidgeting as he stood in front of the group.

As if on cue, Burt walked through the door, and everyone cheered for him.

"Dad!" Kurt said happily. He hurried over and guided Burt toward a chair in the front row.

"Hey, hey everybody. Good to see ya," Burt waved at the group. "Schu, good to see you, buddy." He hugged Mr. Schu. "How're you doing?"

Then he turned to Blaine, who was sitting in the chair behind the empty one reserved for Burt.

"What's up, Blaine," he reached out and shook Blaine's hand, and Blaine smiled as Burt settled into his seat and Kurt spoke again.

"Well," Kurt said, "it's probably not a surprise why I asked you to come here today."

"I'm guessing it has something to do with a song?" Burt teased.

"Yes," Kurt agreed, "but not just any song. You see, the last time I dedicated a song to you in this room, you were in the hospital. But, today, we are celebrating life's most treasured and wonderful gift. A second chance."

Blaine dropped his head and wondered if, maybe, now that Kurt's mind was free of the weight of his father's illness, _Blaine_ might be the next one he turned to with the offer of a second chance.

"See," Kurt continued, "when I was little, you used to sing this song to me in the car all the time and it always put a smile on my face. So, today, it's my turn to sing and your turn to smile."

"I'm already there, kiddo," Burt said, motioning for Kurt to go ahead.

Kitty, Tina, and Marley climbed out of their chairs to dance with, and around, Kurt as he sang the song.

"_You are the sunshine of my life. That's why I'll always be around. You are the apple of my eye. Forever you'll stay in my heart._"

Blaine danced along from his seat, watching both the performance and Burt's body language as Kurt sang and danced, and he realized that they really _were_ going to be okay. Burt didn't have cancer.

He stood up and applauded as Kurt finished the song and Burt wrapped his son in a tight hug.

"Let's hear it for Burt Hummel!" Mr. Schu announced.

Burt laughed and released Kurt so he could bow dramatically to the group, and then he and Kurt said goodbye so they could get home to Carole and Finn (who had come home from college for the night to celebrate with his family).

That night, Blaine didn't sleep much.

He needed to talk to Burt about asking Kurt to marry him.

Blaine wasn't interested in _permission_ – he was going to propose to Kurt, no matter what – but he did want Burt's blessing. He knew it would mean a lot to Kurt to know that Burt had been on board before the actual proposal, and Blaine liked the traditional aspect of the whole thing. It made sense to him to talk to Kurt's current family about the possibility of marrying Kurt and starting a new family.

And now, with Burt's health issues gone, Blaine felt like the timing was right. He just had to find a way to approach Burt without Kurt around.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next few days seemed to fly by for Kurt.

In addition to texting her all the time, he talked to Rachel on the phone multiple times. The first time, he called to tell her about his father's appointment and to ask her to make sure Santana wasn't secretly sleeping in his bed. The second time, Rachel called him to tell him that she and Cassandra July had worked things out and that the once cruel dance instructor was now betting on Rachel to win the role in _Funny Girl_. The third time, Kurt called Rachel to try to convince her to come back to Ohio after her second callback the following week so they could spend spring break together with their friends, but she resisted. Kurt let her change the subject, but made a mental note to try to convince her again later.

He spent time with his family. He helped his father pick out two new suits for work. He visited Finn's dorm – and said hello to Puck – and went with Carole to see a movie that Burt refused to attend.

And he spent time with Blaine, but not exactly in the way he had imagined before he came back to Ohio. They were always with their friends, not alone. In many ways, Kurt was fine with it because Mercedes and Mike were only in town for a short time, too, so it made sense for them all to hang out together. But part of him wanted to sit down with Blaine and just _talk_.

He decided to wait. He was still going to be in Ohio for another week. There would be plenty of time to talk in the coming days.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Late in the week, Mercedes announced to the group that she had split from her record label and was now going to promote her album herself. She gave each member of New Directions a copy and then sang _Higher Ground_ to show the world that she was moving onward and upward.

Blaine danced along, but he was preoccupied. He had called Burt the night before – when he knew Kurt was out with Carole – and had asked Burt to meet him in the auditorium after glee practice.

Blaine managed to slip away, unnoticed, as Kurt and Mercedes chatted by the piano at the end of rehearsal. He hurried to his locker and retrieved a little red box before rushing to the auditorium to wait for Kurt's father. He sat down on a stool that was already on the stage, trying to calm his nerves. Burt wasn't supposed to arrive for at least ten minutes.

He mulled the small box, twirling it around in his hands, as he waited.

Something about just walking up to Burt and blurting out that he wanted to marry Kurt hadn't felt right when he imagined how he was going to broach the subject with Burt. He knew that the question would be a surprise, and he didn't want to just blindside Burt with the question without some context.

So, he had gone online and ordered a small rainbow pin. Something to give to Burt to get the topic of gay marriage started.

"Anderson?" Burt's voice snapped Blaine out of his thoughts, and Blaine looked up to see Burt walking toward him across the stage. "You wanted to see me? You're not going to sing to me too, are you?"

"I just wanted to give you this," Blaine explained as he stood up, holding out the small box.

Burt took it from him and opened it, revealing the rainbow pin inside.

"I thought maybe you could wear it at work," Blaine explained, "to show your support for gay marriage."

"That's really sweet of you," Burt approved. "Gay rights has been my top issue. You know, it makes me wildly unpopular with my distinguished colleagues... they're on the wrong side of history, so screw 'em!"

"I am so glad that you feel that way," Blaine admitted as Burt walked over to a full-length mirror so he could put the pin on his shirt. Blaine followed him. "Because, assuming that we legally, can..." he watched Burt in the mirror, "um, I wanted to formally ask for your permission to ask Kurt to marry me."

Burt's gaze flew from where it had been locked on the pin to meet Blaine's eyes in the mirror.

"You kidding or are you nuts?" Burt asked.

Blaine had anticipated a less-than-delighted reaction, so it didn't rattle him.

"Kurt is my soul mate," Blaine said steadily. "I know that I've hurt him badly, but I also know that, if I want to get him back, I have to do something bold."

Burt turned away from the mirror to face Blaine.

"Blaine," he said, "it means a lot to me that that you love Kurt. And you've been like family to me."

"So," Blaine smiled, cautiously optimistic, "you're saying that you're... okay with me asking for his hand."

"Oh, of course not," Burt said immediately with a shake of his head. He seemed amused. "No, you're still kids. Did you learn _anything_ from Finn and Rachel?"

Blaine felt defensiveness clawing its way into his mind. "They are completely different," Blaine argued.

Burt shrugged as if to suggest that he didn't totally agree.

"Completely different," Blaine reiterated. "I don't think that you understand how it feels to _finally_ be able to legally get married!"

"And you don't really get what it is to be married," Burt chastised gently. "Straight, gay, whatever... it's not the same as living together."

Blaine was rapidly losing patience with the whole situation. Why didn't anyone _understand_?

"Blaine, listen," Burt said kindly, "let's sit down for a second."

He walked over to grab a stool that was sitting near the mirror and carried it over to where Blaine's stool was waiting for him. "Seriously, come here."

"Look," Burt said as they sat down across from each other, "I can't tell you why, but something happens when you exchange vows. It's a _big deal_."

Blaine nodded. Of course it was a big deal.

"It's why getting divorced is so much harder than breaking up," Burt added.

Blaine dropped his head, battling his frustration. He never wanted to _break up_ with Kurt again. That was the _point_.

"It's just a really big difference," Burt explained, "between marrying a person and marrying... an idea."

Blaine knew what he meant. But Blaine wasn't in love with an _idea_. Blaine was in love with _Kurt_. And Kurt loved him back, for now, but what if things changed and they never got a second chance?

"What if he meets someone else?" Blaine challenged.

"You think you two were meant to be?" Burt answered the question with one of his own.

"Yes," Blaine answered immediately.

"Do you think you two have a true love?" Burt questioned.

"_Yes_!" Blaine said vehemently.

"Then stop worrying," Burt suggested calmly.

Blaine stared at Burt and wished that he could let go of his worry as easily as Burt made it sound.

"I've gotta go," Burt said after a brief silence. "Thanks for the pin," he motioned at the little rainbow on his shirt.

"Sure," Blaine mumbled.

"Hey," Burt said as he stood up and walked over to clasp a hand on Blaine's shoulder, "it's gonna be okay."

Blaine didn't understand how Burt could be so _calm_ about the whole situation. This was the most important thing in Blaine's life. He rolled his eyes as Burt started to walk away.

"How do you know that, though?" Blaine had to ask before Burt was out of earshot.

Burt turned back to face him. "When two people love each other like you two do," Burt said, "everything works out."

Blaine watched him leave before twisting around on his stool to stare out at the sea of empty chairs in the auditorium as tears of frustration stung in his eyes.

Why did everyone always want to make love so complicated?

Plus, Blaine thought, getting engaged didn't mean they had to get married right away. They could be engaged for a few years if they wanted to. Or they could get married the next week.

It wasn't up to anyone else to decide for them.

Blaine stood up and grabbed his bag, ready to go home.

He was going to propose to Kurt, with or without Burt's – or anyone else's – blessing. They were soul mates, and that was what mattered above all else.

Kurt would understand.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That night, Kurt was curled up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate and a magazine when his father arrived home.

"Hey, Dad," Kurt smiled at his father as he walked through the doorway.

"Hey," Burt replied absentmindedly, flipping through the small pile of mail in his hands. He turned to walk into the next room, but paused just before he disappeared from sight.

"Can we talk for a second?" Burt asked, setting the mail down on the nearest flat surface so he could wander into the room toward Kurt.

Kurt was immediately suspicious. "Sure," he agreed cautiously.

Burt grinned. "Chill, Kurt, everything's fine. I just want to pick your brain and, maybe, offer my very best fatherly advice."

"If this is about you getting a cat, the answer is still no," Kurt informed him. "I don't care if you keep my bedroom door closed; hair _will_ find its way in there."

In lieu of a verbal response, Burt shook his head in amusement and handed Kurt a small red box. Kurt flipped the lid open and found a little rainbow pin resting inside.

"Uh," Kurt tried to think of a way to gently let his father know that he wasn't really into rainbows.

"It's not for you," Burt seemed to understand. "Blaine gave it to me this afternoon."

"Blaine?" Kurt repeated, surprised.

"He thought I could wear it as a symbol of my support for gay marriage," Burt explained as he sat down on the couch beside Kurt.

Kurt snorted out a short laugh. "Yeah, he's pretty excited at the moment about... well, about everything, really. His NYADA audition is coming up and I think the reality that he could be moving to New York soon is really getting to him."

"Sounds familiar," Burt nudged Kurt with his shoulder.

"Yeah," Kurt allowed. He closed the small box and handed it back to Burt.

"Look, Kurt," Burt said, his tone more serious, "what's the deal with you and Blaine?"

Kurt felt his face heating up as Burt looked at him. He didn't know how to answer the question. He wasn't sure _what_ he and Blaine were. Or what he wanted them to be. And he knew that everyone was wondering. Hoping, maybe. Curious about Kurt's relationship with Blaine five months after their sudden separation. Kurt had even overheard Kitty asking Artie about them. "Are they a thing or are they just knocking boots whenever Kurt's in town?"

"I don't know" Kurt shrugged, avoiding Burt's eyes.

"He asked me about you," Burt offered.

"What?" Kurt made eye contact with his father again.

"Not _about_ you, like the spying kind of asking," Burt clarified. "It was more of a... he loves you a lot, Kurt. And, okay, I know I said that I wasn't here to suggest any specific course of action, but I think you need to talk to him. About the two of you."

"What did he say?" Kurt asked.

"You know I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of a private conversation," Burt scolded. "But, you know, here's the thing, just overall. Blaine's a good kid, Kurt. He's got an incredible tendency to overstep boundaries and he is so damn eager sometimes... he's different. In a good way, like you. But, behind all that optimism and confidence, he is also a tenderhearted soul and – don't look at me like that, I'm serious!"

"I'm not getting back together with him because it's hurting his feelings that we're not together anymore," Kurt argued.

"Nobody's asking you to," Burt replied immediately. "But the fact of the matter is that Blaine loves you, probably more than a healthy amount. And I know you've been really preoccupied with me and my health since you've been home, and I am grateful for that, but now it's time for you to get on with _your_ life. You can't even tell me what the deal is with you and Blaine... is that fair to either of you?"

"Oh my god, what did he _say_ to you?" Kurt pressed.

"You never know what tomorrow might bring, Kurt," Burt dodged the question as he stood up, "Good or bad. Talk to him."

"_Dad_," Kurt whined.

"_Kurt_," Burt returned, and before Kurt could press him for more details he had scooped up the mail and was gone.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

As New Directions prepared to move from the choir room to the auditorium for glee rehearsal at the end of the week, Blaine touched Kurt's arm briefly as he walked by and asked Kurt to follow him. Kurt followed Blaine down the hallway and Blaine kept glancing back at him as they walked. Kurt could tell that he was anxious about whatever was about to happen. Near the end of the hallway, Blaine finally stopped and turned to face Kurt.

"What's up?" Kurt asked.

"This is going to take a lot of courage," Blaine said, his face and voice full of apprehension, "considering our, um, complicated history and all the emotions involved, so..."

Kurt's heart pounded as he watched Blaine struggle with his words. Was Blaine about to ask him out?

"Um, I– I'm just... gonna say it," Blaine said, studying Kurt's face as he spoke.

"Go ahead," Kurt teased, trying not to get too excited. "You get kinda cute when you get nervous."

Blaine made a soft noise that suggested that he appreciated the compliment, and his expression softened. "I... wanted to ask you if..."

Kurt silently encouraged him, surprised at how _nervous_ Blaine was, and waited for the question he had known was coming since he had arrived in Lima earlier in the week.

"... well, will you..."

Kurt saw in Blaine's eyes the moment he changed his mind. "... maybe stick around for Regionals?"

"Oh!" Kurt tried not to let his disappointment show as his mind scrambled to move away from possibilities of a dinner date with Blaine that evening. "Oh, yeah, of course! Yeah, Mercedes and I already talked about it. We want to stick around and root you guys on at the competition, yeah."

Blaine smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Kurt added, hanging onto the possibility that Blaine had more to say.

"Great," Blaine nodded.

"You had to know I would've said yes," Kurt pushed the issue one final time, looping his arm through Blaine's so they could walk to the auditorium together. "Right?"

"I know," Blaine acknowledged quietly, and Kurt knew the moment had passed. Maybe it was for the best, he thought. Regionals was a week away and Blaine needed to focus.

His mind betrayed his logic by reminding him that they had gotten together for the first time just before Regionals two years earlier. Maybe he just wanted to put off the decision because he wasn't sure yet.

"What a wonderful, wonderful week," Kurt said happily as they walked together down the hallway.

Blaine sighed and relaxed.

"With you in it," Blaine said, "a wonderful life."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I love that last sentence (that's basically the way the episode ends), so I had to end it there! I tend to think of this episode and the following episode (the season finale!) as two halves of the same episode, anyway, since it's just a continuation of Kurt's time in Ohio, so all of the stuff that's going on here (except Burt's cancer because it's gone, yay!) will continue in the next chapter...<strong>_

_**Up next... 4x22: All Or Nothing!**_


	61. 4x22: All Or Nothing

_**The season finale! I'll do all my talking at the end so we can just dive right in...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday afternoon, Mr. Schu started glee rehearsal by walking to the whiteboard to write _All or Nothing_.

"Alright, guys," he said as he turned to face New Directions, "it's _finally_ here: Regionals!"

Everyone cheered.

"I just found out," Mr. Schu added, "because of safety concerns related to late season tornadoes, Indianapolis has declined to host the competition. So, as defending champions, we're having Regionals here in our auditorium!"

"Home court advantage, yo!" Artie shouted as a murmur of surprise swept through the room.

"Now, because of a sexting scandal at Our Lady of Perpetual Loneliness," Mr. Schu continued, "their glee club, the Nuntouchables, has been excommunicated by the new pope. They've been replaced by the world famous boys of Zeigler Prep. The Waffletoots."

"Like, cake farts?" Artie giggled about the group's name.

"They're really good," Blaine worried.

"The Hoosierdaddies are still the odds-on favorite," Mr. Schu explained. "I mean, their lead vocalist, Frida Romero, is a tiny juggernaut of talent. We are in for the fight of our lives."

Blaine was confident about New Directions' chances, but they _were_ up against formidable competition. Both the Hoosierdaddies and the Waffletoots had great reputations.

But, Blaine reminded himself, New Directions had won Nationals the year before. Their journey to Regionals this year had been bumpy, but they had an excellent reputation, too.

They could win.

Mr. Schu sat down on a stool in the center of the room as he continued. "So, let's get real. There comes a moment in every performer's life that defines him or her, sometimes for the rest of their career. This is our moment. We've struggled, we've endured, and now we must triumph."

Blaine nodded, listening intently.

"And, speaking of that," Mr. Schu said, "I want us all to just take a moment to send some positive energy to one of our very own. She has her final callback for _Funny Girl_ today. So, let's all give a big round of applause to Rachel, wherever she is."

The group applauded, and Blaine recalled the anxious text messages he had been received from Kurt all day.

_Why did I stay in Ohio this week?_

_I should've gone back to New York and gone with Rachel to this callback._

_This is the biggest moment of her career so far and I'm sitting at my dad's kitchen table in my pajamas._

_I'm texting her but she's not texting me back. I've offended her by choosing Ohio over her._

_Never mind, she was in the shower._

_She's ready. She's going to get it. She's going to be on Broadway._

_If you ever tell anyone this I will shave your head while you sleep, but I'm a little bit jealous._

Blaine had, during a break between classes, managed to text him back at that point. _Well, Rachel doesn't get to hang out with Isabelle Wright all the time. Plus, you're going to be on Broadway, too! Don't worry._

_Thanks_, Kurt had texted him back.

Kurt had plans to spend the afternoon with Mercedes, Mike, Finn, and Puck on campus at the University of Lima, so, after glee practice, Blaine knew the time was right to ask Sam for his help.

"Hey," Blaine said as they walked together between buildings so Sam could grab a few things out of his locker, "I need your help with something."

"Yeah, sure," Sam agreed absentmindedly.

"I'm going to propose to Kurt," Blaine explained cheerfully, "and there's so much to consider, so I was hoping you'd help me brainstorm."

"Uh... what?" Sam asked.

"I was thinking," Blaine suggested, "that we could go to the mall on Wednesday afternoon and pick out a ring. I know Kurt's got plans to see a movie with Mercedes that afternoon, so there's no chance of him finding out."

Blaine felt a burst of energy as he thought about it. Kurt was going to be oblivious, hanging out with his friend like it was a normal day while Blaine bought the most important purchase of his entire life. The clandestine nature of the whole thing was exhilarating.

"And then," Blaine continued, "I'm really torn about _where_ I should do it. There's so much more to think about when it comes to proposing than I realized!" he laughed.

He pulled open the door to the building where Sam's locker was located and they stepped inside.

"You can only do this once," he reminded Sam, "so it has to be _perfect_. It has to be, you know, _special_."

"Are you actually talking about a marriage proposal?" Sam realized.

Blaine nodded.

"Dude, we're in high school," Sam protested. "You're not ready to get married and I'm not letting you."

After what had happened with Burt, Blaine had realized that he needed to react more positively to people's initial doubt. Of _course_ everyone was going to doubt his plan; he and Kurt _were_ young. It was nice that people were concerned for his and Kurt's future happiness. But they _weren't_ a statistic. They were going to be together forever, so Blaine just needed to give everyone around him time to let that fact sink in.

"Well, I'm not asking for your permission," Blaine explained pleasantly. "I'm already going to do it. What I'm asking for is your help about how to do this! From my best friend."

"Okay," Sam said, walking backward in front of Blaine for a moment so they could look at each other properly, "and, as your best friend, I need to remind you, just a few weeks ago, you were totally confused. You didn't even know where Kurt stood with this Adam guy."

"Well, I don't remember you being this introspective when you were asking Brittany to marry you," Blaine scolded.

"One, I don't even know what that means," Sam said as he turned and walked toward his locker, forgetting that Blaine had to go a different direction toward the parking lot, "and, two, we thought the world was ending! And when we realized it wasn't–" He glanced over his shoulder and realized that Blaine was still standing at the intersection of the hallways, and he lowered his voice, "I regretted it!"

"Will you listen to yourself?" Blaine replied, walking slowly toward Sam as he spoke. "You sound exactly like the rest of the world saying that 'it's not time yet'. Well, you know what? People like me have been hearing that for hundreds and hundreds of years."

Sam still didn't look convinced.

"This is happening," Blaine informed him. "I _am_ going to ask Kurt to marry me."

He could tell that Sam was still unsure, so he decided to add another layer of incentive.

"And," Blaine told Sam, "not only are you one of my best friends... I was kinda hoping that you would be my best man." He smiled at Sam as he backed away toward the hallway that led to the parking lot. "So let me know if you, uh, change your mind."

He turned and walked away, pleased. Yes, Sam had concerns, but Blaine knew he would come around.

Blaine went straight home and spent the evening consumed with ideas of all the ways he could propose to Kurt. He made a to-do list. Buy the perfect ring. Choose a location. Decide on the perfect outfit. Check the weather forecast and choose a beautiful day. Take Kurt to lunch or dinner first so he wasn't hungry or thirsty or in any way uncomfortable when Blaine asked the question. Find the perfect song to play in the background.

He added 'talk to parents' to the list before crossing it out. They wouldn't understand. They certainly wouldn't approve. And Blaine was done letting people try to talk him down.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Tuesday, Kurt and Blaine finally managed to spend some time alone together after glee rehearsal.

"I'm glad Rachel's second callback went so well," Blaine said as they walked through the mall. "Does she have any idea how long she'll have to wait until she hears if she got the part?"

"I don't think so," Kurt replied. "It's just 'we'll be in touch'."

"So annoying," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Seriously," Kurt agreed.

"She's totally going to get it, though," Blaine smiled.

"I'll bring you as my date to the premiere," Kurt teased.

"Okay," Blaine agreed happily.

"Speaking of you in New York," Kurt changed the subject, knowing that Blaine was always willing to talk about the city, "I can't believe you haven't heard from NYADA yet. I mean, last year, we got our finalist letters before Regionals."

"Nobody's really sure what's going on," Blaine explained. "I called the other day to make sure my letter hadn't gotten lost in the mail or something, and the receptionist said they were 'adjusting the admissions process', whatever that means."

"So nobody has heard either way yet?" Kurt asked.

"Right," Blaine confirmed.

"Well," Kurt said, "I, for one, am very confident that you'll get in. Oh, hey, can we go in here?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed as Kurt turned toward his favorite clothing store in the mall.

"So," Kurt asked as they browsed, "how're preparations for Regionals going? Mercedes says you and Marley sound great on your duet."

"Aw," Blaine accepted the compliment. "I think we're ready, as a whole, but we've got to get Brittany to come back."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Kurt acknowledged. "What happened?"

"She had a meltdown," Blaine explained. "She tried to make it about solos, but I think there's something else going on."

"There's _always_ craziness right before a big competition," Kurt recalled. "But, in the end, it'll come together."

"I hope so," Blaine replied. "I'd love to go to Nationals again. Plus, this year it's in Los Angeles, which would mean I could see my brother, too."

Kurt laughed. "How is Cooper?" he wondered.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "He thinks I have PTSD from the incident at school a few weeks ago."

Concern settled into Kurt's chest. "You're okay, though, right?" he asked, trying not to sound _too_ concerned.

"Oh, yeah!" Blaine smiled.

Kurt studied his face until he was satisfied that Blaine was being honest.

"Good," he approved.

Kurt couldn't find anything that he liked in the store, so they walked back into the mall and ended up sitting in the food court eating ice cream cones.

"I've missed this," Blaine said after a short silence. When Kurt raised his eyebrows to ask him to elaborate, Blaine added, "Hanging out with you."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to have this conversation yet," Kurt admitted as part of his brain scolded him for trying to avoid his problems.

"We need to have it before you go back to New York, Kurt," Blaine said gently.

"Well, then it's good that I'm going to be here all week," Kurt teased, praying that Blaine would drop it.

"Alright," Blaine agreed. "After Regionals?"

Kurt smiled. Blaine knew how much he liked well-defined boundaries. "After Regionals," he said, "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Wednesday, Blaine told Tina about his plan to propose to Kurt. She wasn't as against the idea as Burt or Sam, but she didn't seem particularly thrilled, either. Blaine had a suspicion that it had more to do with Tina's lingering crush on him than anything else. With Sam still protesting the idea of Blaine asking Kurt to marry him, Blaine convinced Tina to go with him to the mall later that afternoon after glee practice to pick out the ring.

For the second day in a row, there was drama in the choir room that afternoon.

They were sitting in a circle in the middle of the choir room, working on a music theory and songwriting lesson, when Ryder interrupted.

"Alright, look, I'm– I'm sorry." Ryder said. "Excuse me, Mr. Schu, but I've got to say something."

"Okay," Mr. Schu allowed.

Ryder stood up and moved to the center of the circle.

"Look, so, I hate to pull a Brittany here, but the bottom line is I'm not performing in Regionals until Catfish reveals themselves," he said firmly. "This whole situation is out of hand and needs to end."

Blaine glanced around, but nobody had anything to say.

"Look, I'm serious, okay?" Ryder stressed. "I can't take it anymore! It's tearing me apart and... someone in this room is playing games with me, and I want to know who!"

"Would you just say who it is?" Sugar said softly.

"I don't think it's any of us," Tina suggested. Blaine was wondering the same thing. Didn't Ryder have all of their phone numbers in his phone already so he would be able to tell if it was one of them?

Ryder kicked the stool in the center of the circle, causing everyone to jump in surprise, and the tension in the room skyrocketed.

"Everybody pull out your phones right now!" Ryder demanded.

"Ryder, relax man!" Blaine tried to calm him down. "I know this is upsetting, but –"

"Nobody is going to admit it for fear of being murdered," Kitty commented judgmentally.

"I've told this person everything and I want to know who it is," Ryder reiterated.

"I know you're upset," Blaine acknowledged, "but just..."

"No, you don't know," Ryder snapped. "You don't know, okay? Who is it?"

He looked around the circle, but nobody said anything.

"Alright, fine, if nobody's going to say anything, pull out your phones," Ryder commanded. "I want to see all of your phones. All of your phones! Pull up your texts."

When nobody moved, Ryder got angry.

"I'm serious!" he shouted, kicking the stool in the middle of the circle, harder than before. Everyone scrambled back a little, and Blaine glanced at Mr. Schu. Someone needed to stop this.

"It's me!" Marley jumped to her feet. "I'm Catfish."

A long, awkward silence fell over the room.

"What?" Ryder finally asked, stunned. "What do you... no. No, I– I asked you. You swore to me."

"I'm sorry," Marley apologized. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Look, just take it easy, Ryder, okay?" Jake said, standing up to stand between Marley and Ryder. "This was just a little joke. Things got out of hand."

"What, you're defending her?" Ryder scoffed. "Are you kidding me? What's wrong with you people?"

He grabbed his bag.

"Ryder," Mr. Schu said, asking him to stay, but Ryder stormed out of the room.

For a moment, everyone stared at each other. Marley sank back into her chair.

"Marley, that's messed up," Blaine broke the silence.

"Yeah," Sugar agreed.

Marley just stared at the floor.

"Okay, uh, well..." Mr. Schu said, "I know we're all stressed this week with Regionals coming up, but let's try to keep it together now, okay?"

Mr. Schu continued the lesson, and Blaine forced himself to focus.

When the group finally finished later that afternoon, Blaine walked with Tina to her locker so she could get the books she needed to do her homework that evening.

"Are you nervous?" she asked him as he leaned against the row of lockers.

"Yes," Blaine admitted.

"You know," Tina suggested, "even if he doesn't say yes, it's –"

"Tina!" Blaine cut her off and then lowered his voice. "He's going to say yes."

"Yeah, probably," she allowed.

They drove separately to the mall – both of their houses were in that direction, anyway – and walked together to the exterior entrance to the jewelry store.

Blaine paused outside the door and glanced up at the sky. The clouds were dark.

"What if this is a sign?" he worried.

Tina rolled her eyes and didn't dignify his comment with a response.

Blaine took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, reaching for the door, "I'm ready."

The interior of the store was a pleasant surprise. It was light and soft, and calming instrumental music played through speakers in the ceiling. Blaine felt a little of his anxiety slip away as he looked around and realized that this was a simple task. Find a ring.

Blaine's eyes fell on the cabinet full of diamond engagement rings almost immediately, and he wandered over to the display case and leaned over to look at them.

Would Kurt want a diamond ring? Kurt generally liked to mix things up in terms of what was considered masculine and what was considered feminine, but Blaine wasn't sure a traditionally feminine engagement ring was a good idea. Maybe something simpler. Something Kurt could – and would – wear every day for the rest of his life, no matter what else he was wearing.

"Well, if you were asking _me_ to marry you," Tina said, kneeling down to look at all the engagement rings lined up under the glass counter, "I'd want that big one. My fingers are on the larger side and you have to figure, with my build, after we have a few babies, I may put on a couple of pounds."

"Tina," Blaine gently reminded her as she stood up, "I'm looking for a ring for _Kurt_."

"He is so lucky," she whined, hooking their arms together at the elbow.

"Those are engagement rings," a voice announced from behind them. Blaine turned and saw an older woman approaching, apparently someone who worked in the store.

"That's good," Blaine smiled, glancing at Tina as the woman walked over, "because I'm looking to get engaged."

"I am constantly telling my nieces and nephews to wear condoms," the older woman said as she walked around the counter where Blaine and Tina were standing and stopped to look at them.

"It's for my boyfriend," Blaine quickly corrected her assumption that he and Tina were a couple.

"I'm not pregnant," Tina said, sounding only slightly offended.

"Well, he used to be my boyfriend," Blaine elaborated, suddenly nervous that he had just confessed his sexuality to a woman he didn't even know. Words spilled out of his mouth as he tried to explain his situation with Kurt. "It was a whole thing. It's very complicated; I won't get into it. But, basically, I love him very much and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. So, I'm going to ask him to marry me!"

He was standing in a jewelry shop, about to buy an engagement ring for Kurt. He was going to ask Kurt to marry him. It felt surreal.

"Tell me about your man," the woman behind the counter said seriously, locking eyes with Blaine.

Blaine barely noticed Tina walking away as he absorbed the shock of the sudden question. She wanted to hear about Kurt? Since Blaine had decided to propose, he hadn't encountered a single person who was immediately supportive. He felt a rush of affection as he studied the woman's face and saw genuine interest in her eyes.

"Really?" he voiced his surprise.

"Is he your soul mate?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Blaine breathed, delighted at the opportunity to tell someone how much he loved Kurt, "he is."

The woman nodded happily and walked around the counter, and Blaine followed her as she walked across the room to another cabinet of jewelry.

"I met Liz when we were eighteen," she said as they walked, and Blaine couldn't stop the huge smile that stretched across his face as he realized that she was gay, too. "It was at a Styx concert back when they were doing hard rock, not this weird robot stuff."

She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small container with more rings in it.

"We've been together ever since," she said to Blaine as he stood across the counter from her and absorbed her every word. "It doesn't matter how young, or old, you are. True love is true love."

Blaine leaned down and rested his elbows on the counter so he could lean a little closer.

"My friends have been giving me so much flack," he confessed.

"If we all had listened, we wouldn't be moments away from the Supreme Court finally telling us that we are just as crazy and awesome as everybody else," the woman said confidently.

"Hey, dude!" Sam's voice snapped Blaine's attention away from the woman who was being so kind to him. Blaine straightened up and glanced toward the door to see Sam hurrying toward him.

"Don't try to stop me," Blaine protested. "I'm doing this, okay?"

"I love you and I want to support you," Sam said as he walked up to Blaine. "So, if you're _really_ gonna do this, I'm helping you pick out the ring. I have, like, the best taste."

"Is this him?" the woman behind the counter asked softly.

"No," Blaine smiled, "no."

"Oh, no!" Sam said simultaneously before clarifying, "I mean, he wants to do me, but we're just friends."

Blaine's heart lurched, but Sam seemed unfazed by the casual mention of Blaine's crush on him.

"Sam," he said, extending his hand to the woman across the counter.

"Jan," she introduced herself as she shook Sam's hand. Then, she looked at Blaine.

"Would you excuse us for just a moment?" Jan asked Sam, motioning for Blaine to follow her to a quiet corner of the store.

Blaine shot a quick, scolding glance at Sam, smacking a hand against Sam's arm before he followed Jan. "Don't," he disapproved.

"You do want to do me!" Sam teased. Blaine, feeling a little more flustered than he had before Sam arrived, hurried after Jan without saying anything else.

"Forgive me for being pushy," Jan said as Blaine followed her, "but do you have anyone to advise you on this? Someone who would really understand," she added as they stopped walking and stood facing each other.

"Someone... gay?" Blaine guessed.

"Yeah," Jan smiled, laughing at the need for clarification.

"Not really," Blaine admitted.

"I just want you guys to see what's possible when two people really love each other," Jan said warmly. "Sound good?"

Blaine couldn't believe that a complete stranger – someone older, someone wiser – was so excited for him. He had to swallow the beginning of a lump in his throat before speaking.

"Sounds _wonderful_," he admitted.

Jan smiled. "I'm Jan, by the way," she laughed again, extending her hand.

"Blaine," Blaine introduced himself as he shook her hand. "It's _so_ nice to meet you. _Thank you_."

"How about dinner tonight?" Jan suggested. "I'll bring Liz along, and you bring –?"

"Kurt," Blaine said.

"– Kurt," Jan echoed. "And we'll just talk. No pressure or expectations. Just two old ladies who want to help you two young men feel confident to take whatever steps you decide to take together."

"I'd _love_ that," Blaine said.

"Have you ever been to Breadstix?" Jan asked.

Blaine nodded. "We love Breadstix," he smiled. "That would be perfect."

"It's a date, then," Jan confirmed before motioning at the store around them. "Now, how about we find the perfect ring for this Kurt you love so much?"

"Yes," Blaine said, excitement and nervousness pulsing through his veins as Jan motioned for Sam and Tina to come over so they could start the search for the ring.

It didn't take as long as Blaine had imagined that it would. As soon as Jan dropped the ring into his palm – it was the third one he asked to take a closer look at – he _knew_. As he stared down at the ring, twirling it around so he could look at it from every angle, he blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

"This is it," he said emotionally.

"Awww," Tina whined happily.

"I approve," Sam agreed. "Kurt's gonna like it."

Jan gave Blaine a 10% discount – the receipt said "sale" beside the amount that was taken off, but Blaine knew she had manually subtracted the percentage – and proudly handed Blaine a nondescript little bag with the ring box inside.

"We used to use bags with our logo on them," she explained with an amused shrug of her shoulders, "but we found that it's easier to sneak little bags like these past your loved ones."

As soon as Blaine got home, he put the ring box – still inside the bag – in the back of his deepest desk drawer. He still hadn't decided _when_ or _where_ to propose, but he knew he wasn't going to do it later that evening.

Then, he tried to figure out how to convince Kurt to come to Breadstix with him and two women he had just met. He mulled over scenario after scenario, but everything seemed too complicated. He was going to have to just tell Kurt a version of the truth and hope that Kurt would be interested in meeting the two women.

"Hey!" Kurt answered his phone after only one ring. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh?" Blaine asked, glad that Kurt couldn't see him. His hands were sweaty and a little shaky as he held the phone to his ear. There was a ring – an _engagement ring_ – for Kurt hidden in his desk.

"Mercedes and I – she says hello, by the way – just drove by Breadstix," Kurt explained. "And..." Blaine heard the shrug in his voice and understood. Breadstix had meaning for them as a couple.

Blaine couldn't believe his luck.

"Um," he said, "you know, I actually... that's funny that you mentioned Breadstix. I have a proposition."

"Yes?" Kurt asked.

"I met the _sweetest_ woman today, um, and she's gay," Blaine tried not to get tongue-tied. Kurt didn't know this was a big deal. He had to calm down. "And we got to talking about gay marriage and stuff, as you do... and she wondered if we – you and I – might like to go out to dinner with her and her partner tonight."

"Uh... sure?" Kurt decided, sounding a little confused.

"Just– she thought maybe we could talk," Blaine explained. "Since there aren't many gay and lesbian people we know who we can look up to."

"That's so sweet of her!" Kurt said.

"She's _really_ sweet," Blaine agreed. "I think you'll like her."

They arranged to meet in the parking lot at Breadstix – Blaine _really_ wanted to ask Kurt if he could pick him up so they could ride to the restaurant together, but he thought that might make it seem like more of a date than Kurt was comfortable with – and then Blaine spent the next few hours frantically doing two homework assignments that were due the next day. Then, he changed into a nicer outfit than what he had worn to school and rushed out the door, pausing briefly in the doorway to the living room to say goodbye to his parents.

Kurt was waiting for him when he pulled into the parking lot, but Jan and Liz weren't there yet.

"Hey!" Blaine smiled as he climbed out of his car. He hurried over to where Kurt was standing and they hugged hello.

They chatted about inconsequential things for a few minutes until Jan and Liz arrived and climbed out of their car.

"Blaine," Jan smiled at him as Kurt and Blaine hurried across the parking lot to where Liz and Jan had parked near the entrance to Breadstix. "This is Liz."

"Pleasure to meet you," Blaine shook Liz's hand. "This is Kurt," he smiled and said to Kurt, "Jan and Liz."

They all shook hands and then they went into the restaurant and were seated at a booth; Kurt and Blaine on one side of the table and Liz and Jan on the other.

"So," Kurt asked once they were settled and their waitress had brought their drinks, "how did you guys meet?"

"At a Styx concert when we were eighteen," Liz explained. "We each went with separate groups, but we ended up beside each other in the crowd..." she gazed lovingly at Jan, "...and that was it."

"It was love at first Styx," Jan said, "that's what we always say."

"Well, the irony was that we met at the concert, you know?" Liz elaborated. "We grew up in the same town, just a few blocks from each other."

"Oh, wow," Blaine said.

"We went to the same high school," Liz explained.

"You guys are like a Norah Efron movie," Kurt commented happily.

"Exactly," Jan laughed.

"Did you go to prom together?" Blaine asked, wondering how they navigated homophobia when they were in school.

"No," Jan replied as Liz said, "Yeah."

The two women turned to look at each other.

"Well, we went together as a group," Jan allowed. "We took boys, of course. Merle and Tommy."

"Merle and Tom," Blaine laughed, glancing at Kurt as Kurt awww'd his sympathy.

"Those poor guys, they had no idea what was going on!" Jan remembered.

"It was different times then, you know?" Liz said to Kurt and Blaine. "There were no gay clubs at school. Nobody talked about it. We had no representation."

Blaine nodded. Things had changed so much in such a relatively short span of time.

"Somehow we always found a way," Jan reassured them. "That summer, we went on a bus tour of the United States. We saw all the sights and, in the end, we decided we liked Ohio the best."

Jan put her hand over Liz's on the table.

"Yeah," Liz said, looking at Jan and then back at Kurt and Blaine, "yeah. Came back, moved in together, got each other through college. And we broke up twice and got back together again twice."

Blaine turned and looked at Kurt, but he couldn't tell what Kurt was thinking.

"And then we bought the house in Lima," Jan finished the story.

"You know, what haven't we seen from our porch?" Liz wondered.

"Nothing," Jan confirmed. "AIDS. Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Ellen. We've seen it all, side by side. Remember when we couldn't even do this in public? Hold hands?"

She lifted their joined hands off the table briefly.

"Oh, yeah!" Liz shook her head.

"You guys are so sweet!" Kurt said kindly. "But, you know, when I asked you 'how did you guys meet?', I actually meant 'how did you meet Blaine?'."

Blaine almost choked on his food as panic spiked through him.

"Oh!" Jan covered for him. "At the mall."

"I was, uh, clothes shopping with Tina," Blaine lied, "and we were at the food court at Sbarro and, um, Jan and I just got to talking and –"

He glanced at Jan for help.

"And I said 'why don't we continue this over dinner at Breadstix'!" Jan explained. "We've been coming here twenty years."

"Thirty," Liz corrected.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"Thirty years?" Blaine gasped.

"Wow," Kurt acknowledged.

"We camped out for the grand opening," Jan recalled.

"Yes, we did," Liz bowed her head as Kurt and Blaine laughed.

"I'm glad you recommended it, Jan!" Kurt said kindly. "I mean, it's been great and really inspiring to hear your story. You know, I know I don't, and we don't," he motioned between himself and Blaine, "really have too many gay and lesbian role models to look up to, so..."

"You guys are a sweet couple," Liz said, studying them both as Kurt spoke.

"Oh, we're not a couple," Kurt clarified quickly, before he could stop himself. He immediately grabbed his cup and lifted it to his mouth to give him something to do as he regretted the awkward statement. He didn't look at Blaine.

Jan turned to Liz. "Would you have married me if I had asked you? I mean, if we were allowed to."

"I always said yeah, as soon as it's legal in Ohio," Jan agreed.

"It will be," Jan said confidently.

"Yeah," Liz agreed.

"Eventually," Jan clarified. "But, in the meantime, there are still plenty of places where it's legal."

Kurt resisted the urge to nudge Blaine with his elbow. Blaine had been talking nonstop about gay marriage being legal in New York since Kurt returned to Ohio.

"And so," Jan said, purposefully tossing her napkin onto the tabletop before climbing out of the booth to get down on one knee, "Elizabeth Margaret Stephens, will you legally marry me?"

She took a gold ring off her pointer finger and offered it to Liz, and the whole restaurant erupted in cheers. Kurt was delighted for them, and he smiled and applauded Liz held up her hand to show off the ring. Jan slipped back into the booth, and Kurt and Blaine both babbled their congratulations as the two women smiled at each other and then turned their attention back to Kurt and Blaine.

"So much has changed," Liz smiled. "When we were your age, getting engaged in public? No way. It's really amazing where we are now."

"Blaine's the president of the student body at McKinley," Kurt said proudly, glancing at Blaine.

"Really?" Liz approved.

"That's really something," Jan agreed.

"It hasn't always been easy," Kurt confessed, turning to look at Blaine. Blaine nodded, his eyes suddenly serious and a little sad.

They had been through so much, both together and individually. Kurt felt a nudge of guilt as he realized that he hadn't ever asked Blaine about how the other students were treating him. What if Blaine had been enduring bullying and hadn't mentioned it?

The anxiety must have shown on Kurt's face, because Blaine frowned slightly, offering Kurt a nonverbal "are you okay?".

Kurt nodded and Blaine's arm moved like he wanted to hold Kurt's hand before he changed his mind and grabbed his drink off the table, instead.

"It hasn't all been bad, though," Blaine said softly, and Kurt thought he had probably forgotten they were in a crowded room. The look on Blaine's face suggested that every part of him was focused on Kurt. Like Kurt was the only thing that mattered.

Kurt thought about all the amazing moments they had shared since the day they met.

"Yeah," he agreed through a sudden lump in his throat.

Their waiter interrupted the moment, asking if they wanted the check together or separate, and Jan insisted on paying.

"Thank you so much for dinner," Kurt said, shaking Jan's hand and then Liz's as they walked out into the parking lot after dinner. He smiled as Blaine shook Liz's hand and then leaned down to hug Jan. As Blaine straightened up, he and Jan exchanged a glance that Kurt knew meant more than just "thanks for dinner", but he didn't want to ask.

"That was nice," Kurt admitted as the two women walked away. "Thanks for inviting me."

Blaine nodded, and Kurt thought he seemed a little shy.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, definitely," Blaine smiled. "It means a lot to me that you came tonight, Kurt. Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity. Unique confessed that she, not Marley, had been the one chatting and texting with Ryder using a false name. Santana took an overnight train from New York to come and try to figure out what was going on with Brittany.

And, all the while, Blaine felt as if the engagement ring in his desk was screaming to be found.

He packed the drawer full of junk – random school supplies and a few books he never looked at and some notepads and anything else he could think of that nobody really cared about. Despite his attempts at safeguarding his secret, Blaine worried all day, every day that he was going to come home and find that his mother or father had discovered the ring. When he got home each day, the first thing he did was check on it. It was still there. It was safe.

On the morning of Regionals, Blaine pulled the little black box out of the bag in his drawer and slipped it into his pocket.

He and Kurt had gotten together for the first time during preparations for Regionals two years prior. Regionals _meant_ something to them.

It was a good day to propose.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

New Directions drew the final slot of the competition, which was preferable to going first, but it meant that they had to wait backstage while the Waffletoots and the Hoosierdaddies performed.

Both Ryder and Brittany got over their issues and returned for the competition, but Brittany had something to tell the group as they all gathered in the center of the choir room for their pre-competition show circle.

"Um," Brittany said, her eyes full of tears, "before we go on stage, I have something I want to tell you guys. I got offered early admission to MIT."

Kurt was surprised, and the small scattering of applause around him made him think that everyone else was surprised, too.

"I never thought that I would graduate high school, let alone go to college, so I have to jump on this offer before it gets taken away," Brittany continued. "And they want me to leave immediately. That's why I had that meltdown."

Kurt understood. It was scary to leave home. It had been scary for him, and he had been thinking about it and planning for it for months ahead of time. Brittany hadn't had any time to prepare.

"Um, my entire life, people have always told me that I was stupid," Brittany added, "and, after a while, I started to believe them. And it wasn't until I walked into this room and I joined this club that I really started believing in myself. And, as soon as I did that, as soon as I started believing that maybe I was smart after all, I think the whole world did, too."

Kurt glanced at Blaine, but he was completely focused on Brittany so he didn't notice.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Brittany choked out. "Because you guys are like my family. And Mr. Schu's like our dad. And Mercedes and Tina and Sugar and Mercedes," she ended on Unique, "you guys are all like my sisters. And Mike Chang and Blaine and Jim, you guys are all like my brothers."

"My name's Joe," Joe said as Kurt wondered if Brittany had skipped over him on purpose.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"And Artie," Brittany said, glancing down at Artie beside her. "You're like the boy next door who builds robots in his basement and who I take his virginity."

Blaine did a double take and glance around the room. Was that common knowledge? It was news to him.

"And Jake and Marley and Ryder and Kitty," Brittany continued, "you guys are all like the foster kids who come to live with us when the orphanage closes, and that we don't trust at first but we grow to love, just like we do our pets."

Everyone laughed a little, and Brittany walked over to Sam.

"And then there's Sam," she said sadly. "The cute boy from the wrong side of the tracks who does good impressions and who I fake marry."

Brittany and Sam said their _I love you_s and their _I'm gonna miss you_s, and Blaine looked past them to Kurt, who was standing next to Sam, and their eyes met. They didn't need to say anything. Blaine knew they were both thinking about how much they missed each other.

"Then there's Santana," Brittany said as she stepped away from Sam. She turned and hugged Santana.

"Oh man," Santana let out a shaky breath. "You don't have to say anything, Brittany."

They hugged for a few more seconds, and then Brittany walked back to her place in the circle.

"Okay, no more," she encouraged everyone as they all wiped the tears from their cheeks. "Show circle!"

They all put their hands into the center of the circle and shouted "amazing!" as they threw their hands toward the ceiling, and then it was time to compete.

"Hey!" Kurt stopped Blaine just before he reached the door on his way to the auditorium. Blaine turned to face him and smiled as Kurt straightened his tie for him.

"Break a leg," Kurt returned the smile.

_I'm going to marry you_, Blaine thought. The ring was in his bag, just feet away.

"Thank you," he said.

Kurt pulled him into a hug and then shoved him toward the door.

"They can't win without you," he teased, "so get going."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

It was still strange to _watch_ New Directions instead of being _part of_ New Directions, but Kurt had a great time dancing along to the first two songs of New Directions' set. The music was upbeat and he could tell that the students on the stage were feeling great. They moved and sang with purpose, and Kurt hoped that it would be enough. He wanted them to win. He wanted _Blaine_ to win.

Then, Marley stepped to the center of the stage and began her original song.

"_I can't stay here. I am not the girl who runs and hides, afraid of what could be. And I will go there. I need time, but know that things are always closer than they seem. Now I'll do more than dream, yeah._"

She turned her head, and Blaine stepped out of the formation behind her to join the song.

"_I gotta fly. Gotta crash right through the sky. Gonna touch the sun. Show everyone that it's all or nothing. All or nothing. This is my life. I'm not gonna live it twice. There's no in-between, too extreme. 'Cause it's all or nothing. All or nothing at all._"

As he watched Blaine and Marley sing the duet, Kurt thought about his own Regionals duet with Blaine two years prior. They had been newly in love, and their future together had seemed so certain. They had found each other, and that had been all that mattered.

Santana, standing in front of him, suddenly raised her hand and held out a tissue for him, and Kurt took it to tab away the tears in his eyes.

"'_Cause it's all or nothing at all. All or nothing_."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

New Directions won.

As the curtain swished closed, hiding New Directions from the audience, everyone was still hugging and jumping up and down.

The former students who had helped them prepare arrived quickly. Mike, Mercedes, and Finn had been watching from wings, so they joined the celebration almost immediately. Kurt, Santana, and Mr. Schu, who had been watching from the audience, arrived shortly after.

Kurt ran across the stage into Blaine's arms.

"Congratulations!" he cheered as Blaine squeezed him tightly.

"I'm in shock," Blaine laughed. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," Kurt agreed happily.

"Guys!" Finn interrupted, raising both of his hands into the air so Blaine and Kurt could high five him at the same time. "Yeah! Great job, Blaine. Awesome!"

"Thanks," Blaine smiled. "We wouldn't be here without you."

"Yeah, probably not," Finn teased before Sam grabbed his arm and dragged him away as the group started to make its way to the choir room.

"Better call Cooper," Kurt reminded Blaine before he, too, disappeared into the crowd. "You're going to L.A.!"

Blaine ran to the choir room, nervous that someone might go through his bag and find the ring. When he saw that his bag was still safely where he had left it, he hopped up to sit on top of the piano.

"McKinley High's officially on its way to becoming a Regionals dynasty!" Artie declared as Kurt pushed him into the room. The trophy was in his lap.

"Only twenty four more of these babies before we catch up to Vocal Adrenaline," Sam determined as he took the trophy from Artie and put it on top of the piano beside Blaine.

"Oh, please," Mr. Schu scolded as he entered the room. "Vocal Adrenaline's time has passed. The present and the future is all about the New Directions! And we are going to prove it when we go to sunny Los Angeles for Nationals and take home our second national championship in a row!"

Everyone cheered.

"Ms. Pillsbury!" Mike suddenly noticed. Everyone turned to see the guidance counselor and a priest into the room together. "Who's her friend?"

"Uh, Ms. Pillsbury, you're supposed to bring someone in to bless the team _before_ the big game," Sam explained.

"Okay, thank you," Ms. Pillsbury acknowledged.

She and the priest walked to where Mr. Schu was standing in the middle of the room.

"Um," Ms. Pillsbury said, glancing around the room as everyone fell silent so they could hear what she had to say, "I figured out that I can't handle the pressure of a big wedding."

Blaine didn't hear the next few sentences because all he could hear was his own pulse.

Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury were going to get married.

In the choir room.

Right now.

"Are you guys seriously throwing a surprise wedding?" Kurt exclaimed excitedly. "Just like Brooke Burke and David Charvet?"

Blaine couldn't believe what was happening.

"Yes," Mr. Schu laughed.

"No music, no reception, no planning," Ms. Pillsbury explained. "Just me, the one true love of my life... and then we'll have a little dinner at Breadstix."

"Alright, then," Mr. Schu smiled at her. "I'll see you momentarily."

As Ms. Pillsbury hurried out of the room to wait in the hallway until they were ready for her to walk down the "aisle", Blaine hurried to where his bag was sitting on the floor near the back of the room and retrieved the ring box so he could put it in his pocket. Intellectually, he knew there was more of a chance of someone finding it if he had it on him than if it was left in his bag, but he wanted it near him.

The students made two parallel lines – the edges of a makeshift aisle – between the door and the center of the room, and Ms. Pillsbury walked down the aisle to the sound of New Directions humming _Here Comes The Bride_.

Once Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schu were together in the center of the room, the students moved to form a circle around the bride and groom. Blaine made sure he ended up beside Kurt, with Sam on his other side. And then they all watched and listened as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury exchanged vows.

It was beautiful, Blaine thought. They talked about little moments that had been meaningful to their relationship. They talked about how much they loved each other and about how they were meant to be together.

Blaine spent the entire ceremony with his hand closed tightly around the small ring box in his pocket.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said happily when all the vows had been spoken.

Blaine glanced at Kurt as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury kissed for the first time as husband and wife. Kurt looked happy and relaxed, bouncing on his toes with excitement, and Blaine felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and held it carefully behind his back, twirling the little box around in his hand to release some of his anxiety.

He didn't care if they were 'too young'. He didn't care if things were complicated between them.

All that mattered was their love.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ahhh, the cliffhanger! GLEE. I'd be curious to know what the original plan was for the end of the season – before Cory Monteith left for rehab and Finn's storyline had to be written out for the final few episodes – because I was SO sure that both Klaine and Finchel were going to reconcile in the finale. I guess we'll never know. But, really, this whole episode is kind of a cliffhanger for Kurt and Blaine because we don't know exactly what's going to happen next for them. Presumably, season 5 is going to pick up directly where this episode left off... my guess (I don't know!) is that we'll jump forward a few daysstart a new week and it will quickly become apparent that Blaine **_**didn't**_** propose here (come on, he's not going to propose at Will and Emma's impromptu wedding. The writers just manufactured a cliffhanger that they knew people would be interested in to draw people back for season 5).**_

_**So, in terms of this story, that's why Kurt and Blaine couldn't have a real heart-to-heart in this chapter. There's not enough information about Kurt's state of mind when it comes to Blaine – the writers had to save Kurt's POV for the resolution of the cliffhanger in the season 5 premiere, so I'm going to do the same.**_

_**The interesting thing (and, in many ways, the sad burden) for Kurt and Blaine moving forward from here is that they are now the only major couple left of the original, most popular three (Finchel, Klaine, and Brittana). I'm not sure what that's going to mean for them... I think there's a lot of potential for it to be amazing! Fingers crossed.**_

_**Am I going to continue this for season 5? Yes, absolutely! :) I suggest signing up for a story alert so FFN will email you in the spring when I post the next new chapter, but I'll also mention it on my Tumblr (I'm the same username over there!) if you'd rather just keep an eye out for a reminder over there!**_

_**THANK YOU all so, so much for being the loveliest group of people in the world. I hope you've enjoyed reading this season as much as I have continued to enjoy writing it! Enjoy the premiere tomorrow! :D**_

_**Up next... 5x01 (can you believe we're about to start season FIVE?), which will be posted the day after the season 5 finale sometime in the spring!**_

_**(P.S. Please, no season 5 spoilers in the comments! Thank you! I love you all!)**_


	62. 5x01: Love Love Love

_**Season 5, yay! :D**_

_**WELL, this got ridiculously long. I feel kind of horrible about it because now the rest of the chapters are going to seem SO short... this is almost three times as long as my usual goal word count for each chapter. I'm sorry! This is a big episode for Kurt and Blaine, and I had the longest time to work on it since this was the first episode of the season, so... whoops?**_

_**A word about Finn. In my mind, he's still alive at this point. (Until "The Quarterback".) So, I like to think that Finn was at Kurt and Blaine's engagement, even thought Cory couldn't be.**_

_**The first bit of this chapter is taken from the very end of the previous chapter (the season 4 finale), just to get you back into what's happening at this point. Also, there's a little scene with Kurt, Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana – a sleepover – the night before the proposal, and that dialogue (and the idea of the sleepover as a whole) comes from the original script for this episode, not my weird little brain. ;)**_

_**Alright, I think that's all for my pre-chapter ramblings. Enjoy! :)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

New Directions won Regionals.

As the curtain swished closed, hiding New Directions from the audience, everyone was still hugging and jumping up and down.

The former students who had helped them prepare arrived quickly. Mike, Mercedes, and Finn had been watching from wings, so they joined the celebration almost immediately. Kurt, Santana, and Mr. Schu, who had been watching from the audience, arrived shortly after.

Kurt ran across the stage into Blaine's arms.

"Congratulations!" he cheered as Blaine squeezed him tightly.

"I'm in shock," Blaine laughed. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," Kurt agreed happily.

"Guys!" Finn interrupted, raising both of his hands into the air so Blaine and Kurt could high five him at the same time. "Yeah! Great job, Blaine. Awesome!"

"Thanks," Blaine smiled. "We wouldn't be here without you."

"Yeah, probably not," Finn teased before Sam grabbed his arm and dragged him away as the group started to make its way to the choir room.

"Better call Cooper," Kurt reminded Blaine before he, too, disappeared into the crowd. "You're going to L.A.!"

Blaine ran to the choir room, nervous that someone might go through his bag and find the ring. When he saw that his bag was still safely where he had left it, he hopped up to sit on top of the piano.

"McKinley High's officially on its way to becoming a Regionals dynasty!" Artie declared as Kurt pushed him into the room. The trophy was in his lap.

"Only twenty four more of these babies before we catch up to Vocal Adrenaline," Sam determined as he took the trophy from Artie and put it on top of the piano beside Blaine.

"Oh, please," Mr. Schu scolded as he entered the room. "Vocal Adrenaline's time has passed. The present and the future is all about the New Directions! And we are going to prove it when we go to sunny Los Angeles for Nationals and take home our second national championship in a row!"

Everyone cheered.

"Ms. Pillsbury!" Mike suddenly noticed. Everyone turned to see the guidance counselor and a priest walking into the room together. "Who's her friend?"

"Uh, Ms. Pillsbury, you're supposed to bring someone in to bless the team _before_ the big game," Sam explained.

"Okay, thank you," Ms. Pillsbury acknowledged.

She and the priest walked to where Mr. Schu was standing in the middle of the room.

"Um," Ms. Pillsbury said, glancing around as everyone fell silent so they could hear what she had to say, "I figured out that I can't handle the pressure of a big wedding."

Blaine didn't hear the next few sentences because all he could hear was his own pulse.

Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury were going to get married.

In the choir room.

Right now.

"Are you guys seriously throwing a surprise wedding?" Kurt exclaimed excitedly. "Just like Brooke Burke and David Charvet?"

Blaine couldn't believe what was happening.

"Yes," Mr. Schu laughed.

"No music, no reception, no planning," Ms. Pillsbury explained. "Just me, the one true love of my life... and then we'll have a little dinner at Breadstix."

"Alright, then," Mr. Schu smiled at her. "I'll see you momentarily."

As Ms. Pillsbury hurried out of the room to wait in the hallway until they were ready for her to walk down the "aisle", Blaine hurried to where his bag was sitting on the floor near the back of the room and retrieved the ring box so he could put it in his pocket. Intellectually, he knew there was more of a chance of someone finding it if he had it on him than if it was left in his bag, but he wanted it near him.

The students made two parallel lines – the edges of a makeshift aisle – between the door and the center of the room, and Ms. Pillsbury walked down the aisle to the sound of New Directions humming _Here Comes The Bride_.

Once Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schu were together in the center of the room, the students moved to form a circle around the bride and groom. Blaine made sure he ended up beside Kurt, with Sam on his other side. And then they all watched and listened as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury exchanged vows.

It was beautiful, Blaine thought. They talked about little moments that had been meaningful to their relationship. They talked about how much they loved each other and about how they were meant to be together.

Blaine spent the entire ceremony with his hand closed tightly around the small ring box in his pocket.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said happily when all the vows had been spoken.

Blaine glanced at Kurt as Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury kissed for the first time as husband and wife. Kurt looked happy and relaxed, bouncing on his toes with excitement, and Blaine felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and held it carefully behind his back, twirling the little box around in his hand to release some of his anxiety.

He didn't care if they were "too young". He didn't care if things were complicated between them.

All that mattered was their love.

Kurt turned his head to smile at Blaine and seemed surprised to find Blaine already looking at him. Blaine panicked and quickly stuffed the ring box back into his pocket as Kurt studied his face.

"You okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded. "Emotional," he confessed, tilting his head slightly toward Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury.

"Yeah," Kurt said softly, and his gaze dropped briefly to Blaine's lips before he turned his attention back to the newly married couple.

The glance was all the encouragement Blaine needed.

"Can we... talk?" Blaine asked, bumping his hand against Kurt's at his side. "Somewhere else?"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt knew he had to say yes; he had stalled long enough. They needed to talk about what had happened between them, and Kurt needed to decide if he wanted Blaine to be his boyfriend again.

"Sure," he agreed, catching Blaine's hand. He pulled Blaine away, out of the choir room (after Blaine insisted on grabbing his bag), and down the hallway to the now-empty auditorium.

"You won Regionals here tonight," Kurt teased as they walked onto the stage and Kurt released Blaine's hand.

"I can't believe it," Blaine smiled, but his posture was tense. He was nervous.

Kurt was nervous, too. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the stage, letting his feet dangle. Blaine sat down beside him, and a mostly-comfortable silence filled the room.

"I want to _explain_," Blaine finally said, breaking the silence. "I know we had a heart-to-heart at Christmas, but I want to explain myself again, if that's okay?"

"I don't really want to hear it," Kurt admitted.

"I know," Blaine acknowledged.

Kurt stared at Blaine for a moment before giving up and nodding for Blaine to speak his mind.

"You left for New York," Blaine said, "and I felt like everything that had tied me to this place," he motioned around them, "was suddenly gone. All of the sudden, _our_ friends seemed like maybe they had just been _your_ friends who also put up with me."

"They love you," Kurt disagreed.

"I know," Blaine nodded. "I know that now, but at the time? I... felt abandoned. You were off in New York, in a cool new apartment with Rachel and working for Isabelle Wright, of all people! I didn't see where I fit into any of that."

"Please don't cry," Kurt begged quietly as the sudden appearance of tears in Blaine's eyes brought them out in his eyes, too.

"I thought you had moved on," Blaine explained. "Every time we talked, there was something new, something fresh in your life. And I was... running for president of my high school."

"That's important," Kurt scolded.

Blaine shrugged. "It didn't _feel_ important, not compared to your life in New York," he clarified. "And our phone calls and Skype dates turned into short, hurried conversations, and–"

"And your first thought, before even _mentioning_ this to me, was to go out and find someone who was... _'into' you_?" Kurt said skeptically.

"I should've been honest about how I was feeling," Blaine agreed, "but I thought you weren't interested in me anymore! I tried to fix it by calling you more often, tried to schedule more Skype dates, tried to make more time for _us_ so you'd... remember."

"I _never_ stopped loving you," Kurt said firmly. "We talked about it before I left! We just had to wait a year, and–"

"Just because _you_ thought everything was fine, doesn't mean _I_ felt that way," Blaine argued gently.

"And that's your excuse for cheating on me?" Kurt snapped. "Because I couldn't read your mind?"

"That's not what I'm saying, and you know it," Blaine replied sharply.

Kurt _did_ know it, so he closed his mouth and waited for Blaine to continue.

Blaine paused briefly, studying Kurt's face, before he spoke again. "I felt completely alone," he explained, his voice unsteady and his eyes shiny with tears, "and _numb_, like _nothing_ mattered. So, I called you that day and you 'had to go' and I couldn't get in touch with you for the rest of the day... it felt final."

Kurt couldn't speak through the huge lump in his throat, so he just nodded that he understood and let Blaine keep talking.

"So, I went to that guy's place," Blaine recalled. "I did _not_ go there with the intention of cheating on you, but there's no excuse."

"Honestly," Kurt said, struggling with his lingering anger, "the thing I don't understand, more than _anything_, is why didn't you just... _not_? When that... started."

Blaine looked so _sad_. "I wanted to _feel _something," he shook his head, frustrated, "other than an emotionless fog."

"What happened to 'that's why they invented masturbation'?" Kurt remembered a conversation from before they had been intimate for the first time.

"It wasn't a rational thing," Blaine clarified softly.

There was part of Kurt that understood. In a moment of emotional desperation, Blaine had done a crazy thing to try to jolt himself back to feeling like a human being. But, even with that understanding, it hurt Kurt to his core that Blaine had _assumed_ that he didn't love and want him.

There was also a part of Kurt, buried in the brutally honest corner of his mind, that wondered if – maybe – the person he had been back then might not have dealt well with a call from Blaine about Kurt not paying him enough attention. No matter how carefully worded and well-intentioned, the confession from Blaine would've been difficult to hear.

Kurt reached out and grabbed Blaine's nearest hand in both of his. Blaine's infidelity had broken them, but Kurt knew he had played a part in cracking their foundation.

"I forgive you," he said.

It felt so good to say it. To _mean it_. The burden of _should I forgive?_ had been weighing Kurt down since the night Blaine had come to him to confess his betrayal.

The question of forgiveness had clearly been weighing on Blaine, too, because his tears turned quickly into sobs, and Kurt quickly released Blaine's hand to pull him into a hug. Blaine sobbed into Kurt's shoulder while Kurt tired to pretend that he wasn't crying just as hard.

"Also, what you did was _not_ my fault," Kurt clarified as they finally sat back, both wiping their eyes and reaching for tissues that Blaine pulled out of his bag, "but I'm sorry. I... knew. Knew that you were worried about the distance, physically and emotionally. I should've thought more about how you were feeling instead of getting so caught up in my life."

Blaine was still too emotional to speak, so Kurt kept talking.

"You're my best friend," Kurt affirmed. "I love you. But–"

Blaine was already nodding.

"– I need to know that I can _trust_ you."

"You can," Blaine found his voice again. "I promise, Kurt."

"I want to," Kurt admitted tearfully.

Blaine dropped his gaze to his lap and stayed silent.

"I know it's not fair to you," Kurt said. "My indecisiveness. Let me process this conversation a little bit, and let's reconvene... it's Sunday today, so maybe Tuesday?"

"You're leaving to go back to New York on Tuesday," Blaine recalled, lifting his head to look at Kurt again.

"Not until late," Kurt clarified.

Blaine nodded. "Lunch?" he suggested.

"Perfect," Kurt agreed. "I'll bring a picnic."

That idea loosened Blaine up. "A picnic sounds great," he approved.

Kurt climbed to his feet and offered a hand to help Blaine up.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Is there anything else?" Kurt wondered as he helped Blaine to his feet.

Blaine stared at him, struggling with whether or not he should make the grand gesture now or later. Kurt seemed relaxed, but also a little sad.

It wasn't the right time.

Blaine leaned over and picked up his bag. He had quickly stashed the ring in an inner pocket when Kurt had let go of his hand to sit down on the edge of the stage, worried that Kurt could possibly notice it in his pocket.

"I love you," Blaine said seriously as he stood up. "And I'm so, so sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Kurt nodded. "But I'm... looking forward to our picnic."

Hope bubbled up from deep within Blaine's soul. "Me too," he agreed as Kurt's mood seemed to lighten with the mention of their Tuesday meeting.

"You should probably go change," Kurt commented, motioning to Blaine's outfit. He was still wearing his Regionals uniform.

"Yeah," Blaine agreed. "Are you– will you come to Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury's party at Breadstix?"

"Maybe," Kurt teased as he turned to walk away.

"Okay," Blaine smiled after him. "See you there."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Dinner at Breadstix – Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury's makeshift wedding reception – was the most laid-back, enjoyable dinner Kurt had been part of for quite some time. He sat at a booth with Blaine, Finn, and Sam, and spent the evening laughing and eating ridiculous amounts of pasta and trying to be as discreet as possible about rubbing his ankle against Blaine's every few minutes. He was reasonably sure that neither Finn nor Sam noticed, because neither of them mentioned it, despite Blaine squirming in his seat every so often and Kurt struggling not to laugh.

By the time the restaurant was ready to close and they all had to leave, Kurt knew he was going to be Blaine's boyfriend again on Tuesday by the end of lunch. Blaine was his family, like his father and Carole and Finn. What had happened between them in the past couldn't be changed, but Kurt felt drunk with the power he possessed to change his – and Blaine's – future. If he didn't give them a second chance together, he would regret it for the rest of his life. He would wake up one day and be crushed with guilt that he had let his black-and-white view of Blaine's betrayal rob them both of a life spent loving each other.

"That was so fun!" Blaine said brightly as they walked together into the parking lot.

"It was," Kurt agreed, smiling at Blaine as they slowed to a halt beside Blaine's car. "Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury definitely know how to throw an enjoyable reception."

"I think it's the company," Blaine suggested, raising his eyebrows slightly, "more than the party."

"Mmm," Kurt allowed, thinking back to Mr. Schu and Ms. Pillsbury's previous wedding reception after their failed wedding on Valentine's Day. There was a large part of him that wanted to grab Blaine and climb into Blaine's car together – both as an homage to the _reconnecting_ he and Blaine had done on Valentine's Day and because he was desperately turned on – but he resisted. He needed to spend the remaining few hours of the evening getting to work planning their Tuesday picnic, and that would not happen if he was otherwise occupied with Blaine.

Plus, he was enjoying watching Blaine squirm with anticipation.

"See you Tuesday," he said.

Blaine was disappointed, although he tried to hide it, but he nodded. "See you Tuesday," he agreed. "Goodnight, Kurt."

"'Night," Kurt said, and he turned and hurried away before he had time to change his mind about his plans for the evening.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

In glee club on Monday, Mr. Schu walked to the white board and wrote BEATLES, and it was the first moment since the evening before that broke Blaine out of his nearly constant string of thoughts about Kurt.

Most of the rest of the group was equally excited.

"I don't think we've ever spent two weeks on an assignment, Mr. Schu," Tina commented.

"Hey, the Beatles are so epic that we need two weeks to do them justice," Mr. Schu explained as he walked closer to the students. "This week is all about the early years of the Beatles, when all they had was a belief in each other and a belief that, together, they could do anything."

Kitty scoffed unhappily. "This school year seems like it's never ending," she whined, "and now we're wasting two whole weeks on a band from the 1940s? Seriously, can anyone still relate to the Beatles?"

"Pretty much the entire world," Blaine explained.

"Yeah, I can definitely still relate," Ryder added.

"Yeah," Mr. Schu agreed.

"Why?" Kitty asked, twisting around in her chair to look at Ryder. "Were the Beatles dyslexic and catfished by transsexuals?"

"And you wonder why everybody hates you," Tina scolded.

"When George Harrison was a kid," Marley spoke up, explaining how she could relate to the Beatles, "he was made fun of because his dad was a bus driver."

"John Lennon's dad wasn't even around," Jake acknowledged. "He walked out of John's life when he was five."

"I don't really know the Beatles," Unique admitted. "I'm a little on the black side..."

"And Ringo Starr was a sickly little kid," Artie said, "which probably means he was sitting down a lot."

"And they decided to form a band," Mr. Schu picked up the conversation, "which changed the world. Now, you guys are really going to have to challenge yourselves this week. Bring your A plus games. Perform these classic songs in new and exciting ways. If we can push ourselves to a whole new level, like the Beatles did constantly, we can win back-to-back national championships and form a New Directions dynasty!"

The group cheered, and the bell rang to signify the end of the class.

"Alright, see you guys tomorrow," Mr. Schu said as everyone stood up to leave.

As Blaine walked out of the room, his mind was full of ideas. Blaine had realized that he had feelings for Kurt – more than feelings of friendship – when Kurt sang _Blackbird_ at Dalton. And they both loved the Beatles, overall. The summer before Kurt left for New York, they had spent countless hours of their free time adapting Beatles songs into duets and making up silly choreography.

He needed to use a Beatles as part of his proposal.

"Hey!" Sam said, catching up to him in the hallway. "The Beatles, right?! Amazing. We totally have to do something, and definitely with costumes. Chicks dig it. And, oh! Speaking of chicks, or, you know, lovers or whatever, how's Kurt?"

"He's great," Blaine smiled. "We're going to have lunch tomorrow to talk about things, and I'm thinking, tentatively, I'll be ready to tell everyone the big plan on Wednesday in glee club."

"Cool," Sam approved.

"Don't tell anyone before that," Blaine reminded him.

"Duh," Sam agreed. "But, wait, isn't Kurt flying back to New York tomorrow?"

"He's supposed to," Blaine confirmed distractedly as a new idea started to shove its way into his mind, "but I think I can convince him to stay. I have to go..."

"Alright, see you tomorrow." Sam agreed as Blaine turned and hurried away. He stopped by his locker to exchange a few of his books and then hurried to the band room.

"Hey," he greeted the few students who were still lingering around. "Do you have a minute?"

He wanted Kurt to stay a few extra days. It was Beatles week in glee club. So, what better way to convince Kurt to leave later in the week than with a Beatles song?

Blaine spoke with the band members for ten minutes about his plan for lunchtime the next day. They seemed highly amused, especially when he told them which song he wanted to use, but, luckily, they told him that they knew the song and they were comfortable with the courtyard setting. They would wait at the top of the large concrete staircase, hidden from view, and plant a student at the top of the stairs to wait for Blaine's signal.

Blaine thanked them profusely, grateful and excited, and then hurried to his car for the drive home.

As he was walking through the door to his house, he checked his phone and found a missed text message from Artie.

_Group outing to the carnival tonight!_

Blaine thought about it for a moment before initiating a call to Kurt. The carnival could be a fun pre-meeting date.

"Hey!" Kurt answered cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to say hello," Blaine smiled at Kurt's calm, happy attitude. "And to invite you to the carnival tonight, if you're free. Artie's getting a group together. I think we're meeting there at nine? I could pick you up?"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"Uh," Kurt panicked, "I'm, um, with Finn. Hanging out at... his dorm."

He regretted the lie immediately, both because it was a stupid lie and because he knew what Blaine was going to say next.

"Bring him along!" Blaine said immediately. "The more the merrier, right?"

The truth was that Kurt was at McKinley, meeting with the marching band to plan a performance for Blaine as part of their picnic the next day. He had called the band's drum major that morning to set up a meeting for a few hours after school so they could secretly rehearse. He was sitting on one of the steps of the courtyard, not in Finn's dorm room.

"You know, I have to finish getting everything together for our picnic, too," Kurt told him, not lying this time. "So, um, I think I'm going to pass, this time."

"Oh," Blaine said, his voice suddenly markedly less animated. "Well, uh, okay."

"Thank you for thinking of me, though!" Kurt tried to rescue Blaine's enthusiasm.

"It's okay," Blaine reassured him. "Say hi to Finn for me, okay?"

"Wait," Kurt sensed the conversation was about to end and felt bad about blowing Blaine off (which, Kurt was keenly aware, had been an issue between them in the past), "I, uh, I talked to Rachel today!"

"Yeah?" Blaine sounded genuinely interested. "How is she? Did Santana get back to New York?"

"Yes, she did," Kurt told him. "And Rachel had her chemistry reading for _Funny Girl_! She was upset when I talked to her – she overheard the director and Paolo, the guy playing Nick Arnstein, questioning whether or not she's ready, so she's convinced she's not going to get the part – but I tried to persuade her that, just because they aren't _sure_ yet, there's still a chance!"

"She's so perfect for the role," Blaine enthused. "She's totally going to get it. If they're smart, they _want_ a fresh face! Someone new."

"I tried to tell her that!" Kurt agreed, happy that Blaine had taken to his change of subject. "But, you know, it's stressful, I guess."

"_Paolo San Pablo_, though," Blaine appreciated the actor who had been cast as the show's male lead. "Wow."

"I've seen that bootleg version I have of _Camelot_ ten times at least," Kurt agreed with Blaine's admiration.

"People might be making bootleg recordings of _Rachel_ soon," Blaine laughed. "Crazy."

"Don't you dare mention that to her," Kurt scolded jokingly.

"I won't," Blaine acknowledged. "Well, um, have fun with Finn! Are you sure you don't need me to bring anything for the picnic tomorrow?"

"No," Kurt confirmed, "I've got it. Thanks, though. Have fun at the carnival!"

"I will," Blaine said. "Love you, Kurt. See you tomorrow."

"Love you, too," Kurt told him, smiling as he thought about surprising Blaine with the song. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The carnival was fun. Blaine, Sam, and Tina spent most of the evening together, going on rides and playing silly games and eating enough junk food that Blaine felt mildly unwell by the time he finally made it home at almost one o'clock in the morning. He took a quick shower to wash off the sticky feeling of being outside all evening, touching things that had been touched by so many other people, and then collapsed into bed.

He woke up two hours before his alarm because he was so nervous about his picnic with Kurt, and couldn't fall back asleep, so he just stared at the ceiling and let his mind wander.

Kurt was going to agree that they should be a couple again. Since they had talked in the auditorium after Regionals, Kurt had let his guard down with Blaine. He was happy and relaxed and flirty, teasing Blaine in all the ways he knew Blaine loved most. But, until Kurt actually said the words, Blaine couldn't get rid of the nagging worry that Kurt might change his mind at the last second.

In addition, Blaine's whole plan to propose hinged on his ability to convince Kurt to stay through the weekend. Which, Blaine thought, might be difficult. He had looked into the fees involved in changing Kurt's flight, and they were minimal, but he wasn't sure what Kurt's class and internship schedule looked like for the rest of the week. He had contemplated emailing Isabelle Wright to ask her if Kurt could have the rest of the week off, but he had decided against the idea in the end. It would be too much of an overstep into Kurt's freedom to make his own decisions.

So, Blaine was just hoping that Kurt would be eager to stay, and that _Got To Get You Into My Life_ would fuel that desire. He needed Kurt to stick around until Saturday, so he could plan and pull off the kind of proposal Kurt had been dreaming about all his life.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Blaine met Kurt in the McKinley visitor parking lot on Tuesday at lunchtime to help him carry their picnic lunch from Kurt's car to the courtyard.

"Hi," Blaine greeted Kurt with a huge smile, wrapping his arms around him for a quick hug. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Kurt returned the smile, butterflies churning in his stomach. "How was the carnival?"

"Fun," Blaine said as he picked up the large picnic basket out of the trunk of Kurt's car (Burt's car, actually, but Kurt was using it while he was back in Ohio). "Missed you, though."

"Well," Kurt teased, "now we're even. I went to the amusement park without you that one time, when you were pouting about Cooper –"

"I was _not_ pouting!" Blaine whined as Kurt picked up the remaining things he had brought for the picnic and they started the walk to the courtyard. "I was– okay, sure, laugh at me– maybe I was, a _little_. But, in my defense–"

"It was cute," Kurt interrupted. "You're cute when you're pouty."

"Thank you," Blaine said lightheartedly, as though the compliment had been an apology.

There were already quite a few students in the courtyard eating lunch by the time Kurt and Blaine arrived, but they managed to find a spot in the middle of one of the lower stairs where they could set up the picnic basket on the stair above where they were sitting.

They talked about unimportant things at first, as they got their food and drinks ready, but Kurt could tell Blaine was anxious to get to _them_.

Kurt sat back against the stairs, his legs stretched out in front of him, and waited.

"So, are you excited to go back to school?" Blaine asked, almost immediately once they had the picnic set up. Kurt fought back a smile as he heard the implication in Blaine's voice. No more stalling.

"Yeah," Kurt admitted casually. "Fashion week is coming up." He glanced at their picnic basket. "But this farewell picnic's been perfect, though."

"What's the story with this New York guy?" Blaine pressed, not quite able to meet Kurt's eyes as he asked the question.

"There's no story," Kurt explained honestly. "He was nice and people liked the idea of us as a couple, but... it never got serious."

Blaine narrowed his eyes, skeptical, and Kurt pretended he still wasn't sure what he wanted. "Alright, let me break it down for you," Kurt said, "alright? The last time we tried dating, and I was in New York and you were here, you _cheated on me_, alright? Unacceptable."

"We've been through this," Blaine replied quickly as Kurt turned his head to stare out into the courtyard where he would be singing to Blaine very shortly. "I thought you were done with me! I thought it was over! I thought I was completely out of the picture in your life!"

Kurt turned to look at Blaine again as Blaine continued. "Look at me in the eyes when I say this. I am being _beyond_ serious. I will never, ever, _ever_ cheat on you again."

Kurt believed him.

"I'm gonna need you to sign one of those non-cheating contracts," Kurt teased. "You can get one on Oprah's website."

"I will sign whatever you want!" Blaine agreed, smiling as he realized that Kurt had essentially just agreed that they should get back together. He leaned toward Kurt and briefly put his hand on top of one of Kurt's. "Just _please_ say that you and I can be boyfriends again."

Kurt could not resist drawing it out a little more, teasing Blaine along. He pretended to grimace.

"_What?_" Blaine asked, sounding pleasantly desperate.

"I don't know if relationships actually work," Kurt wondered. "I mean, weren't Bethenny and Jason supposed to be forever?"

"For every Bethenny and Jason," Blaine countered, "there is a Will and a Jada." He scooted a little closer. And a Kurt and a Goldie."

The butterflies in Kurt's stomach were starting to flutter in a way he hadn't felt – he hadn't allowed himself to feel – in what felt like an eternity.

"Come on," Blaine urged, "can we at least just... give it a try?"

"But I'm Goldie, of course," Kurt confirmed.

"Of course you are," Blaine agreed contentedly.

Kurt stared at his feet for a moment, relishing the way his body felt like it was vibrating with happiness.

"Okay," Kurt finally agreed, turning his head to look at Blaine again as he let the smile he had been holding back stretch across his face, "I can't believe we're going to do this again."

Blaine was elated. "I was hoping you would say yes," he said in a rush of words, climbing to his feet. "Actually, I was kind of planning on it, which is why I sort of, um, put something together to try to convince you to stay a little longer –"

With a jolt, Kurt realized what was about to happen just in time to stop it before it got started.

"Uh, no!" Kurt protested before Blaine could signal his band, wherever they were hiding. "No, no, that's not going to happen, okay? I'm not sitting down and listening to you sing to me anymore."

Blaine looked concerned as he quickly sat back down. "Okay," he reluctantly agreed.

"Which is why _I_ prepared something," Kurt grinned. He pulled a whistle out of his pocket and blew it, and the marching band began the song below them in the lower level of the courtyard.

Blaine turned his head to look at the band emerging from around the corner, and he laughed as Kurt stood up and began to sing.

"_I was alone. I took a ride. I didn't know what I would find there. Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there._"

Kurt grabbed his sunglasses from the girl he had planted to hold them for him, and Blaine caught on quickly, turning to take his yellow sunglasses from a girl behind him. Then, he picked up the song.

"_Ooh, then I suddenly see you. Ooh, did I tell you I need you every single day of my life._"

They had sung this song together many times, so Kurt had guessed that Blaine would end up singing with him, but he was a little surprised at how immediately Blaine had joined in. Blaine ran down the stairs, jumping up onto a table at the bottom of the courtyard, and threw his arms out as he and Kurt sang together.

"_Got to get you into my life._"

Kurt turned and ran up to the top of the staircase, only to be surprised with _more_ of the marching band. He dodged quickly, turning back around to play it off as though he had meant to go summon them, and realized that they must've been part of Blaine's plan.

"_What can I do? What can I be? When I'm with you I want to stay there. If I'm true, I'll never leave, and, if I do, I know the way there._" Blaine sang as he returned to the steps, back to where Kurt was waiting for him so they could sing together.

"_Ooh, then I suddenly see you. Ooh, did I tell you I need you every single day of my life._"

They ran down the stairs together, leaping up onto tables on opposite sides of the courtyard as they sang. "_Got to get you into my life._" They jumped off the tables, running between all the marching band members around the courtyard. "_Got to get you into my life._"

Kurt was having a blast, and he could tell Blaine was, too. It was so nice to just be _happy_ and have fun together. Kurt had missed this. "_I was alone. I took a ride. I didn't know what I would find there._"

Kurt climbed onto a table and looked down at Blaine as Blaine sang up at him. "_Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there._"

"_And suddenly I see you,_" Kurt sang, coming down from the table and pushing Blaine back with a finger pressed against Blaine's chest.

"_Did I tell you I need you?_" Blaine leaned forward and poked his finger into Kurt's chest, too, before they turned and ran back to climb onto the table together.

Blaine's sunglasses were off by the time they reached the tabletop and finished the song ("_Ooh, I got to get you into my life!_"), and Kurt tore his sunglasses off as Blaine wrapped an arm around his waist and crushed their lips together.

The crowd cheered wildly as Kurt and Blaine kissed, pulled apart slightly, and moved back in for a shorter, sillier kiss. Then, Blaine jumped all the way from the tabletop to the ground and turned around to help Kurt climb down.

"I love you," Blaine grabbed Kurt's face in both of his hands once they were both standing on the ground, kissing him again.

"I love you," Kurt gushed as he pulled out of the kiss. "I've missed you. I've missed this ridiculousness," he motioned around them. He couldn't stop _smiling_. He didn't want to.

He grabbed Blaine's hand, and they went to thank the marching band.

"Wait," Kurt asked as Blaine thanked the drum major and said something about the song being better than he imagined, "you knew about this?"

"No," Blaine beamed at him, "I planned it, too." He squeezed Kurt's hand. "I want you to stay. A few more days."

"You... we did _not_ just plan the exact same song," Kurt rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed at how in sync they were about this kind of thing.

"We did," Blaine said proudly.

"Oh, god," Kurt moaned, but there _was_ something about it that felt nice.

The crowd was slowly calming down, getting back to lunch, and Blaine swung their intertwined hands between them as he and Kurt wandered back to their picnic basket.

"Everyone's staring at us," Kurt commented as they sat back down. It wasn't unpleasant – the other students seemed surprisingly casual about the whole thing – but it was noticeable. He felt like they were waiting to see if something else was coming up.

"Well, we did just make quite a scene," Blaine shrugged before downing the remaining drink in his cup in one go.

Kurt took a long sip of his drink, too, but he was distinctly _not_ hungry. He felt a little sweaty and very full of adrenaline after all the singing and dancing, but he mostly felt like he wanted to be _alone_ with Blaine as soon as possible.

Blaine sighed unhappily as he set his glass down.

"We should've done this for dinner or something," he realized. "I've still got half of my classes left after this."

Kurt was shaking his head before Blaine finished the sentence. "Let's just blow it off," he suggested.

Blaine hesitated.

"_Blaine_," Kurt threatened lightheartedly, "you are not actually considering going to class instead of going back to my house right now."

Blaine's eyes lingered on Kurt's lips for a moment. "No," he finally agreed. "No, you're right. Let's get out of here."

They packed up the picnic and carried everything back to Kurt's car, and Blaine wondered out loud if they should drive to Kurt's house separately or in one car.

Kurt _wanted_ to go in the same car, but he knew it was probably a better idea to take both cars.

"Let's drive separately," he suggested reluctantly. "That way we don't have to come back later to get the other one."

"Works for me," Blaine winked, leaned in and kissed Kurt once, then again, and a third time a little more intensely, and then tore himself away and jogged across the parking lot to his car.

When they arrived at Kurt's house, he was ready to abandon everything and go directly inside, but Blaine motioned for Kurt to come over as he climbed out of his car.

"I got you this," Blaine said as Kurt approached. "At the carnival."

Blaine pulled a large stuffed teddy bear, colored like a panda that was purple where a normal panda would be black, and held it out for Kurt, smiling broadly.

It was silly and unnecessary, and Kurt was completely smitten. He took the bear and hugged it to his chest as Blaine closed the door to his car.

The bear was quickly forgotten as soon as they made it to Kurt's bedroom. With Burt and Carole at work and Finn away at college, the house was theirs for the entire afternoon.

They spent some time making out on the bed at first, fully clothed, because undressing seemed like such an _effort_. Blaine was completely uninhibited, his every move purposeful and gentle and full of love. Kurt didn't feel so composed; he just reacted to whatever Blaine was doing, enjoying the emotional and physical pleasure of letting go and trusting Blaine with everything.

When Kurt finally decided that it was time to make the effort to get undressed, tugging Blaine's already-untied bowtie off as a hint, it took them twice as long as it should have to get their clothes off because they didn't want to sit up or stop kissing. By the time all their clothes were piled on the floor, they were both giggling uncontrollably, and more than ready for an entire afternoon together in bed.

After one of the most tender, passionate rounds of sex they had ever had as far as Kurt was concerned, they cuddled up together under the covers and _talked_. They talked about their respective schoolwork and their families and friends and interesting things in the news and, finally, about Kurt's plans for the week.

"_Please_ stay through the weekend," Blaine begged. "The fee to change your flight is minimal, and–"

Kurt turned and grabbed his phone to check the time.

"I'm supposed to leave for the airport in two hours," he said. "My dad will be home in about an hour, by the way, so we should probably clean up."

They got out of bed, cleaned off and cleaned up, and got re-dressed as they continued the conversation.

"You can change your flight up to two hours before your departure time," Blaine explained.

"You looked into it?" Kurt grinned.

"Please?" Blaine whined.

"I have to get back to school," Kurt said. "And my internship. It's–"

"I know, I _know_," Blaine interrupted, "but we just got back together and I _miss_ you."

"I miss you, too," Kurt agreed. "I'm just... through the _weekend_?"

"We can do this every day," Blaine flirted, tipping his head toward Kurt's bed.

"You're going to skip the second half of your classes every day for the rest of the week?" Kurt doubted.

"Well, no," Blaine allowed. "But we can have lunch. And we can see each other after school. And don't you want to spend more time with Finn? And, uh, your dad and Carole? Plus, it's Beatles week in glee club. That's fun, right? We could go to the carnival together if you want, since you missed it, and we should have dinner at Breadstix at least one more time, for old time's sake. _And_–"

"Blaine," Kurt cut him off, "okay."

"Yeah?" Blaine's face lit up.

"I'll change my flight today," Kurt said, "but I don't know about the weekend. I usually go into Vogue dot com on Saturdays..."

"If you change your flight more than twenty four hours before takeoff, there's no penalty," Blaine offered eagerly.

Kurt laughed.

They changed his flight to Thursday night, and Blaine pouted about it for a few minutes before Kurt kissed him enough times that Blaine couldn't keep up the act.

"I'll think about it," Kurt told him in regards to the possibility of staying through the weekend.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine woke up feeling more content than he had felt since before Kurt left for New York. He had been loath to leave Kurt's house the night before, but he knew he couldn't stay the night. He was trying to impress Burt, hoping for a little help from Kurt's father for the proposal, and Burt was never particularly fond of the idea of Kurt and Blaine alone in Kurt's bedroom.

So, after staying for dinner with Burt and Carole – "We're officially a couple again!" Kurt had announced proudly, and neither Burt nor Carole had seemed surprised by the news – Kurt had walked Blaine out to his car and they had spent five minutes pressed together against the driver's side door before Blaine managed to pull away long enough to decide that he _had_ to go home.

He had slept so, so well.

As soon as he got to school the next morning, Blaine went to talk to Mr. Schu.

"Hey, Blaine," Mr. Schu greeted him as he walked into the teacher's office. "What's up?"

"I'd like to make an announcement before we get started in glee club this afternoon, if that's alright?" Blaine asked.

"Sure," Mr. Schu agreed. "Is this _possibly_ related to your colorful duet with one Mr. Kurt Hummel in the courtyard yesterday?"

Blaine ducked his head as he realized he had completely forgotten to tell anyone that he wouldn't be at glee club. He tried not to think about all the talking about him that must've gone on when he didn't show up.

"We're officially back together," Blaine told Mr. Schu what he already knew.

"I'm very happy to hear it," Mr. Schu approved. "So... that's your announcement?"

"No," Blaine said, bracing emotionally for Mr. Schu to object to his plan, "my announcement is: I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me."

Mr. Schu was understandably surprised.

"Wow," he absorbed Blaine's words, "okay."

He didn't try to talk Blaine out of it.

"So," Blaine elaborated, "I want to ask everyone for their help."

"Nothing but a big song-and-dance proposal for Kurt, huh?" Mr. Schu guessed.

"He's going to love it," Blaine nodded.

"Alright, then," Mr. Schu agreed. "The floor is yours this afternoon."

"Thanks, Mr. Schu," Blaine said, grateful that the teacher hadn't put up a fight or tried to tell him they were too young. "Have a great day!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine ran into Mr. Schu in the hallway outside the choir room before glee club, so they walked into the room together.

"Okay, listen up, everybody!" Mr. Schu got the group's attention. "Blaine has a very special announcement to make."

"That's right," Blaine smiled as he walked through the door and paused in front of the group. "So, as most of you know already, um, Kurt and I are officially back together!"

His friends applauded as he walked to his seat.

"But," he added as he sat down, "what most of you don't know – and this is top secret – is that I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me."

Silence.

"Yeah!" Sam exclaimed, jumping to his feet and clapping loudly. "Guys, come on, get up! Come on, guys, this is my best friend! Gay marriage: good! It's good! It's good things! They're all happening so fast, let's go!"

Blaine stood up and followed him to the center of the room so he could stop him.

"Sam," he put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "not now. Anyway," he turned his attention back to the group, "I want this proposal to be... just incredible, so I'm asking for all of your help. But I'm also asking for some of our competitors' help. Like the Warblers and Vocal Adrenaline and the Haverbrook School for the Deaf."

"Vocal Adrenaline?" Unique scoffed. "No, ma'am."

"The Warblers are evil incarnate little craps," Ryder disapproved, "that –"

"Are you crazy?" Tina interrupted, pushing past Ryder to get to the center of the room where Blaine and Sam were standing. "Are you insane? Good god, have you lost your mind?"

"_Tina_," Sam scolded, catching her before she could reach Blaine. "Everybody! Hear him out."

"Look," Blaine explained, "I want this to be more than just an ordinary proposal. I want this to be a cultural statement!"

"Sure you do," Jake said from his seat beside the piano.

"Hey," Blaine said, turning to face Jake and Marley as they exchanged an amused glance, "our generation is at a turning point. People everywhere – except, like, Russia – are beginning to see that it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, or even what god you believe in! They're beginning to see that people really aren't all that different and, honestly, if we can get a bunch of cutthroat show choirs to stand side-by-side and unite in something? Then anything is possible."

"Okay," Artie said. "Okay, look, Blaine is just using the world of rival glee clubs as a metaphor for this incredible time we're in right now."

He paused, studied Blaine's face briefly, and added, "I still think you're too young."

Blaine was ready for their doubt.

"_Help!_" he sang, turning in quick succession to each of his classmates as the band backed him up. "_I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone. Help!_"

The group was happy to join in, and they sang the song and danced around the room. When the song was over, Kitty sighed dramatically.

"You really are too adorable to say no to, sometimes," she lamented. "It's so annoying."

"Alright, alright!" Sam approved in his Matthew McConaughey voice. "Let's go!"

They went to Vocal Adrenaline first, sneaking into a rehearsal to ask the students to help Blaine propose to Kurt. The rival show choir was hesitant at first, but eventually agreed. Their captain suggested that they start rehearsing right away – that afternoon – so Blaine invited the whole group along to help persuade the other schools. They went to the Haverbrook School for the Deaf next, and then took the rapidly-growing group to Dalton.

"This is where we met," Blaine explained once he had the Warblers' attention. "This is where we fell in love. And I know our," he motioned between the Warblers and himself, "history is a little complicated, but you guys mean the world to me and it would mean so much to me and to Kurt if you would be part of our engagement."

"We need an official vote," Trent said, "but, in the spirit of brotherhood and cleaning up our tarnished reputation, I think we'd all be happy to help."

"Uh, Trent," Sebastian intervened, "we said I'd do the talking."

Sebastian glanced around at the other Warblers in the room. "All in favor of helping Blaine?"

It was a unanimous chorus of "aye"s, and everyone applauded. New Directions, Vocal Adrenaline, the Haverbrook School for the Deaf, and the Warblers, all crammed into the Warblers' practice room. Blaine high-fived Sam and then turned his attention to Sebastian.

"Thank you, man," Blaine said, stepping forward to hug him.

"Kurt's going to love this," Sebastian approved.

"I'd love to do it here," Blaine raised his voice and explained the details to the group while one of the Warblers interpreted for the students from the School for the Deaf. "We met on the stairs out there," he motioned toward the doorway, "so, I was thinking..."

They spent the next hour hashing out how it would go. Where everyone would stand, how they would move Kurt from room-to-room along a specific route, how the song would be arranged. Sebastian was put in charge of getting official permission from Dalton. Tina was in charge of costumes. The captain of Vocal Adrenaline would handle the choreography. The captain of the Haverbrook School of the Deaf's glee club volunteered her team to come early and make sure everything was set up and clean. Artie was in charge of bringing a few of his friends to record and photograph everything as it was happening. Sam was in charge of the ring. Mr. Schu would get food and drinks for everyone so they could celebrate once the whole thing had been successfully executed.

And Blaine needed Burt to agree to bring his son to Dalton at the appropriate time.

He stopped by Burt's tire shop on the way home after dropping Sam, Tina, and Artie, who had ridden with him to all the different schools, off at their houses. The man at the reception desk knew Blaine, so he waved him through, telling him that Burt was somewhere in the back. Blaine wandered into the shop and found Burt working on a car in the back corner of the room.

"Mr. Hummel?" Blaine tried to grab Burt's attention as he approached. He shook his head as soon as the words left his mouth; he sounded so _serious_.

"Mr. Anderson," Burt teased as he straightened up and turned to look at Blaine.

Blaine breathed out a mostly silent laugh and took a deep breath. "Do you have a second?" he asked.

Burt glanced around and wiped his hands on a rag as he walked over to stand near Blaine. "I like to come in here and get my hands dirty when I'm home," he explained as he tossed the rag onto a table covered in tools. "Keeps me from turning into a stuck-up Congressman. What's up?"

"I'd like to talk about me and Kurt," Blaine explained.

"Alright," Burt agreed.

Blaine reached into his pocket and retrieved the little black box that held the ring he was planning to give to Kurt. He held the box out in his palm and Burt took it from him and flipped the lid open.

"I know we don't agree about the timing," Blaine said as Burt studied the ring in the box, "but... I _am_ going to ask Kurt to marry me."

Burt snapped the box closed and looked at Blaine.

"I figured as much," Burt acknowledged as he handed the ring box back to Blaine so he could put it back in his pocket. "So, you're here... for advice?"

"No," Blaine shook his head, not bothering to hold back the huge smile that stretched across his face as he thought about his plan. "I'm here to ask for your help."

Blaine paused to gauge Burt's expression, which was difficult to read, and Burt gestured for him to continue.

"I want to do it at Dalton," Blaine explained. "Where we met – _right_ where we met, on the staircase in the music building – later this week before Kurt has to go back to New York. And I want it to be... _special_. Really special." Blaine laughed as he said, "We both know that Kurt has been dreaming up extravagant proposal scenarios for a long time, so it has to be extraordinary."

"Something tells me you're not here to ask me for help with a big musical number," Burt pressed him to get to the point.

Blaine nodded, reining in his smile. "Having you there would mean the world to both of us," Blaine said seriously. "I'm here to ask if you would please come and let me convince you with my actions and my words that this is the right thing for me and for Kurt."

Burt took a deep breath and studied Blaine's face for a long moment.

"What are you going to do if he says no?" Burt asked.

"I... if–uh..." Blaine struggled to answer. He hadn't thought about it. Kurt was going to say yes.

Burt put a hand on Blaine's shoulder and squeezed it briefly before letting go. "Relax, this isn't an interrogation."

"If he says no," Blaine recovered and spoke firmly, "I will tell him that I love him and put the ring back in my pocket for another day."

Burt opened his mouth to speak, but Blaine had to add, "But he's going to say yes."

Burt laughed. "It's not every day a dad gets invited to his son's proposal," he said, "so I can't see myself saying no."

Blaine's smile returned immediately, and he quickly extended his arm to shake Burt's hand. "Thank you," he beamed.

Burt shook his head, a nonverbal "_this kid_", but he was smiling, too. Blaine felt immensely relieved. "I'll let you know the details," Blaine told Burt as he started to walk away.

"Probably best to text me," Burt offered. "If Kurt catches my phone ringing and it's you on the caller ID, he's going to know something's up. But he won't go through my text messages."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "Thank you so much."

He texted Rachel as soon as he climbed into the car in the parking lot of the tire shop. _THIS IS TOP SECRET: I'm going to propose to Kurt on Saturday afternoon. Please come?_

By the time he got to Kurt's house – Kurt had _actually_ gone to spend the day with Finn this time, so Blaine had suggested that they meet up for dinner – he had eight new text messages from Rachel.

_Oh my god!_

_Yes, OBVIOUSLY I'm going to be there! I'm going to come Friday. Looking at flights._

_OMG, what's your plan? This is soooo romantic! A secret proposal with all of his friends there! DO YOU HAVE A RING?_

_Do you want Santana to come, too?_

_She's coming. We booked our flights. We're actually coming tomorrow night! Is that too early?_

_I went ahead and texted Mercedes and told her, sorry if you wanted to! She's obviously coming, too._

_Where are you? Are you driving or something? Don't answer if you are._

_YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! Oh my god, I'm so excited! He's TOTALLY going to say yes he loves you SO much!_

Blaine texted her back before he got out of the car to go into the house. Arriving on Thursday night was perfect; the girls could distract Kurt on Friday so he wouldn't wonder why Blaine was doing something other than hanging out with him. The plan was to propose at Dalton, on the stairs where they met. He did have a ring. Of course Santana and Mercedes needed to be there. And he was glad she approved.

_See you tomorrow night!_ He texted at the end. _I'll tell you all the details then._

Kurt wasn't home yet, but Carole was, so Blaine spent half an hour chatting with her (she was excited about the proposal; if she disapproved of their age, she didn't say so) before Kurt arrived. The three of them ate dinner together, and Blaine felt like _at any moment_ Kurt was going to somehow read his mind and the secret was going to be ruined. He felt like he was radiating _I'm going to marry you_ vibes so intensely that Kurt couldn't _not_ catch on, but Kurt chatted happily about his day with Finn and how excited he was to get back to New York the next evening, but that he was also really, really unhappy to leave Blaine and his family and friends behind. He didn't seem to notice that anything was going on.

After dinner, Kurt and Blaine went up to Kurt's room and cuddled on the bed for an hour, casually flipping through a few magazines and talking about nothing important. But, when the time came to leave, Blaine knew he still had official proposal work to do.

Kurt made it easy for him when, as Blaine climbed off the bed, Kurt fell back onto the pillows, sighed unhappily, and said, "I'm going to miss you like crazy."

"Then stay," Blaine urged, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Just... book a flight home for Saturday night or something. That way, you'll have a full day on Sunday to get re-adjusted to New York before the week starts on Monday."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"I'm supposed to work on Saturday," Kurt reminded him. "Isabelle has been so nice already, letting me have this time off."

"I know," Blaine agreed, "but... also, the _Million Dollar Listing_ finale– we _have_ to watch that together, right?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "I cannot change my flight just so we can watch TV together. We can Skype during –"

"No, I know," Blaine said, "but, it's not just the finale. It's just being _together_, right?"

Something was going on.

Blaine kept asking him to prolong his stay. He wanted Kurt around on the weekend for some reason, and he was desperately making up excuses to cover up the real reason.

Kurt's curiosity made the decision for him.

"Fine," he agreed. "I'll make sure it's okay with Isabelle. But I _have_ to go home this weekend, Blaine."

Blaine leaned over and kissed him. "I can't wait until we live in the same city again," he said warmly.

Kurt felt hot all over as he thought about Blaine moving to New York. Moving in with him. The _freedom_ was going to be amazing.

"Goodnight," Blaine said as he handed Kurt his laptop so he could change his flight.

Kurt tilted his head for another proper kiss as he took the laptop from Blaine's hands. "Goodnight," he said. "Thanks for coming over tonight. Love you."

"I love you so much," Blaine kissed him one final time and then stood up. "Lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed. "I think I'll just bring something from Breadstix or something this time, though. That picnic basket is _heavy_."

Blaine laughed. "Sounds great," he smiled as he reached the door. He waved and then disappeared into the hallway.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

When Blaine pulled into his driveway that evening, he sat in the car and stared at the front of the house for a few minutes before he worked up the courage to go inside and tell his parents his plan.

They were predictably unhappy. Like Burt, they were mostly worried about the timing, rather than the concept of Blaine spending his life with Kurt. "Why not wait a few years, until you're done with college?" "You're so young; there's plenty of time for this later when you've experienced more things and had plenty of time to think about your future." But, by the end of the conversation, Blaine was shocked to find that both his mother and father were reluctantly on board. He had a feeling it had more to do with not wanting to strain their relationship with their youngest son rather than true enthusiasm, but he didn't care. They weren't going to try to stop him.

He didn't invite them to the proposal. He wanted it to be about _Kurt_. Kurt's loved ones. They could celebrate with Blaine's parents later.

He didn't call Cooper. He wasn't _sure_ if Cooper would keep the secret. He had a horrible mental image of Cooper tweeting something vague like _Big day for my little brother today!_ on the day of the proposal and ruining the surprise. He would tell his brother the news _after_ Kurt said yes.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

It rained during lunch the next day, so Blaine ran out into the parking lot and jumped into Kurt's car, and they spent the lunch period sometimes eating and sometimes making out as well as they could over the console between the two front seats.

In glee club that afternoon, Blaine inadvertently found something to distract him from his proposal plans.

"Okay, guys! Week one of our Beatles fest has been epic," Mr. Schu announced. "I think we've really unpacked what made the Fab Four such an instant sensation. But now I want to turn to their oft-ignored middle period."

"Mr. Schu?" Tina raised her hand and stood up, speaking without waiting for an acknowledgement. "Would you say that the early Beatles looked out for each other even when they didn't want to be looked out for?"

"Oh god, no," Artie said.

Mr. Schu glanced at Artie before turning his attention to Tina. "If I understand your question, Tina... yes, the early Beatles always had each other's backs."

"In that case," Tina said, "I'm sorry Artie, but this is for your own good."

She turned to face the students.

"Everyone, Kitty and Artie are dating," she informed them. "But Kitty's making Artie hide it because she's embarrassed by him, and I think that's emotional abuse. Artie is a great guy and he deserves to be loved openly and proudly and without conditions."

Everyone turned to look at Kitty.

"For once, we agree," Kitty said after briefly considering her response. "It's true. Arthur and I are dating."

"We are?" Artie asked, hopeful. "Officially?"

"And, for the record," Kitty continued, "and, not that it's anyone's business, especially not yours, Tina Cohen-Agitator, I did want to keep it hush-hush."

"Because you were ashamed," Tina scolded.

"Yes, Memoirs of a Lame Geisha," Kitty said as she stood up, "because I occupy a certain place in the McKinley hierarchy and you all occupy a different, lesser place in that hierarchy, and before exploding said hierarchy by jumping up and down on Oprah's couch declaring my undying love for someone who is, let's face it, not my usual body type... I wanted to be sure."

"Of what?" Marley asked.

"That I really, really liked him," Kitty confessed, moving to sit down on the bottom level of the riser so she could be at eye level with Artie. "And that I would be willing to risk not just my social standing, but also getting hurt by letting him wheel into my heart. And, even though I know he's getting ready to graduate, and we're probably just as doomed as every other sad, broken, backwards relationship that's ever started in this Jesus- and love-forsaken choir room –"

"Kurt and I _will_ have a happy ending," Blaine protested before realizing that he and Kurt had actually met and gotten together at Dalton, not in the McKinley choir room.

"– I do like you, Artie," Kitty ignored Blaine. "You make me laugh, and not just with those stupid YouTube fail videos you're always showing me."

She reached out and took both of Artie's hands in hers.

"Look, asking you to keep our stuff private wasn't cool, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Kitty," Artie said, a smile on his face. "But, um... as far as, like, updating my Facebook status...?"

"Yes," Kitty returned the smile, "we are officially, publicly, shockingly... a thing."

They kissed, and everyone applauded, but Blaine noticed immediately that Tina looked unhappy. When he thought about it, Blaine realized that Tina was unhappy most of the time, lately. Something had to be done.

He grabbed his phone and texted Sam, Ryder, and Jake. _Secret meeting in the choir room after glee rehearsal. Just the four of us._

"Do any of you know why I called you in here?" Blaine asked once everyone but the four boys had left the choir room after rehearsal.

"Uh," Sam guessed, "is it to get prepared in case the North Koreans invade through Mexico?"

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"I just saw _Red Dawn_, okay?" Sam explained. "It could happen."

"One of our own has turned into a mean, bitter, and angry person," Blaine explained why he had called the meeting.

"Tina," Jake guessed.

"Tina," Sam agreed.

"That would be Tina," Ryder said.

"She didn't used to be like this," Blaine mused. "She was a sweet girl who dated Artie until he dumped her because he found out she was faking her stutter. And then she dated Mike Chang until he dumped her because she wasn't Asian enough, or something."

"Wait, is that really why he dumped her?" Jake wondered.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Look," Blaine explained, "the point is that it's time for us to step in. She's falling apart. I walked by the Too Young To Be Bitter Club this morning, and she was the only one in there. She was just sitting there, eating–"

"Oh my god, yeah, I saw her with those little cakes this morning!" Ryder interrupted. "Those ones they sell at that bakery near the dentist, you know?"

"Those cakes are truly awesome," Sam commented with a faraway look on his face.

"Dude, those things are moist and chocolaty at the same time," Ryder agreed.

"Totally," Jake nodded as the three of them high-fived. "Totally."

"Guys, this isn't about the cakes," Blaine scolded. "I know how good they are; I've had them, too. This is about us trying to help Tina!"

"No, of course, Blaine," Sam said. "You know, even though this is all clearly your fault, you know, whatever you think we should do, we're in."

Blaine barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.

"Prom's coming up," he reminded them. "And Tina needs a date. So, I'm thinking... we'll all offer our services, and let her choose."

"Yeah, whatever," Ryder agreed. "She's going to choose you, though."

Jake unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a laugh.

"Well," Blaine said, "that's fine! The point is that she has multiple guys to choose from."

"Oh my god!" Sam shouted.

"Dude, what?" Jake scolded, startled.

"We should, you know, sing a Beatles song to her or something," Sam suggested.

"Yes," Blaine agreed. "Yes, good idea! We can do _I Saw Her Standing There_. We could recreate the video. You know, the iconic one from when–"

"Hold up," Artie suddenly appeared in the doorway, "I know you are not planning to make a video without me."

Blaine had to cancel dinner with Kurt that evening so he, Sam, Ryder, Jake, and Artie could rehearse and set everything up for the performance for Tina the next day. Kurt seemed surprisingly okay with it, saying something about beauty rest and telling Blaine to have fun before practically hanging up on Blaine. Which, Blaine thought, was better than hurting Kurt's feelings a few days before he hoped they were going to get engaged.

With all his attention suddenly focused on the new project, Blaine completely forgot that Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes were all arriving that evening until they suddenly showed up in the auditorium, interrupting the boys' final dress rehearsal.

"Oh my god, you all look so adorable!" Rachel approved. "What's this for?"

"Tina," Blaine explained, stepping down off his podium to hug her. "She's been really down lately, so we're going to sing to her and invite her to go to prom with one of us."

"That is so sweet!" Rachel said. "But oh my _god_, you have to tell us all about the proposal!"

"I think that's our cue to leave," Jake mumbled.

"Yeah, okay," Blaine agreed, glancing over his shoulder at Jake, Sam, and Ryder. "Thanks for this, guys," he motioned at the set on the stage. "We'll do it tomorrow during lunch, alright?"

As soon as the guys were gone, Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes gathered around and Blaine told them all the details of the proposal.

"I have to say," Santana said when Blaine finished talking, "that even warms my cold, dark heart. He's going to cry, for sure."

"Aw, you guys, remember when Kurt first came back after that first trip to Dalton?" Mercedes remembered. "He was so flustered and adorable!"

"I thought you were mad at him about suddenly wanting to spend all that time with Blaine instead of you?" Santana recalled.

"Shut up, Santana," Mercedes rolled her eyes, turning to walk out of the auditorium.

"He's going to just... it's so _perfect_, Blaine, amazing," Rachel gushed, hanging on his arm as they walked out of the auditorium together. "Kurt is _so_ lucky."

"Thanks," Blaine said. "Do you guys have plans with Kurt tomorrow?"

"I convinced these ladies that we shouldn't let Lady Hummel know we're here until tomorrow," Santana interjected. "Let the poor boy get some sleep before the insanity that's going to happen to him the day after tomorrow."

Blaine nodded. "Good idea," he agreed.

"I'm going to text him in the morning," Rachel explained as they reached the parking lot and paused at the point where they were going to have to split up to go to their respective cars. "And see if he wants to have lunch. And then we're going to have a sleepover!"

"We'll keep him plenty occupied," Mercedes reassured Blaine, prying Rachel off his arm. "So you just focus on the dress rehearsal at Dalton and _don't worry_."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Friday morning, Kurt found a text from Rachel waiting for him when he woke up.

_Surprise, I'm in Lima! Breadstix for lunch?_

Incredibly confused, Kurt put his phone down on his bedside table and went to have a shower to make sure that he was really awake before he responded.

_What are you doing in Lima? Is everything okay?_

_Everything's fine!_ Rachel reassured him. _Just wanted to visit home._

_Okay_, Kurt agreed. _Blaine's busy during lunch today, anyway, so it'll be nice to have some company._

They arranged a time, an early lunch only a few hours away, and Kurt got dressed and did a load of laundry to get a head-start on getting all this stuff together to pack into his suitcase the next day.

It was completely insane that Rachel was spontaneously in Lima. She had just started a new job at a diner Kurt had not yet been to and she was right in the middle of the _Funny Girl_ audition process. What if the producers or the director called and wanted to meet with her as soon as possible?

He assumed he would receive more information about Rachel's sudden trip home during lunch, but he was mistaken. Instead, he walked through the door into Breadstix and discovered that it wasn't just Rachel who had returned to Lima. Santana and Mercedes had come, too.

Something was _definitely_ going on. Something involving him. All of his friends were suddenly flying back to Ohio from opposite ends of the country.

There was really only one thing that Blaine could be planning that would warrant that kind of commitment.

Kurt barely touched his lunch as Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes chatted with him and each other about everything _but_ Blaine.

Blaine was going to propose.

His suspicion was all but confirmed when, at the end of lunch, Rachel had a proposal of her own.

"Let's have a sleepover!" she suggested excitedly. "With sleeping bags and pizza and everything!"

Kurt knew he had to say yes. This was part of the plan: keep Kurt occupied.

"Sure," he agreed cheerfully, feigning ignorance.

"Amazing!" Rachel clapped her hands. "It's going to be so fun, you guys! Like old times!"

Kurt allowed himself to be led around to wherever the girls wanted to go for the rest of the day. They went to the mall and found new outfits for all three of the girls ("Clothes are just so much less expensive here, you know?" Mercedes explained). They decided to do the sleepover at McKinley (Santana was confident she could bribe one of the Cheerios to leave a door unlocked) and went to each of their houses to get supplies. Pajamas, clothes for the next day, toothbrushes, sleeping bags, pillows, money for pizza.

Finally, as the sun was going down, Kurt heard from Blaine while he was sitting in the car with Rachel and Mercedes waiting for Santana, who had run into the pizza place to pick up their order.

_Artie finished editing the video of our performance for Tina today!_ Blaine texted, with a link to a YouTube video.

After a moment spent blinking at the link in surprise – he had assumed the "performance for Tina" was a cover for some kind of setup for the proposal – Kurt held the phone out so he, Rachel, and Mercedes could watch the video together on his phone.

_Amazing!_ Kurt texted Blaine back when they reached the end. _You look so cute with your hair like that. Please tell me she loved it._

_She did._ Blaine reassured him. _She's going to go with Sam to prom!_

That surprised Kurt, too, but he didn't comment.

_How was your day?_ Blaine asked.

_Good!_ Kurt replied. _Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes are all randomly in town! So, I spent the day with them._

_What?_ Blaine pretended he had no idea what was going on.

_Yeah_, Kurt texted him back, _we're going to have a sleepover._

_Sounds fun!_ Blaine approved. _Want to grab breakfast tomorrow morning?_

Kurt's stomach churned with nerves. Tomorrow was Saturday; he was flying home that evening. The proposal was definitely going to happen at breakfast.

_Sure!_ he said. _Where?_

_Lima Bean?_ Blaine suggested.

Kurt was glad that Blaine couldn't see him – he felt clammy and anxious – as he responded, _Perfect. What time?_

_Eight?_ Blaine suggested.

_Okay_, Kurt agreed. _See you then!_

_Have fun with the girls tonight!_ Blaine said. _I love you_.

_I love you too_, Kurt replied.

Blaine texted him back a little red heart, and Kurt stuffed his phone into his pocket.

By the time he, Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes got to McKinley and snuck in through the unlocked door, Kurt _had to know_. The anticipation was overwhelming.

"So," Kurt addressed his friends as they walked together down the familiar hallway toward the auditorium, "as much as I enjoy breaking into a school none of us actually _go to_ anymore, will someone tell me what we're doing here, exactly?"

"We thought, since we all happened to be in town," Rachel explained brightly, "it might be fun to have a pizza party/sleepover for you –"

"Uh huh," Kurt cut her off. He knew that part. He wanted to know _why_. "And _I'm_ here because Blaine keeps making up excuses for why I should stay – the latest is that we have to be together for the _Million Dollar Listing_ finale – but why did you guys come?"

"I was going _insane_ waiting to hear that I didn't get Fanny," Rachel said immediately.

"The Health Department raided the diner," Santana shrugged.

"I'm signing copies of my CD at the Lima Mall Borders," Mercedes explained.

Kurt narrowed his eyes at them. _Liars_.

"Borders is closed and no one buys CDs anymore," Kurt countered. "Look, ladies, let me save you a lot of trouble. I know you're in cahoots with Blaine. Probably the entire glee club. I'm not blind; I see what's going on. I have a _pretty_ good idea of what's coming."

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked innocently as they walked through the doorway that led them to the auditorium stage.

"Zip it, Berry," Santana interjected. "The sashaying cat is out of its sequined wedding bag." She turned her attention to Kurt as they stopped walking in the middle of the stage. "Okay, you figured it out. What are you going to say when he asks you?"

It was real. Blaine was going to propose.

"_Yes_, it _has to be yes_," Rachel begged, clutching Kurt's arm, "please prove that true love still exists–"

Kurt had been thinking about it nonstop since lunch, when he had realized what was going on. What was he going to say? At first, he had tried to reason it out in his mind. _If_ he said yes, blah, blah, blah. _If_ he said no, blah, blah, blah. But, in the end, he knew that he really didn't need to analyze anything. Blaine was the love of his life. The person he wanted to grow old with.

"I think..." Kurt glanced briefly at each of his friends and suddenly couldn't keep from smiling, "I am going to say yes."

All three girls squealed with delight, and Rachel threw her arms around him from the side and squeezed him tightly.

"And you three have to be my bridesmaids!" Kurt added excitedly, letting himself imagine just a little piece of what their wedding could be.

"And I _will_ be raising the roof at your reception," Mercedes acknowledged as they all started laying out their sleeping bags and pillows, "but Kurt... are you sure? It's such a big step..."

"I know," Kurt reigned in his excitement to address Mercedes' doubt. "But I've dreamt about marrying Prince Charming ever since I saw my first Disney musical. I just never thought it would be possible."

He hadn't thought it would be possible – not _really_ – just a few years prior. Until his path and Blaine's collided and _everything_ seemed possible.

"But the world's changed," Kurt continued, "and... more than anything, I want Blaine and me to be a part of that change."

He wanted to _marry_ Blaine. Legally. He wanted the government to acknowledge that they were more than just long-term roommates; he wanted to hold a marriage certificate in his hands and make it _official_.

Rachel clasped both of her hands over her heart, nodding her approval.

"It's _so_ incredible," Rachel said. "I'm so happy for you, Kurt! You're nineteen and you've already found the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with – grow old with –"

"Old?" Kurt whined.

"That's right, Liberace-face," Santana said, moving toward Kurt so he would focus on her as she spoke. "After your big, amazing, _Behind the Candelabra_-like wedding comes eighty years of sex-less, hen-pecking, antique-collecting, co-dependent marriage, followed by gay divorce or death." She shrugged. "I, for one, couldn't be happier for you."

Rachel huffed disapprovingly, but she and Mercedes were already turning their attention to the pizza boxes and weren't paying much attention. After a quick "good luck!" smirk, Santana turned and went to join them.

Kurt's stomach felt suddenly tight with nerves, not hunger, and he stayed where he was, staring out into the empty auditorium.

He could potentially be married to Blaine for _eighty years_. Even if they only lived to be eighty years old, rather than a hundred, they could be married for _sixty years_. That was three times as long as Kurt had been alive.

As panic swept through his body, Kurt tried to reason with himself. Yes, sixty to eighty years is a long time. But isn't that a _good_ thing when you've found the love of your life? Sixty to eighty years of loving Blaine and being loved by Blaine every day.

But what if he never got to spend more than one or two days alone _for the rest of his life_? What if, one day, one of them realized they wanted to know what else was out there and regretted their marriage? What if he was setting a bad example for his friends and younger family members by marrying so young? What if people in New York looked down on him for being _that Ohio boy _who married his high school sweetheart in his early twenties? What if they couldn't find a way to have children? What if they _did_ have children to take care of? What if they ended up irrevocably broken as a couple and devastated their children by divorcing?

What if he just _thought_ he was in love when, really, he was just a stupid kid who was too obsessed with "happily ever after"?

"When you're done panicking about your future," Santana called from where the three girls had settled onto the floor with their pizza, "you should probably eat something. You only need to fast for, oh, six months before the big day, and you're not even _actually_ engaged yet."

"_Santana_," Mercedes scolded before turning her attention to Kurt. "Come here," she beckoned with her arms.

Kurt walked over and sat down, and Rachel handed him a slice of pizza.

"Eat," she commanded.

Kurt obeyed, and his dread quickly started to dissipate as he ate and chatted with his friends about non-marriage-related things. He _wanted_ to marry Blaine. He was just freaking out in the face of such a long-term commitment. Which, Kurt hoped, was just a normal obstacle to overcome and not his mind attempting to warn him that he would be making a mistake if he accepted Blaine's proposal.

It wasn't until three o'clock in the morning that they all settled down to get some sleep. Kurt thought he was going to lie awake all night, his mind whirling about what was going to happen the next day, but he was so tired by the time his head hit his pillow that he didn't have any time to think before he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

That night, Blaine barely slept at all.

The dress rehearsal that afternoon had been a spectacular success. All the people involved – even the ones who didn't know Blaine or Kurt at all – were so excited and eager to make it perfect. They had run through the whole plan three times, and there had never been a significant problem. They were ready.

But Blaine wasn't sure _he_ was ready.

He thought about calling Sam or Tina to come keep him company as he went over and over and _over_ his proposal speech, but he decided that he didn't want anyone to hear it before Kurt. He had it written down – meticulously edited to perfection over the past few days – but he couldn't stop pouring over it, trying to find flaws or places where he could make it better.

Eventually, he grabbed his phone and gave the speech to his voice memo app so that he could listen to it instead of just reading it over and over (and to make sure he had it memorized). Then, he listened to it four times in a row, just to be sure.

It was short, but it was _them_. It told their story without being overly wordy, and it felt romantic without being cringe-worthy to all their friends.

Blaine had a shower, brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, and climbed into bed shortly after two o'clock in the morning, but he knew he wasn't going to get any meaningful sleep.

He was proposing to Kurt in less than twenty four hours.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next morning – Saturday – Kurt's alarm went off at seven o'clock and he jolted awake with only one thing on his mind.

What was he going to _wear_? He had nothing with him but a normal outfit he had stuffed into a bag to bring to the sleepover.

He shook Rachel awake, panicking.

"I'm meeting Blaine for breakfast in _one hour_," he whined. "_Help_."

Rachel sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Meeting Blaine for breakfast?" she frowned, confused.

Relief washed over Kurt as he realized breakfast must _not_ be the big moment. Even in a half-asleep stupor, Rachel would remember the plan.

"Never mind, go back to sleep," he shoved Rachel's shoulder and she fell back onto her pillow.

Kurt showered and got dressed in the locker room and then drove to the Lima Bean to meet Blaine. Blaine was already there when Kurt arrived, typing on his phone as Kurt walked through the door.

"Hey," Kurt walked over to the table where Blaine was sitting.

Blaine looked up at him and smiled like seeing Kurt there was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Hey!" he stood up and reached out for a hug. He kissed Kurt's cheek as they stepped apart, and Kurt felt strangely calm. Blaine was proposing later that day. No big deal.

They got coffee and some pastries and returned to their table. Blaine told Kurt all about the performance for Tina the day before and Kurt told Blaine about the sleepover (skipping all the I-know-you're-proposing-to-me-later stuff). Kurt tried to coax a few details about the proposal from Blaine without giving away the fact that he knew it was coming by asking Blaine what his plans were for the rest of the day, but Blaine was ready with an answer involving Sam and Tina and a fabric store they were going to visit in Columbus to look for fabric for their Nationals' costumes. ("And then I'll meet you at the airport," Blaine reassured him. "To see you off.")

Blaine wasn't going to give anything away.

When they were finished with breakfast, they lingered by their side-by-side cars in the parking lot, finishing a conversation about Kurt's plans for the following week when he would be back in New York. Then, Blaine cupped Kurt's face in both of his hands.

"See you soon," he said softly, his eyes full of affection and a hint of anxiety.

"Have fun in Columbus," Kurt was proud of himself when the words came out without even a hint of a laugh.

Blaine kissed him gently. "I _love_ you, Kurt," he breathed against Kurt's lips as he pulled away.

"You're amazing," Kurt encouraged him, hoping it might help to calm Blaine's nerves. "Best boyfriend in the world."

His words had the desired effect. Blaine's face lit up.

"Luckiest boyfriend in the world," he corrected cheerfully.

"I love you," Kurt laughed.

"Good," Blaine approved. He leaned in and kissed Kurt again, and this time Kurt grabbed a fistful of the front of Blaine's shirt and held him there until things started to get heated enough that Kurt abruptly realized they were standing in the middle of the Lima Bean parking lot.

"Okay," he managed to gasp as he gently shoved Blaine back. "You should go."

"I should," Blaine beamed at him and opened his car door. "Bye."

"Bye," Kurt waved as Blaine got into his car and closed the door, then walked around to get into his own car and go home. He had to get ready for the most important question he might ever answer.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Burt knew. He and Carole fussed over Kurt all day. Carole made a huge lunch of Kurt's favorite foods. Burt spent thirty minutes in the garage vacuuming the inside of the car and then washed the exterior in the driveway. They both reminded Kurt twice that they had to leave early for the airport because "there might be traffic".

Kurt texted Rachel and asked her what Blaine was planning to wear.

_What's he going to wear to what?_ Rachel replied so quickly that Kurt thought she must've been holding the phone in her hands when he sent his message.

_I know what's happening today, Rachel_, Kurt reminded her. _This is literally the last chance to do it. I have a plane ticket in my bag for later today._

_Fine,_ Rachel replied, and Kurt could hear the pouting in her voice through the simple word. _You should wear that amazing teal suit._

_I am not taking fashion advice from you,_ Kurt scolded.

Rachel didn't text him right back, but Mercedes did. _Wear the teal suit._

_If it clashes with anything, I'm going to kill you both_, Kurt replied to both Rachel and Mercedes.

_Okay,_ Mercedes agreed.

_I love you, Kurt!_ Rachel replied.

Kurt shoved his phone into his bag and went upstairs to his room to get ready.

He had showered earlier that morning in McKinley's locker room, but he didn't feel clean enough, so he showered again. He used his favorite moisturizer (also Blaine's favorite, because he liked the way it smelled), styled his hair, ironed his shirt, made sure his suit was perfectly clean, and got dressed. Then, he rummaged through the box of pins and other accessories he had left behind in his bedroom when he moved to New York and found one of his mother's pins to wear. A silver heart.

As he was pinning the heart to his jacket, Burt knocked on his door.

"Kurt?"

"Come in," Kurt allowed.

Burt opened the door. "We, uh, let's head out soon, alright? Where's your suitcase?"

"I can get it," Kurt said, grabbing his packed suitcase from beside his bed as he made his way to the door to his room.

They didn't say much else as they prepared to leave. Carole gave him a long, tight hug before he climbed into the car, apologizing for having to go to work instead of going with them to the airport, and then Kurt was alone with his father in the car.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After breakfast with Kurt, Blaine drove straight to Dalton.

He couldn't stop thanking everyone. There was almost nothing for him to do – he was basically in the way – as everyone prepared for the big moment, so he just wandered around and talked to everyone and thanked them and tried to find something specific to do to help.

Eventually, Santana caught him by the elbow and steered him away into an empty room.

"You're going to lose your voice or something," she scolded. "Just stop talking."

Sam wandered in shortly after that (and Santana left), and his presence calmed Blaine down a bit. "Have you even _seen_ the way Kurt looks at you, man?" Sam reassured him, flopping into a chair. "He would've said yes to you if you had proposed while you were both still here at Dalton, probably."

"Remember when you came and delivered pizza to us that one time?" Blaine reminisced as he paced slowly around the room, unable to relax quite enough to sit down.

"Yeah," Sam recalled. "I didn't even know you then, really. But you opened the door and Kurt was there with you, holding your hand. Totally adorable," he teased.

"Thank you so much for helping me with this," Blaine said, pausing near Sam's chair.

Sam stood up and hugged him, patting him on the back a few times before releasing him.

"I like how happy this makes you," Sam told him. "And Kurt."

Rachel and Finn arrived next. They each hugged Blaine and expressed their happiness about what was about to happen, and Rachel handed Blaine a warm tea they had brought from the other room. "To make sure your vocal cords stay nice and warm," she instructed.

As more and more people started to arrive, Blaine felt more and more at ease.

They were all here to celebrate his and Kurt's love. This wasn't a competition or a showcase. It was a simple serenade, with a simple question at the end. They were all playing for the same team today, with a single goal in mind: to make Kurt feel special and wanted and _loved_.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt felt mostly calm after leaving the Lima Bean that morning, until the car pulled out of the driveway and he and Burt began the drive to... not-the-airport. Doubt started to claw its way back into his mind.

He couldn't get _engaged_. He was way too young for that kind of responsibility. He had no idea how to be a _husband_. And what was wrong with waiting? Why did they have to be _engaged_? Couldn't it just be enough, for now, to be faithful and in love?

Burt made some small talk, asking Kurt about things in New York and telling a few stories about his adventures in Congress, but Kurt did not feel talkative so the ride was mostly quiet.

As they approached Columbus and had not yet deviated from the route to the airport, Kurt knew where they were going.

"Look, I, uh, know we usually take the highway to the airport," Burt explained as they finally made a turn that took them the opposite direction of the airport, "but somebody told me about this shortcut through the back roads."

"Dad, you can stop it," Kurt said, battling the heavy blanket of doubt that was trying to smother him. "I know you're driving me to my surprise proposal."

"I should've known you knew," Burt realized. "You're the kid who planned his own surprise party for his tenth birthday."

"That Justin Timberlake piñata was a perfect likeness," Kurt recalled.

"Well, I wouldn't know," Burt said. "You okay? You look like I'm driving you to your execution."

"I can't tell," Kurt admitted. "I mean, I really love Blaine. He makes me feel so connected and safe and _loved_. And I don't think I'm ever going to find someone else who's going to make me feel like that."

He glanced at Burt, but his father didn't say anything.

"But we're both so _young_," Kurt added.

"Your mom and I met when we were twenty two," Burt reminded him, "and I asked her to marry me six months in. We were just kids."

That made Kurt feel a little better. Tragically, they had been married less than a decade before the accident that had stolen his mother's life, but his parents had been so in love. So _together_.

"Yeah, it was really hard at first," Burt recollected. "You know, you go in with all these fantasies about what your life together is gonna be like. Nothing but laughing and dancing around in your underwear. Cookin' pasta. And sex. A lot of sex."

They were silent for a moment as Kurt thought about that and tried not to panic as they arrived at their destination. Dalton Academy.

"It's hard being married, though," Burt explained as he turned off the car and climbed out. "It's hard enough being in your twenties."

"Do you wish you'd waited?" Kurt asked as he got out of the car and walked around the front, watching his father across the hood of the car.

"Not _one second more_," Burt said without hesitation. "I wish I'd met her ten years earlier. I didn't know then that I was only going to get so much time with her, you know? That she was going to leave us so soon."

Kurt wondered what his mother would think about Blaine. About Kurt and Blaine together. He had worn her pin to the proposal to carry a piece of her with him, so her essence could be there, even though she couldn't.

"I'd take fifty more years of late night fights about, you know, me working late or the gas bill or her letting the milk go bad, for just... ten more minutes with her next to me," Burt continued. "We only get a few days when it you come down to it, Kurt. You know that better than anyone."

Kurt didn't know what to say. He did know. And he didn't like thinking about losing Blaine.

"Look, totally being honest here?" Burt confessed, walking around the front of the car to stand nearer to Kurt. "Blaine asked me what I thought about this, and I gave him my opinion."

"Which was?" Kurt asked, ready for his father's thoughts.

"My opinion doesn't matter here," Burt explained. "You're your own man now."

Kurt appreciated the sentiment, but it was not the answer he wanted. His friends were all caught up in the _romance_ of the whole thing, so they wanted him to say yes. He wanted to know what someone older, someone wiser, someone _who was married_, thought he should do.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Oh my god," Rachel whispered loudly, hurrying away from the window, "he's here. _He's here!_"

Blaine's heart lurched like it was trying to break free of his chest, and he closed his eyes. _Calm_.

"Okay," Rachel said, taking a cue from Blaine's body language and quieting down, "you can do this. Don't worry; it's _Kurt_! He loves you so much."

She straightened Blaine's bowtie as he opened his eyes, and brushed off his shoulders to make sure his suit was spotless.

"Thank you," Blaine mouthed silently at her as she turned and hurried to her place behind him with Santana and Mercedes and the music began.

He was ready.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"But giving you a choice means you've got to make one," Burt said to Kurt, tipping his head in the direction of the nearest building. "So, relax. Hear what the guy has to say. I mean, all you've gotta do is say 'yes', 'no', or 'maybe'."

"Is there another option?" Kurt asked, only half joking.

Burt laughed as the beginning of a familiar song blared out from the music building. Kurt's stomach fluttered wildly, mostly from anxiety, and he turned to look at the building, then back at his father.

Burt looked happy. And relaxed. And he was _here_. He was okay with what was happening.

Kurt turned and walked toward Dalton's music building, and it didn't escape him that he had walked this exact route two years prior. The day he had come to spy on the Warblers, mostly to spite Puck. That day, Dalton had represented everything that he didn't have. Now, the fancy brick exterior and everything (and everyone) waiting for him inside felt like a homecoming. This was a place that had profoundly changed his life.

A few members of the marching band and some of the Warblers were emerging from the building in front of Kurt – the band directly in front of him on the ground floor, and the Warblers above on the balcony – and Kurt was struck by the fact that Blaine had _organized this_. For him.

Kurt saw Blaine as soon as he stepped up onto the sidewalk that led to the door. He was wearing a bright yellow suit as he emerged from the building, walking toward Kurt and singing the song the band and the Warblers had started.

"_There's nothing you can do that can't be done. Nothing you can sing that can't be sung. Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game. It's easy._"

Blaine stopped in front of Kurt and tipped his head back toward the building, asking Kurt to follow him back inside.

Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana were waiting for them just inside the doorway. Blaine continued to sing – the Warblers backing him up nearby – as Kurt hugged each of them, feeling a little more at ease with every passing second and every word Blaine sang.

"_Nothing you can make that can't be made. No one you can save that can't be saved. Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you, in time. It's easy._"

Blaine moved again, further into the building, and Kurt followed him.

Their friends from McKinley were there, waiting for them in the hallway. Finn was first in the line, a huge smile on his face, and he tugged Kurt into a firm hug. Then Sam, then Tina, then Artie. The new members of New Directions were there, too. And Mr. Schu. All singing.

"_All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need._"

Blaine and Kurt stood in the middle of the hallway as New Directions and the Warblers danced around them and Blaine sang.

"_Nothing you can know that isn't known. Nothing you can see that isn't shown. Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy._"

Kurt was overwhelmed, excited, and impressed. Blaine looked so _sure_.

Suddenly, Rachel and Mercedes grabbed his hands, and started to lead Kurt away from Blaine, further down the hallway. As he allowed himself to be pulled along, Kurt realized there were people in the crowd he didn't know. He paused with Rachel in the doorway between the hallway and a room full of people dancing together, choreographed, and realized that they were from Vocal Adrenaline.

"_All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need._"

Rachel pulled him through the dancers, around a corner, and up the back staircase. Kurt's heart was pounding as she led him to the top of the building's grand, spiral staircase with the large glass dome overhead. The students of the Haverbrook School for the Deaf were there, signing along to the song.

"_All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need._"

Kurt could hear Blaine singing again, but couldn't see him. The space below started to fill with people and the song started to wind down, and Rachel hugged him again and motioned for him to walk down the stairs.

"_Love is all you need (Love is all you need). Love is all you need (Love is all you need). Love is all you need (Love is all you need). Love is all you need (Love is all you need). Love is all you need (Love is all you need)._"

As Kurt started to descend the staircase, red rose petals started fluttering past him from above. He glanced up and saw a bunch of the Warblers flinging the petals into the air from the walkway at the top of the stairs.

When he turned back to concentrate on not falling down the stairs, Blaine was there. Walking into the room, to the bottom of the stairs to wait for Kurt.

"_He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!_" Blaine sang joyfully as Kurt finished the descent and paused a few steps from the bottom. "_He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah! He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!_"

Something inside of Kurt settled into place at that moment, as he watched Blaine beaming up at him. Blaine _knew_ that this was right.

And so did Kurt.

The room roared with applause as the song ended. New Directions, the Warblers, Vocal Adrenaline, and the Haverbrook School for the Deaf were all there, cheering for the successful performance and for what was about to happen.

Mr. Schu was there, too. And Burt. They, plus Finn and New Directions, were gathered around Blaine at the bottom of the stairs. Rachel, Mercedes, and Santana were behind Kurt on the staircase.

Kurt applauded with them briefly as he stared around the room, shocked. This was extravagant, even for Blaine. It made him feel warm inside. Important and wanted.

Then he turned his attention back to Blaine.

This was where they met.

Blaine had shaken Kurt's world to its core that day. He had challenged everything Kurt thought he knew about confidence and kindness and courage. About what his life could be.

And now, Kurt thought, as he stared down at Blaine and recalled how much _better_ his life was on _this_ day than it had been _that_ day, Blaine was about to change his life again. This time, with a very clear purpose.

"We met right here," Blaine explained to the group, raising his voice so everyone could hear him. "I took this man's hand and we ran down that hallway." He motioned off to his left, down the hallway. Kurt had never really asked Blaine about that moment. About why he had taken Kurt's hand when he could've just asked Kurt to follow him. Kurt was glad Blaine had done it; something about that touch, so uninhibited, had sent Kurt's heart fluttering into his throat in a way that it never had before.

"And," Blaine continued, glancing around at their friends and peers, "for those of you that know me, know that I'm not in the habit of taking people's hands I've never met before." He laughed, and Kurt felt that same fluttering in his core that he had felt the first time they met. _Affection_.

"But, I think that my soul knew something that my body and my mind didn't know yet," Blaine continued, the excitement and joy on his face morphing into confidence and warmth as his gaze landed on Kurt and stayed there. "It knew that our hands were meant to hold each other, fearlessly and forever."

"Which is why it's never really felt like I've been getting to know you," Blaine said, moving forward to climb the few stairs that separated them as tears filled Kurt's eyes. "It's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if, in every lifetime that you and I have ever lived, we've chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love all over again. Over and over, for all eternity."

Kurt felt breathless and nervous and exhilarated. He also felt frozen, like he couldn't move even if he wanted to. Every piece of him was completely focused, hanging on Blaine's every word.

"And I just feel so lucky," Blaine said tenderly, "that I found you so soon in _this_ lifetime because all I want to do – all I've _ever_ wanted to do – is spend my life loving you."

Kurt reminded himself to breathe as Blaine reached back, without looking away from Kurt, so Sam could place a small black box in his hand.

"So," Blaine said before taking a deep breath and glancing down at the ring box in his hands, "Kurt Hummel..."

Blaine lowered himself down to one knee on the stairs, and Kurt tried not to allow his tears to overwhelm him before Blaine got the words out.

"...my amazing friend," Blaine gazed up at him, "my one true love."

Blaine paused and looked down at the ring box as he opened it. Then, he looked up at Kurt. "Will you marry me?"

Kurt had worried that he wouldn't know what to do when the question came. That he'd have to say "maybe".

He wished he hadn't spent so much time worrying. He had never been so sure.

"Yeah," he said softly, nodding his head. "Yeah."

Blaine stood up quickly, moving in for a long, tender kiss that left Kurt breathless when Blaine finally pulled away. Kurt got his first good look at the ring as Blaine put it on him, sliding the cool metal onto his left ring finger. It was silver in color, shiny around the edges and matte in the middle.

He threw his arms around Blaine's neck and shoulders and hugged him, happy to the core of his soul.

Kurt squeezed Blaine as tightly as he could, relishing the feeling of Blaine's arms wrapped securely around his waist, and felt Blaine take a deep, satisfied breath. As Blaine exhaled a sigh of contentment, Kurt twisted his head toward Blaine's ear.

"Thank you," Kurt said softly, hoping Blaine could hear him over the roar of approval and excitement from the crowd around them.

Blaine's grip on Kurt's waist loosened, and Kurt let go of him so Blaine could step back.

"Thank _you_," Blaine beamed at him, reaching out to grab both of Kurt's hands in his.

"I'm overwhelmed," Kurt admitted as he realized his hands – and Blaine's – were shaking with nerves and the adrenaline rush of what had just happened.

Blaine turned and glanced behind him, and Sam immediately raised his voice and addressed the group.

"Alright," Sam shouted, "let's go!"

Kurt narrowed his eyes at Blaine as everyone quickly and orderly left the room.

"I thought we would prefer a moment alone before the onslaught of well-wishes," Blaine explained, smiling widely. "There's food in the other room." He tilted his head toward the door where everyone had exited.

Kurt snorted out a laugh. "There's a reception?"

Blaine shrugged happily.

"I think I need to sit down," Kurt decided as he stared down at Blaine on the stairs below him and felt the magnitude of what had just happened settling into his brain. He didn't wait for an acknowledgement or response; he sank down onto the stairs and pulled Blaine down to sit beside him.

Once they were sitting side-by-side on the staircase, Blaine beckoned for Kurt's left hand. "What do you think?" he asked, apprehensive, as he tapped the silver ring on Kurt's finger.

"Well done," Kurt teased, nudging Blaine's shoulder with his own.

"Honestly, I want you to love it," Blaine said seriously, "so we can –"

Kurt tugged his hand out of Blaine's grip. "We are not even going to think about returning my ring," he pouted.

He expected a laugh from Blaine, but, instead, he glanced at Blaine and saw tears in his eyes.

"I _love_ it," Kurt added, grabbing Blaine's hand again.

Blaine used his free hand to wipe at his eyes.

"Everyone thought I was crazy," Blaine explained his tears, "but I knew you would say yes."

"You _are_ crazy," Kurt said as tears pooled in his eyes, too. "This _is_ crazy, but in the best possible way."

Blaine lifted their joined hands and kissed the ring on Kurt's finger.

"Remember Jan and Liz?" he grinned as he lowered their hands back onto Kurt's knee.

"Oh my god, they gave you the idea to do this?" Kurt guessed. "They _were_ completely adorable."

Blaine shook his head. "No," he smiled, "they got the idea from me, I guess."

"What?" Kurt wondered.

"They own the jewelry store," Blaine glanced down at their hands, "where I got your ring."

"_No_," Kurt gasped. "Honestly, did _everyone_ in Ohio know about this before I did?"

"Probably," Blaine winked.

Kurt decided not to tell him that _he_ had known beforehand, even if he had been one of the last to know. He looked around them, at the now-empty staircase, littered with rose petals, and tipped his head back briefly to look at the glass dome shining overhead.

"I never knew this was possible," he said softly before his emotions started to restrict his voice. "And you– ugh, I don't want to cry about it, never mind."

"It's okay," Blaine leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. Kurt wasn't sure if he meant _It's okay, you don't have to say anything_ or _It's okay, you can cry about it_. He blinked a few times as Blaine sat back, and decided to continue.

"Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me," Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. "Aside from being born, obviously."

Blaine's answering smile made Kurt's heart pound with fondness. It was _that _look, _that_ friendship and unashamed affection, which had changed his life.

"You opened my mind," Kurt said tearfully, "to a new world of possibilities. You looked at me like _that_, like I was special and normal, and you took me seriously. You were everything– you _are_ everything I didn't know I could actually have. My _dearest_ friend. The love of my life."

He paused to compose himself, gazing down at the new ring on his finger, and then looked up at Blaine again.

"Every day, you make me better," Kurt told him. "I cannot wait to be your husband."

They both laughed at the word _husband_, giddy with the newness of the word, and Kurt leaned over for a kiss.

"Everyone's waiting for us," he whined as he sat back. "And, oh my god, my flight is... what time is it?"

The _very_ last thing he wanted to do in the immediate aftermath of getting engaged was fly back to New York.

Blaine stood up and pulled Kurt to his feet. "We – me and your dad – secretly changed your flight to tomorrow," he said, mostly proud of himself, but also a little nervous about how Kurt was going to react.

Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck, relieved, and crushed their lips together. Blaine reached back to hold the handrail with one hand for balance, wrapped the other around Kurt's waist, and kissed Kurt back enthusiastically.

"Alright," Kurt said when they had to stop to breathe, "we– we have to– _Blaine_–"

"I _know_," Blaine agreed, kissing Kurt one last time before releasing him. "Let's go."

Kurt didn't keep track of how much time passed between that moment and the moment when they were _finally_ done being congratulated and hugged and photographed by and with _everyone_, but it felt like an entire day. Blaine made a short speech, thanking everyone for being part of their special day and complementing the group on how beautifully the whole thing had been executed. Kurt and Blaine snuck out into the parking lot in the middle of the craziness to call Cooper, which resulted in Kurt laughing uncontrollably and Blaine _promising_ that he would send photos and saying multiple times that he was _sorry_ he hadn't called beforehand. Then, they went back inside and Kurt was relieved to see that many of the people from Vocal Adrenaline and the Haverbrook School for the Deaf were leaving. The room seemed much less overwhelming with just their friends and the Warblers around.

Eventually, the Warblers left, too, as did New Directions (plus Santana and Mercedes), and Kurt and Blaine collapsed into chairs at a table in the corner while Burt and Mr. Schu chatted at a table nearby.

"Where's Rachel and Finn?" Kurt wondered after a moment spent enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Last I saw them," Burt motioned with his hand toward the parking lot, "they were carrying some stuff to the car. You ready to leave?"

Kurt glanced at Blaine. "Sure," Blaine agreed.

As Kurt walked to the parking lot with Blaine, Burt, and Mr. Schu, he was relieved to see that Rachel and Finn were just standing together by Burt's car, not hiding somewhere, making out, like he had imagined.

"Hey!" Rachel waved at them as they approached. Kurt hurried over and yanked her into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"Thanks for coming, Rachel," he said, surprised when his voice quivered with emotion.

"Are you _kidding_?" Rachel said as they stepped apart, tears shining in her eyes, too. "You just got _engaged_, Kurt! I would not have missed it for _anything. _Or anyone, short of Barbra herself. And even then..." she teased him with a little shrug of his shoulders, and Kurt shook his head.

Rachel moved away to hug and say goodbye to Blaine, and Kurt was left standing alone with Finn.

"It's been really nice getting to spend some time together this week," Kurt confessed, thinking about the time he had spent with Finn at college over the past week. Finn had shown him around campus and told him all about his classes and his newfound passion for becoming a teacher. He and Finn didn't talk every day, but Kurt felt like they had settled into a really nice every-week-or-so routine of catching up via text message over the last few months. Finn felt like a real brother. It felt good.

"Yeah," Finn smiled. "It has. Sucks that you live so far away, right?"

Kurt nodded. "Well, it's your turn to visit me next," he determined.

"Alright," Finn agreed.

"And... thanks for being here today," Kurt said, blinking back tears again. "It means so much to me and to Blaine."

"Blaine's going to be my brother-in-law," Finn mused approvingly. "Huh."

"You'll be my best man, right?" Kurt requested. "You're pretty great at wedding toasts, as I recall."

"That would be so cool, man, yes," Finn agreed happily. "I've got to think of the perfect song..."

Kurt laughed and stepped forward to hug him.

"Congratulations, Kurt," Finn grinned at him as they stepped back from the hug. "Honestly, you two are perfect for each other."

"I agree," Kurt nodded, laughing as Mr. Schu walked over to where they were standing to wrap Kurt in a crushing hug.

"Thanks so much for coming, Mr. Schu," Kurt said warmly. "Thank you for everything."

"I couldn't possibly be happier for you, Kurt," Mr. Schu told him as they released each other. "I'm so proud of you."

Kurt just exhaled heavily, nodded his thanks, and had a moment of clarity about the emotional wreck he was going to be on his wedding day if _this_ day was reducing him to tears.

Mr. Schu clasped him on the shoulder and turned and walked away.

"I think I'm going to head out, too," Finn said to Kurt. "Safe flying back to New York."

"Thanks," Kurt nodded. "Good luck with the rest of the semester."

Finn offered a thumbs-up. "Passing grades, here I come!" he joked.

Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately. "See you later, Finn."

"See ya," Finn said as he started to walk away. "Bye, Blaine! Congrats!" he raised his voice and waved at Blaine, who was standing with Rachel and Burt, and then looked at Kurt again. "Bye," he smiled.

"Bye," Kurt echoed as Rachel left her spot beside Blaine and rushed after Finn to say goodbye. Kurt wandered over to Blaine and his father, suddenly wondering what was going to happen next.

"Well," Burt answered the question for him before he had to ask it, "your suitcase is in Blaine's car." He motioned to the car beside them. "It's been _so_ nice having you home, Kurt."

"I feel like I haven't stopped crying all afternoon," Kurt tried to laugh as his father pulled him into a hug.

The day he had arrived in Ohio, he had been full of anxiety about his father's health and the status of his relationship with Blaine. Now, he was leaving behind a father who was cancer-free and a new _fiancé_. Life had taken a dramatic turn for the better over the past two weeks.

"Thank you, Dad," Kurt wiped at his eyes when Burt released him. "I love you."

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said fondly. "Congratulations."

As his father walked away, Kurt turned to Blaine.

"We're engaged," he said seriously.

"We are," Blaine agreed, trying to emulate Kurt's seriousness and failing completely. He reached out and touched the heart pin on Kurt's jacket. "I like this, by the way."

"It was my mom's," Kurt told him. "She... would've loved this. And you."

"I hope so," Blaine nodded seriously.

"So, we're going to your house?" Kurt wondered, glancing at Blaine's car.

"Actually," Blaine said, a fresh twinkle in his eyes, "I booked us a hotel. It's not too far from the airport, so we can have a lazy morning before you have to leave."

"This day couldn't possibly get any better," Kurt approved, turning to hurry around the car so he could climb into the passenger's seat.

"We'll see," Blaine teased as he climbed into the car, too.

"Oh my god," Kurt rolled his eyes, his face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and anticipation.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The drive to the hotel didn't take long; the airport (and their nearby hotel) was only about twenty minutes from Dalton. Which, Blaine thought as they parked and he got out of the car, was probably a good thing.

Kurt was exhausted. He had been up so late the night before with Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes, and Blaine guessed that he probably hadn't slept particularly comfortably in a sleeping bag on the auditorium floor.

Blaine, on the other hand, was wide awake.

Everything had gone so _well_. The proposal had happened exactly the way he had imagined it, maybe even _better_. Kurt was happy. Really, really happy. And the fact that _he_ was responsible for that happiness flooded Blaine's body with warmth every time he thought about it.

They were _engaged_.

Kurt was his _fiancé_.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's suitcase and his own little bag out of the trunk of his car, and they went into the lobby to check in. Kurt didn't say much as they waited behind another couple at the desk and then as Blaine confirmed their reservation and got the key to their room, but he hovered close to Blaine and smiled at him every time they made eye contact.

"It's been a long day," Blaine commented as they reached their room and dumped their bags on the ground just inside the door.

"The _best_ long day," Kurt clarified. He made a point of turning slowly and locking the door, and Blaine's knees suddenly felt unsteady.

"We don't have to– you're exhausted, so–" he tried to protest, to make sure Kurt wasn't just doing what he thought Blaine wanted or expected.

Kurt turned back around to face him after locking the door, and the look on his face expressed a very clear "no more talking."

They made it to the edge of the bed, stumbling and kissing and trying to kick their shoes off all at once, before Kurt stopped them.

"Wait," he gasped, "wait. We have to hang up these clothes or we're both going to hate ourselves in the morning."

Once their outfits were neatly hung in the closet, they climbed into bed and didn't even consider leaving it again until Kurt nearly fell asleep in the middle of a sentence and Blaine realized it was really, really dark in the room. They hadn't bothered to turn on any of the lights when they arrived, content with the sunlight streaming in through the window, but the sun was now long gone below the horizon.

"I'm starving," Kurt mumbled, trying not to fall asleep with his head on Blaine's chest.

"I think they do room service," Blaine gently moved Kurt to a pillow and sat up, searching for the menu, and couldn't see it. "I need to turn on the light."

"Mmm," Kurt agreed.

With the room illuminated by the lamp by Blaine's side of the bed, he could see the clock.

"It's only eleven," he marveled, climbing out of the bed to find the room service menu. It was on top of the dresser. "There're a few options... here, do you want to– Kurt?"

"No," Kurt mumbled, an answer to both _Do you want to look at the menu?_ and _Are you asleep?_

As Blaine found a robe and then ordered them something he knew they would both like off the menu, Kurt found the mental strength to climb out of bed and wander to the bathroom.

"Shower," Kurt explained as he walked past Blaine, who was still on the phone ordering their food.

Blaine _really_ wanted to get into the shower with him, but one of them had to be in the room in case their meal arrived quickly. So, they took turns showering and, by the time Blaine emerged, the food arrived. They ate mostly in silence, enjoying each other's presence and their dinner, and then they climbed into bed to get some sleep.

"I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning and realize I dreamed all of this," Kurt said softly as they settled into a comfortable position, cuddled together on the bed with Blaine's face nestled into the side of Kurt's neck.

"It's real," Blaine reassured him.

"Thank you for loving me like this," Kurt wiggled his left hand above them briefly, showing off the ring. "I'm so glad you're in my life."

"Forever," Blaine sighed contently. He felt like his body was going to melt into the bed; he was so tired and so content. They were fiancés. One day, they would be husbands, _officially_ together forever. People would be able to look up their names hundreds of years in the future and see that they were married. That they loved each other.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt reiterated. "Today was... perfect."

"A happy day," Blaine agreed. "I love you so much."

Silence settled over them until Kurt laughed suddenly. "Okay," he said, "I just _have_ to say it... this," he motioned with his hand around the room, "is so, _so_ much better than sleeping on the floor of the auditorium."

Blaine smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the side of Kurt's neck. "Goodnight, Kurt."

Kurt exhaled a long, content sigh. "Goodnight," he said quietly. "See you in the morning."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The end!<strong>_

_**Kurt and Blaine are back together in a big way, y'all! This episode was SO GOOD to them. Drama and conflict can be great and interesting, of course, but THIS is just so nice and fluffy and SWEET... so good. Thank you, Glee.**_

_**Thank you all for your patience with my unplanned little delay in starting to post this season's chapters. My update schedule for this is going to be every weekday (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday). Sometimes I'm not at my computer much or at all on Saturday and Sunday, so it's just going to be less stressful for me to know that I'm not keeping everyone waiting to see if I'm going to update or not. :)**_

_**A reminder: I'm the same username over on Tumblr if you want to say hi over there. :) Aaaand, I think that's all I have to say for this chapter! Thank you for reading!**_

_**Up next (on Monday!)... 5x02: Tina In The Sky With Diamonds!**_


	63. 5x02: Tina In The Sky With Diamonds

_**So much Kurt & Blaine together in the previous episode... and then none in this episode! They do each have some individual stuff going on, though, so here we go...**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Sunday morning, the day after their engagement, Kurt and Blaine woke up together in their hotel room near the Columbus airport.

Blaine woke up first, an hour before the alarm he had set on his phone. He briefly considered getting out of bed to find them some breakfast, but then he realized that he wasn't going to get to wake up next to Kurt for... he wasn't sure how long. They hadn't worked out when Blaine would visit New York next, and Kurt had spent enough time in Ohio on this trip that it would be difficult for him to justify returning for quite some time. So, instead of getting out of bed, Blaine spent the hour enjoying the feeling of being snuggled up close to Kurt in bed until his alarm clock woke them both up.

"I'm gonna miss my flight," Kurt mumbled as Blaine twisted away to grab his phone and turn off the alarm.

"It's only seven thirty," Blaine reassured him.

"Right," Kurt agreed, "but I'm going to sleep for five more hours starting now, so I'll definitely miss it."

Blaine flopped back down onto his pillow. "I could live with that," he approved.

"Turn the TV on or something," Kurt said, "before I actually fall back asleep."

Blaine propped himself up so he could lean over and kiss Kurt's forehead. "How about you go back to sleep while I go downstairs and get us breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Kurt agreed.

"Alright," Blaine confirmed. "Be right back."

When Blaine returned a few minutes later, Kurt was lying exactly where Blaine had left him. He opened his eyes as the door clicked closed behind Blaine.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Blaine smiled at him and motioned to the plate of food in his hand. "The breakfast downstairs isn't great, but I got us some fruit and some bagels."

"Thanks," Kurt returned the smile. As Blaine put the food down on a little table in the corner of the room, Kurt climbed out of bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and looked more awake when he came out a few minutes later.

Blaine caught him before he reached the table where the food was waiting and kissed him gently.

"Okay," he teased, releasing Kurt but not moving out of his way, "breakfast."

"Breakfast," Kurt agreed, grabbing Blaine by the shoulders to move him aside, "then sex, then shower."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next few hours passed far too quickly for Kurt's taste, and suddenly he found himself standing in front of the entrance to the airport security line.

He had never wanted to stay in Ohio so badly before. Things were so _good_. So good between him and Blaine. So good for his father. So good for New Directions. He knew there were plenty of good things waiting for him in New York, too, but he was going to miss everyone he was leaving behind.

His _fiancé_.

The ring had been his for less than a day, so it still felt strange on his hand. A constant reminder of the new phase of his and Blaine's relationship.

He squeezed Blaine tightly as they hugged goodbye. They had talked during the car ride to the airport – ideas about when Blaine could visit, a general plan for what they could do and see when he was there, and a new, deliberately scheduled series of phone calls and Skype dates to avoid repeating their past mistakes – so there wasn't much left to say.

"Love you," Blaine said as Kurt finally released him from the hug.

"I love you, too," Kurt wiggled his left hand between them. He liked that the ring was a physical representation of their love. It was like a silent announcement to everyone around him, all the time. _Someone loves me_.

Blaine beamed at him. "Thank you," he said, his eyes full of affection and clarity. The words were loaded. _Thank you for loving me and for letting me love you. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you for coming home and for staying longer than you planned. Thank you for agreeing to marry me._

Kurt thought about how different this parting was than their first, when Kurt had left Ohio to move to New York. Back then, they had both been scared. Scared of what the change and the distance meant for their relationship and for each of them in their individual lives. That fear had led to horrible decisions and broken hearts and half a year of emotional turmoil.

Things were different now.

Now, instead of _hoping_ that their love was strong enough to hold their relationship together, they had _decided _that they were going to stick together. They were a pair, no matter what. They were going to survive the remaining few months of their long-distance relationship, and then they were going to start a life together.

Kurt kissed Blaine gently on the lips. "I miss you already," he said as he stepped back, "but I'll see you soon."

"Text me when you get there?" Blaine asked.

"I will," Kurt agreed, backing toward the security line. He _really_ didn't want to go. Just before he reached the point where Blaine wouldn't be able to stay with him, he paused and Blaine rushed over for one final hug.

"I love you," Blaine kissed his cheek as they stepped apart. "Now go, or you're going to miss your flight."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After he dropped Kurt off at the airport, Blaine drove home to tell his parents about the proposal. Artie had sent him a few photos and an unedited video, and Blaine sat down at the dining table with his parents and showed them everything and told them how amazing the whole thing had been. His mom got a little teary and hugged him tightly from her seat beside him as they watched the video, and his father told him he was impressed. Blaine was relieved. His parents weren't thrilled about his decision to get engaged before he was twenty, but they were trying to find something positive in the situation. That made Blaine feel good. Loved.

Kurt texted him a few hours later.

_Home safe and sound!_ He attached a photo of him and Rachel in the loft, hugging dramatically like long-lost friends.

Blaine called him.

"Hey!" Kurt said cheerfully. "New York is louder than I remember."

Blaine smiled. "How was the flight?"

"Thankfully, pretty smooth," Kurt explained. "I never thought I was going to die, so that's a plus."

"I miss you," Blaine admitted. "I told my parents all about the engagement earlier. Did you get Artie's photos and the video?"

"Yes!" Kurt confirmed. "What did your parents say?"

"My mom cried," Blaine told him. "Just a little, but it was sweet. They liked it."

"Good," Kurt said, "because it was the _most_ amazing moment and I think we'd have to disown them if they didn't agree."

"They passed that test," Blaine teased. "So, what's going on for you this week now that you're back?"

"Tomorrow's going to be crazy," Kurt explained. "Classes, and then I've got to go over to Vogue dot com and... catch up. I'm a little nervous, honestly. I feel _too_ relaxed, like I can't remember how to think at a normal speed."

"No, don't worry," Blaine encouraged him. "You're just tired from traveling and refreshed from being home."

"I can't wait to show Isabelle the photos," Kurt confessed. "Or, wait, is that okay?"

"Of course," Blaine confirmed. "And Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I still can't believe you work for _Isabelle Wright_," Blaine said.

Kurt laughed. "I can't wait for you to meet her," he said excitedly. "When we figure out the dates that you're coming here for your NYADA audition, I'll check her schedule and see if we can have dinner."

"That sounds wonderful," Blaine confessed. "Thank you."

"She's going to love you," Kurt said, and Blaine could hear the huge smile on his face through his tone of voice. Kurt paused as someone – Rachel – spoke to him, and Blaine couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Okay," Kurt said to Rachel. "Yeah, okay. Blaine?"

"Yeah?" Blaine confirmed that he was still there.

"I should go. We're trying to figure out plans for dinner and I really should get to bed as early as possible if I want to make it through the day tomorrow."

"Okay," Blaine agreed. "Good luck tomorrow! I'll be thinking about you."

"Thanks," Kurt said happily. "I'll text you."

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine reminded him.

"Goodnight," Kurt replied. "I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Monday passed pleasantly quickly for Blaine. Artie had finished editing all the footage of the song and proposal at Dalton and had uploaded it to YouTube overnight, and nearly the whole school had seen it by lunchtime. Artie had disabled the comments on the video, but people had plenty to say to Blaine's face throughout the day. Most of the comments were positive ("That was the sweetest thing, oh my gosh!" "That must've taken forever to plan!" "So romantic!"), but there were a few students who felt the need to comment negatively about Blaine's sexuality. It didn't bother him much; nobody had the courage for anything more than a shouted vulgarity across the hallway.

He was marrying the love of his life. That was really all that mattered.

Blaine met Sam at his locker after school, and they walked to the choir room together. While they waited for Mr. Schu to arrive so they could begin the day's glee club meeting, Blaine played random songs on the piano and Sam sprawled out on his back on its top.

"So, how does it work with gay marriage?" Sam suddenly asked after a minute of listening to Blaine's melodies. "Do you take his last name? Or does he take yours? Or– or do you both hyphenate? 'Cause –"

"Right now," Blaine explained as he played a few final notes on the piano, "I'm honestly just excited that Kurt said yes."

Thinking about Kurt led Blaine to think about prom, and he stopped playing the piano and leaned forward to rest his arms on it as he asked. "Hey, are you looking forward to prom? I fell asleep last night while Tina was texting me about her prom dress," he admitted. "It's really nice that you're going with her, by the way."

"Yeah, I guess so," Sam allowed. "I dunno, I just, you know, it's my senior prom so I kinda wish I was going with somebody I really cared about." He sat up. "Damn, I have seriously been unlucky in love."

"Come on, guys, we're back with the Beatles!" Mr. Schu announced as he walked into the room. Blaine and Sam jumped up from and off the piano and walked to their seats. "We're leaving the mop tops behind and moving into their 'experimental' years. Now, the Rubber Soul album marked a turning point for the group where they literally, and figuratively, let their hair down. The Beatles were the biggest musical act in the world. They could've remained in their comfort zones. But, instead, they risked everything to explore new musical worlds. They had something important to say and they weren't going to let something as silly as the fear of failure get in their way."

"Good afternoon, McKinley High," Sue interrupted over the intercom system. "This year, all the proms are being fused into one giant Brundleprom."

"What's a 'Brundleprom'?" Marley wondered.

"I don't get that reference," Jake acknowledged.

"That's from _The Fly_," Ryder realized.

"And now," Sue continued the announcement, "for the moment that will crush ninety nine percent of your misguided views about your own popularity... here are your nominees for prom king and queen."

Blaine sat up a little straighter, ready for the list. The student body had elected him their president, so he hoped he would be on the nomination list for prom king, too.

"First, here are your nominees for prom king," Sue informed them. "Blaine Anderson, Mohammad Omar, Artie Abrams, and Stoner Brett Bukowski."

Blaine grinned and accepted a high five from Ryder.

"Wait, I really didn't get nominated for king?" Sam disapproved.

"And now, on to the queen," Sue said. "Kitty Wilde–"

"But I'm a sophomore...?" Kitty wondered out loud.

"–Amy Ryan, Jordan Stern, and, inexplicably, Tina Cohen-Chang."

Blaine turned to look at Tina, who was sitting beside him. This was just what she needed to find her way out of the emotional rut she had been stuck in lately! But Tina jumped to her feet before Blaine could say anything, rushing down from the risers to the center of the room, celebrating wildly.

"Congratulations," Sue said flatly, completing the announcement. "Six of you will be disappointed."

"Tina, wow!" Sam approved as he stood up. "Even though I'm not nominated, it's such an honor to be going to prom with a potential queen!"

Tina's gaze landed on him and she suddenly looked hesitant. "Oh," she remembered. "Sorry, Sam, it was so nice of you to offer to go with me, but I'm going to have to decline your invitation."

Blaine cringed internally, but said nothing.

"But you already accepted," Sam reminded her.

"Yeah, Tina, this is very uncool," Artie criticized.

"_Losing_ is uncool," Tina argued. "I need to maximize my odds of taking the crown, so I think I'm going to go with a group of single gals to corner the dejected wallflower vote. And I am going for it. This is my chance to be bigger than Jesus. So, can I count on all your votes?"

"Awkward," Unique whispered as New Directions stared at Tina in disbelief.

"You've got mine," Kitty said. "Besides, I've got more shots at prom queen; it's Tina's time."

Blaine was pleasantly surprised by Kitty's selfless attitude, but he wasn't sure how to feel about Tina's sudden overconfidence.

"I agree," Tina said before turning to the band. "Hit it!"

She sang the first few lines of _Revolution_ – which was one of Blaine's favorite Beatles songs, so he danced along in his seat despite the strange lead up to the performance – before the bell rang that signified the end of the day.

"Seriously?" Tina whined as everyone got up to leave.

"Congratulations, Tina!" Blaine called over his shoulder as he hurried out of the room. He was so excited to get home and call Kurt; he couldn't stay.

When he arrived at his house, there was a text waiting for him from Sam.

_Sue's making all of us get polio shots. Help._

Blaine was pretty sure Sam must've misunderstood because polio had been eradicated before any of them were even born, so he called instead of texting Sam back.

"Hello?" Sam answered.

"Polio was eradicated years ago," Blaine explained without preamble. "What's up?"

"That's what Mr. Schu said!" Sam told him, his voice laced with worry. "But Sue doesn't care. And there's some other shot, too... I think it started with M but I was freaking out, kinda, so..."

Blaine rolled his eyes as he unlocked the door to his house and went inside. "I'll talk to her in the morning," he decided.

"She's going to fire me and Mr. Schu if we don't do it," Sam explained rapidly. "So, I totally went to the nurse's office right after we were done talking to Sue, and the nurse is super hot but I _cannot_ handle needles."

"Sam, you can't be _fired_, you don't even–" Blaine shook his head. "You have had _some_ vaccinations in your life, right?"

"I don't know!" Sam said. "I mean, maybe I have but I, like, black out when there's a needle around."

"Okay," Blaine scolded as he grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator in the kitchen and wandered up the stairs to his bedroom, "as your best friend and a human being who spends time around you, I need to know if you've had your basic vaccinations, Sam."

"I'll ask my parents," Sam offered.

"I'm not talking to Sue on your behalf until you let me know," Blaine threatened. "Okay, look, I've gotta go. I've got a Skype date with Kurt soon and I've got to do some homework and eat dinner first."

"Bye," Sam said, and he hung up before Blaine could say it in return. Blaine shook his head again as he put his phone down on his bed and changed into a more comfortable outfit. Sam was panicking.

It was the first thing Blaine told Kurt about during their Skype date. Sue and her crazy vaccine idea and Sam and his extreme fear of needles. Kurt told Blaine about his day: classes had been brutal, but manageable, and he had _just_ managed to get home in time for their Skype date from Vogue dot com after a long afternoon of catching up and telling everyone about his engagement.

"They liked the idea?" Blaine asked hopefully. He knew that Kurt was worried about how his New York coworkers and classmates were going to respond to his engagement.

"Well, there's no telling what they're saying behind my back, if anything," Kurt allowed, "but they were really supportive! I showed Isabelle the video first, and then, oh my god, she put it up on the big projector screen in the conference room and that's how everyone else watched it. All at once."

"Amazing!" Blaine approved.

"You're famous at Vogue dot com now," Kurt teased. "I had at least three people tell me that I better bring you by the next time you're in town. They were all very impressed with the yellow suit, too, by the way. One of the women, Karen, said you looked like sunshine personified."

They both laughed about that, and Blaine suddenly remembered his biggest news of the day.

"Oh!" he said. "Changing the subject completely... I was nominated for prom king!"

"_What_?" Kurt gasped. "Oh my god, Blaine."

"I know," Blaine agreed.

"Is it selfish to want you to be prom king so we can be prom royalty together?" Kurt batted his eyelashes dramatically. "Prom king and prom queen."

"I wish you'd been able to stay for prom," Blaine told him. "I'd love to dance with you in front of everyone and have them all whispering about how we're _engaged_."

"I cannot believe you just said that," Kurt said, and his expression was a mix of amused and thoughtful. Blaine knew what he meant; not long ago, the concept of being gay at a school dance was enough to scare both of them to their cores. Things were changing. _They_ were changing.

They were silent for a moment, and Kurt suddenly had an idea.

"If you want," he said, leaning forward slightly so he could type into his computer, "there's this bar I heard about from some of the other interns at Vogue dot com recently... we can go when you come for your NYADA audition, if you want. I can't... uh, that's not it. I can't remember the name – I'll ask – but, you know, if you want to."

"I– uh, yeah, sure," Blaine agreed, a little breathless at the idea.

"I thought so," Kurt smirked at him.

"How's Santana?" Blaine abruptly changed the subject before his body had the chance to get worked up thinking about dancing with Kurt in a bar in New York City.

"She got a commercial!" Kurt announced, like he had forgotten. "I think it's nationwide, actually, and I'm," he lowered his voice, "kinda jealous that she booked a job like this before me or Rachel, but at the same time... it's pretty hilarious."

"What's it for?" Blaine wondered.

"It's a yeast infection product called Yeast-I-Stat," Kurt explained. "I'm going to see if I can convince her to– hold on– Santana? Santana!"

"_What_?" Blaine heard Santana's voice calling from somewhere in the loft.

"Come show Blaine your commercial!" Kurt shouted back.

Santana emailed the file to Blaine instead of coming into Kurt's room to try to show him via the webcam, and Blaine and Kurt laughed as Blaine watched it.

"That's amazing," Blaine approved when the commercial ended. "I should show Cooper."

Kurt laughed so hard he had to get up and run to get some water from the refrigerator.

"Rachel just went to bed," Kurt said as he reappeared with the drink in his hand. "So I should probably go."

"This was nice," Blaine commented, pleased. It hadn't been a long conversation, but it felt good. It felt like they were just chatting, like a normal night together, even though they were hundreds of miles apart.

"It was," Kurt agreed, his expression softening as he smiled at Blaine through the webcam. "Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Blaine nodded. "Love you. Sleep well."

"Love you, too," Kurt replied, reaching for the button on his keyboard that would end the call. "Goodnight!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Tuesday morning, Sam texted Blaine to tell him that he had, indeed, had the proper amount of vaccinations as a child, and Blaine went to talk to Sue before school.

"Do you have a minute?" Blaine asked as he walked through the doorway into Sue's office, grateful that it was early enough that Becky wasn't at the receptionist's desk.

"Well," Sue motioned for him to sit down, "your incredibly artificial politeness suggests anger, so what is it?"

"You cannot force everyone to get a polio/meningitis vaccine," Blaine accused.

"I most certainly can," Sue disagreed.

"Polio isn't even a _thing_ anymore!" Blaine pressed. "And I'm pretty sure most of us have had a meningitis vaccine already."

"Show me the medical records," Sue instructed.

"You can't ask people to bring you their medical records," Blaine scoffed. "That's private information."

"I find it interesting that, as the president of the student body, you are not interesting in the physical safety of your fellow students," Sue scolded.

"You're insane," Blaine accused.

"That may be true, Porcelain's Boyfriend," Sue allowed, "but that doesn't change the fact that every student at this school is going to get this vaccine or they will not be welcome here on Monday morning."

"Fiancé," Blaine corrected unhappily.

"Whatever," Sue dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

Blaine stormed out of the room.

"What did she say?" Sam met him just outside the office door.

"There's nothing I can do," Blaine informed him. "If you haven't had a meningitis vaccine, you have to get one this week."

"Oh god," Sam worried.

"Just... you don't have to look at the needle," Blaine suggested. "Maybe focus on something else instead."

"Do you have to have the shot?" Sam wondered.

"I've had it already," Blaine told him. "Sorry."

Sam exhaled loudly as the bell rang. "Okay," he said, trying to convince himself. "Okay, it's fine. It'll be fine. I'm fine."

"Have a good day," Blaine offered as he turned to walk to his class. Sam didn't say anything in response; he just waved in Blaine's direction and turned and hurried away.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That afternoon, Kurt was getting ready to leave NYADA for the day when he passed by the dance studio and heard a strange jumble of sounds coming from inside. He glanced into the room as he walked past and saw that it was full of pianos.

Rachel was there, so Kurt detoured from his route out of the building and wandered into the room.

"What's going on in here?" Kurt wondered as he walked over to his friend.

"Carmen Tibideaux needed volunteers for the annual NYADA piano tuning," Rachel explained dully. "So, did you hear about Santana's good news?"

"That she doesn't have a yeast infection?" Kurt teased.

"Yeah, I'm really happy for her," Rachel lied pleasantly.

Kurt was mildly horrified.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Kurt chided. "Because the Rachel I know would be furious at Santana for breezing into town and beating us at booking the first gig."

Rachel looked almost bored.

Kurt was worried about her. She was trying to hide her worry about her status with the _Funny Girl_ production by burying all of her feelings about everything. She was just going through the motions; doing all the things she was supposed to do without any real enthusiasm. She got up every morning, went to class, then went to work at the diner, and finally came home and took a bath and went straight to bed.

"You have lost your mojo obsessing over this part," Kurt informed her. "We can't let our feelings of self worth be determined by some part in a play!"

"That's easy for you to say; you just got engaged!" Rachel argued.

"True," Kurt allowed, "but I'm not pinning all my future happiness on it. I'm telling you, you have _got_ to get your mojo back."

Someone started playing the opening melody of the Beatles' _Get Back_ on the piano behind him, and Kurt had an idea.

"Right here, right now," he clarified, "this second."

He put his bag down on the ground, out of the way, and turned dramatically back toward Rachel to begin the song.

"_Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner, but he knew it couldn't last._" He climbed on top of the piano. "_Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some California grass._"

Rachel was smiling. Kurt jumped down from the piano so he and Rachel could sing together.

"_Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. Get back, Jojo._"

They sang the song, dancing around the room and enjoying the other students' joining in with some impromptu choreography with the pianos. Rachel looked re-energized as she threw her arms out at the end of the song and smiled down at Kurt from her place on top of one of the pianos.

"Yay!" she laughed as Kurt reached up and helped her down from the piano. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, Kurt!"

"No more moping," Kurt encouraged her when she released him. "Positive thinking is the only thing that will be tolerated."

"Okay," Rachel laughed.

Kurt texted Blaine the story of Rachel's emotional woes on the train ride home, and then spent the rest of the afternoon plowing through the backlog of homework he had accumulated while he had been home in Ohio. Most of it wasn't due until the end of the semester, but he didn't want to get _so_ behind that he couldn't catch up.

"Hi!" Rachel sang excitedly as she arrived home that evening. She slipped through the doorway and dragged the door closed behind her. "You are never going to guess what's happening at the diner right now!"

"Did someone finally get kicked in the face accidentally during a song?" Kurt hoped.

"Oh my god, no, Kurt!" Rachel laughed. "Even better."

She flopped down beside him on the couch, offering Kurt the perfect excuse to abandon the play he was reading. "Santana's totally into this girl we work with and they're, like, gazing at each other across the room and stuff. It's so cute!"

"Awww," Kurt approved. "What's her name?"

"Dani," Rachel told him. "She's really nice."

"I'm glad," Kurt said truthfully.

"I can't believe," Rachel said, reaching out and grabbing Kurt's left hand, "that you're _engaged_. You haven't always been a fan of getting engaged so young," she teased, remembering Kurt's disapproval of her plan to marry Finn during their senior year.

"I'm not _marrying_ Blaine right now," Kurt countered. "It's just... a promise."

"I'm not upset," Rachel clarified, placing Kurt's hand back in his lap. "I'm happy for you. You and Blaine are really a perfect match."

Kurt stared down at the ring on his finger. "I think so," he agreed softly.

"You are so _cute_!" Rachel beamed at him. "It's so exciting: he's going to come and he's going to go to NYADA too and we're going to have so much fun!"

Kurt returned the smile, sharing her excitement. "He's coming to visit in a few months," he told Rachel, "for his audition."

"He's going to get in, for sure," Rachel predicted. "And then we'll all be in school together again! Just like old times."

"Except better," Kurt clarified.

"Except better," Rachel echoed happily.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine and Artie made plans to go to the mall after school and pick up their outfits for prom. Jake and Ryder were going to meet them there, so Blaine told Artie they should find Sam before they left campus to check if he wanted to join them.

Sam inadvertently made their afternoon easier when he walked by Blaine's locker a few moments later.

"Hey, Sam, we're going to go pick up our tux rentals," Blaine told him as he walked past. "You coming?"

"Uh, could you guys grab mine for me?" Sam declined, pausing near them but clearly eager to continue to wherever he was headed. "I need to, uh, go to the nurse's office. Snake bite."

He held out his arm so they could see the bite.

"That looks like a human bite," Artie realized.

"From a really big mouth," Blaine agreed. "You sure you didn't bite yourself and pretend it was a snake?"

"Why would I do that?" Sam dodged as he turned to walk away.

"I don't know," Blaine replied, following him, "maybe..."

"Maybe it's for the exact same reason why you left math to get a Band Aid for your hangnail?" Artie suggested.

"She's going to be at the prom, chaperoning," Blaine tried to reassure Sam about his crush on the new nurse. "You can always just take it slow and ask her for a dance."

"She'll stop liking me, okay?" Sam explained, a little hysterical. "The key for me is to only spend a few minutes with a girl and then get away. My personality is like a radioactive asteroid. Spend too much time with it, and it could kill you."

"That's insane," Blaine disagreed. "You have an _amazing_ personality! You have all of your impressions. And all of your... impressions!"

"I was thinking of doing my Denzel impression for her," Sam confessed.

As he demonstrated his newest impression, Blaine tried to look as interested as possible. Sam was really nervous.

"Embrace the Beatles' mantra," Blaine suggested when Sam finished his Denzel Washington impression and looked at Blaine and Artie for encouragement. "Charge forth, fearlessly."

"You may get hurt," Artie told him, "but some girls are worth it and I have a feeling you think she is."

"Go get 'em, Denzel," Blaine approved, patting Sam's shoulder as he and Artie moved around him on their way to the parking lot.

They got their suits and had dinner at the mall, and Blaine got home too late to call Kurt. Instead, he sent a string of text messages about his afternoon activities, including a photo of all of the guys of New Directions with their suits on in the shop.

He got a response the next morning as he was sitting down for his first class of the day.

_You look so good in that suit. I want to be there._

_I'll send you tons of photos_, Blaine replied.

_Okay_, Kurt agreed.

_Class is about to start_, Blaine told him. _I'll text you later. Love you!_

_Love you,_ Kurt responded quickly. _Have a great day!_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That night, Kurt got home early and called Blaine to hear about his day.

Blaine told him the saga of Sam and the new school nurse; she had been fired for incompetence, and Sam had convinced Sue to un-fire her by allowing the nurse to _finally_ give him his vaccination.

Kurt told Blaine about Dani (Santana's new crush) as he made dinner. He didn't have many details to tell, but Blaine was enthusiastic about the possibility of a new relationship for Santana.

"Santana and Rachel are both working overnight tonight," Kurt realized as his conversation with Blaine was drawing to a close. "I'm not really sure what needs to happen in a musical diner at, say, three o'clock in the morning, but whatever. I'm here by myself tonight."

He thought about what this night would be like if Blaine were there with him, and he said, "I miss you."

"Me too," Blaine understood. "When you're so far away, I miss... _that_ part of, you know, our relationship."

"You can say 'sex'," Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately at Blaine's attempt at politeness. "And we could... stay on the phone, if you want."

Blaine exhaled loudly. "Uh, yeah, I'd– yes, if that's– if you want to."

Kurt glanced at the stove.

"My dinner's almost ready," he realized. "Maybe... can I call you back in thirty minutes?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed immediately. "I'll be here."

"Talk to you soon," Kurt said as calmly as he could.

"Bye," Blaine said breathlessly, and Kurt ended the call so he could eat dinner as fast as possible and get ready for bed. He had an evening of experimentation to look forward to, as he and Blaine re-learned to navigate the lack of physical intimacy between them when they were separated by hundreds of miles.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Prom was Friday night.

Blaine didn't have a date. He didn't mind; if he couldn't go with Kurt or with Tina, he preferred to go alone. He didn't want to go with someone he didn't really care about.

As usual, New Directions had been recruited to entertain the group with occasional live performances throughout the night. Marley, Jake, Ryder, and Unique sang _Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_. Blaine sang _Come Together_ and then joined Sam for _She Loves You_. The boys of New Directions sang _With A Little Help From My Friends_ and the girls sang _Penny Lane_.

When they weren't singing, Blaine and the other members of New Directions spent their time dancing and having their photographs taken by the official photographer. Blaine took plenty of photos with his phone, too, and kept sending them to Kurt to keep him updated with the night's activities.

Then, it was time for the announcement of prom king and queen.

"Congratulations, New Directions, on accomplishing the impossible," Sue announced once all the nominees were gathered on the stage. "You've made me hate the Beatles."

She moved quickly on to the list of nominees, and Blaine felt confident about his chances of winning.

"And now, here the moment you've all been waiting for because your lives are so devoid of meaning something like this seems very important," Sue said as she pulled the paper with the winners' names on it out of the envelope in her hands. "This can't be right. Okay, what the hell do I care, huh? Your prom king and prom queen are... Stoner Brett and Tina Cohen-Chang."

Blaine lowered his head slightly, unpleasantly surprised about losing but happy for Tina. He applauded with the crowd, and was quickly ushered off the stage with the other non-winning nominees. He shoved his way around the front corner of the stage and along the front of the crowd to stand with Unique to watch Tina receive her crown.

She looked really happy. Until a bucket full of mostly-melted red slushie was poured all over her from above.

Unique gasped, grabbing Blaine's hand in horror, and Blaine clutched her hand in both of his as they watched Tina standing alone on the stage, covered in cold, sticky red liquid. The room was silent.

"What the hell?" Stoner Brett wondered, just before the now-empty bucket that had doused Tina tumbled off the rigging above and landed on his head. He fell to the stage, unconscious, and Blaine glanced around. Should they call 911?

Tina turned and walked off the stage as quickly as her wet gown would allow, and Blaine decided to leave Stoner Brett for someone else to deal with. He needed to help Tina.

"We need to get you out of those wet clothes and into something dry," Marley determined as they rushed into the choir room, where Tina had gone to hide from the crowd.

"Just leave me like this!" Tina cried, waving her hands at them so they wouldn't come closer. "I swear. I just thought, for one lousy night of my life, I could be _that_ girl. But who am I kidding? I'm not that girl and I will never be that girl."

She stood up and walked past the group toward the doorway.

"Tina, where are you going?" Sam asked before she made it out the door.

"I'm going home, Sam!" Tina explained tearfully.

"Wait, Tina, stop!" Blaine said quickly as Tina turned away. Tina paused, and Blaine explained, "You have two choices. And whichever one you pick, we will be supportive. But we can either drive you home, or we can clean you up and you can go back out there and _own_ that prom. This is _your_ prom, Queen T."

"I can't go back in there," Tina sobbed. "I don't even have a dress to wear."

Blaine turned to Kitty and Marley, silently asking for ideas.

"You can have mine," Kitty suggested.

"Or mine," Marley agreed.

"Or mine," Unique said. "Although, it would be a crime to break this look."

"Come on, Tina," Blaine said as he stepped toward her. "We're all with you. You want to be that girl? Then go _be_ that girl."

Artie rolled over to Tina and offered her one of the many towels he had piled on his lap. She took the towel and started drying off her face, and Blaine hurried to the piano.

"_Hey Jude_," he sang, hoping some music would inspire his friend, "_don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better._"

The girls all disappeared behind a partition to help Tina clean off and get changed into Kitty's dress. Blaine played the piano and sang, and the other students joined in, and it didn't take long before Tina emerged looking ready to face the crowd waiting for them in the gymnasium.

They all walked back to prom together, and Kurt was very much on Blaine's mind as Tina went back up onto the stage to show the bullies in the room that they hadn't broken her spirit.

"I'm Tina Cohen-Chang," Tina shouted, "and I accept your crown! Long live prom!"

Blaine called Kurt the second he walked into his bedroom that evening and closed the door behind him.

"Is she okay?" Kurt answered the phone. Blaine had texted him a summary version of the night's drama before leaving McKinley to drive home, and Blaine guessed that Kurt had probably seen photos online.

"Yeah," Blaine confirmed. "She's okay."

"Are _you_ okay?" Kurt worried.

"Yes," Blaine reassured him. "I'm fine. Glad that my last school dance is behind me."

"I wish I had been there," Kurt said unhappily.

"There's nothing you could've done," Blaine replied. "It was just a mean thing organized by some of the Cheerios."

"McKinley prom is cursed," Kurt determined.

"We had fun at prom," Blaine reminded him. "After the cursed part."

"We did," Kurt agreed, and Blaine could hear the smile in his voice. "I love that photo of us dancing together."

"A classic 'high school sweethearts' photo," Blaine grinned.

"We _are_ high school sweethearts, aren't we?" Kurt realized. "I like that."

"Me too," Blaine agreed through a yawn.

"You need to go to bed," Kurt realized. "Prom is exhausting."

"Especially at McKinley, apparently," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Before you go, though," Kurt said suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, "I have news!"

"Yeah?" Blaine encouraged him to share.

"I got a job at the diner!" Kurt said proudly. "I start tomorrow."

"What?" Blaine asked, surprised. "I mean, congratulations! But what about Vogue dot com?"

"I'm still doing that, too," Kurt reassured him. "But they don't pay, you know? And I've got a great idea that is going to require some money."

"Okay...?" Blaine waited.

"I want to start a Madonna cover band!" Kurt announced.

Blaine laughed, pleased. A Madonna cover band was so perfectly _Kurt_. "That's an amazing idea," he approved.

"I know," Kurt said happily. "I don't really know the details yet – and I'm sorry I'm dumping this all on you _tonight_, I know – but I'm hoping to start looking for members soon!"

"I always want to hear about what's going on with you," Blaine told him.

"That's sweet," Kurt said, "but _I_ like knowing that you actually get some sleep."

"Okay," Blaine agreed, too tired to think of a reason why they should keep talking.

"Congratulations on surviving prom," Kurt teased. "Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yes," Blaine confirmed. "And thanks."

"Goodnight," Kurt said warmly. "Sweet dreams."

"'Night," Blaine said. "Love you."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt's first shift at the diner was Saturday night. He was pleased to find that the diner at night wasn't nearly as crowded as he had feared; maybe people preferred to spend evenings at more lively establishments.

After Rachel found him a uniform and printed him a name tag, Kurt got dressed and received his first task from a co-worker: cleaning a stack of menus. Trying not to think too hard about all the _stuff_ that was probably on the menus after they had been touched by an unknown amount of people throughout the day, Kurt gathered the stack and walked out from the kitchen area into the diner.

"Are you ready for me?" Kurt teased Rachel and Santana, twirling a towel around a few times like a whip in his hand.

"I'm sorry," Santana stared at him, "what is Lady Hummel doing here?"

"Working," Kurt stated the obvious. "Vogue dot com doesn't pay, and I need some seed cash to start my Madonna cover band."

"You guys, this is so great," Rachel said, "I feel like I'm on _Smash_, season one."

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts," Kurt encouraged her, hopping up to sit on the counter so he could start cleaning the pile of menus in his lap, "because soon you'll be dumping us to play Fanny Brice."

"Oh no, that ship has sailed," Rachel disagreed. "If I got it, I would've heard by now."

"Rachel!" Kurt scolded. "Be positive!"

"I _am_ positive, okay?" Rachel argued. "My whole life, I've been looking to be part of something special to feel special, but the truth is, is that I _am_ special, okay? And I don't need producers to tell me that. I'm gonna play this part, and if it is not in this production, then that is _their loss_."

She made the speech with such gusto that Kurt knew she was just trying to let herself down gently. They both knew that, whether she got the part or not, she was going to hear from someone from the _Funny Girl_ production.

"Isn't it amazing how life seems so easy when you just don't give a fart?" Santana approved. "I mean, look at this. Hummel is getting married, Berry is just full of confidence, and I finally have a girlfriend who I don't have to worry about straying for penis."

"Then let's make a pledge," Kurt suggested excitedly. "We stay in this town together for two years, alright? For soaring success or miserable failure, none of us bail until then, okay? No matter what."

"Okay," Rachel said, delighted. She put her hand out. "Pinky swear. Come on! Put those long fingernails in there," she teased Santana.

The three of them pinky swore, and Kurt was excited about everything that the future could hold for them over the next two years. Blaine would be in the city with them soon, too, which only made everything seem even _more_ positive.

Kurt quickly scooted off the counter as their boss approached.

"Someone in booth fourteen is looking for the short one," Gunther said, pointing at Rachel. "Go."

Rachel walked away to attend to table fourteen, and Gunther took Santana's Yeast-I-Stat box with him as he departed ("Gunther, that's my Yeast-I-Stat. What the hell?" Santana protested, but he ignored her).

"He is _such_ a creeper," Santana turned to Kurt.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kurt replied as he finished wiping off the final menu in the stack. He put them down on the counter and watched as Rachel approached the man at table fourteen.

"Who is that?" he wondered.

Santana glanced over at the table. "Can't tell," she shrugged. The man's back was to them. Rachel spoke to the man briefly, turned to walk away, and then paused to face the man again.

Suddenly, her hand flew up to cover her mouth in surprise, and Kurt and Santana exchanged a quick, confused glance.

"Are you serious?" Rachel cried happily, reaching out to put her hand on top of the man's on the table briefly. "_Really_?"

Santana turned to Kurt again, but he had no idea what was going on. Something good.

"Oh my god, really?" Rachel repeated, putting her hand on the man's one more time. "Thank you so much! Thank you!" She started to rush around the table, back toward Kurt and Santana, and shouted across the room the reason for her excitement.

"I got Fanny!"

Kurt's body jolted with excitement as Rachel thanked the man once more ("Oh my god, thank you!") and then shrieked, "I got it!"

"What?" Santana tried to clarify as Rachel ran toward her and Kurt.

"I got it!" Rachel shouted at them.

"She got the part?" Santana exclaimed.

"I got it!" Rachel confirmed, ecstatic, as she ran straight into Kurt's arms.

Kurt squeezed her tightly, trying to really _believe_ it. His best friend was going to be a star on Broadway. Not a background character or an understudy. _The_ star of the first-ever revival of _Funny Girl_.

This had been her dream, all her life.

"You got it!" Kurt gasped as he released her. "She got it!" he turned to Santana as Rachel hugged her with one arm and kept a hand clasped on Kurt's shoulder. They were all bouncing with excitement and delighted disbelief.

"I can't wait to take this off!" Rachel turned to Kurt as she motioned to her uniform.

The rest of the evening passed in a happy blur. Mr. Campion – _Funny Girl_'s director; the man at table fourteen – invited Rachel to sit down and have dinner with him, there, in the diner, to go over a few preliminary things, and Kurt and Santana fought each other all evening long, each trying to be the one who brought them their food and refilled their drinks and stopped by to ask if they needed anything.

They didn't overhear much despite their best efforts to eavesdrop, but they heard _all_ the details on the train ride back to Bushwick later that evening. And, when they reached their apartment, the phone calls began.

Rachel called her dads. Then Finn. Then Mr. Schu. Santana called her parents and Brittany and, Kurt thought, possibly Quinn.

Kurt climbed out onto the fire escape to escape Rachel's and Santana's loud voices and called Blaine.

"Hello?" Blaine answered cheerfully.

"Oh my god, _guess_ what just happened," Kurt said hurriedly. "Guess. _Guess_!"

"Uh..." Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice as he tried to think of something that would warrant Kurt's level of excitement.

"Rachel got the part!" Kurt squealed, unable to wait any longer.

"_What_?" Blaine gasped.

"Rachel's going to play _Fanny Brice_!" Kurt shrieked into the phone. "On _Broadway_!"

"That's– oh my _god_!" Blaine laughed. "Oh my god. How did you find out? Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"The director came to the diner," Kurt explained. "And he just told her right there, in front of everyone! Oh my god, though, I _told_ her she was going to get it!"

"Is she freaking out?" Blaine guessed.

"Yes," Kurt said, "but in such a _good_ way. I think Santana invited Dani over – we're going to have a little party."

"Tonight?" Blaine laughed.

"If you think any of us are sleeping any time soon, you're insane," Kurt informed him.

"Please let me talk to her," Blaine whined.

"Let me see..." Kurt climbed back through the window to check on Rachel's whereabouts. "Okay," he said as he saw her, accepting a bottle of champagne and a hug from Dani in the doorway, "hold on... Rachel?"

Rachel turned toward him and Kurt wiggled his phone. "It's Blaine."

"Oh my god," Rachel rushed over to him and snatched the phone out of his hand. "Blaine? Hi! Yes– thank you! Thank you so much! Oh my god, it was _amazing_. Completely insane..."

Once Rachel was finished talking to Blaine, Kurt took the phone back to say goodnight, and then he, Rachel, Santana, and Dani drank the entire bottle of champagne, plus nearly an entire bottle of wine Santana had apparently been keeping hidden somewhere in the loft, and celebrated until the sun started to come up.

When Kurt finally collapsed into bed, slightly drunk and really, really happy, he stared at the ceiling for a moment and relished the feeling. He was engaged to the love of his life. His best friend was going to live her dream on Broadway. His other friend and roommate had a new girlfriend who, Kurt had discovered that evening, was sweet and smart and a great singer. And Kurt was going to start a Madonna cover band that was going to be fun and _his_.

Things hadn't felt this settled and positive for a long time, Kurt thought. Maybe since before he left Ohio for New York. As he drifted off to sleep, Kurt realized that he was living proof that things do get better.

He could never have imagined _this_ life back when he was being thrown into dumpsters and slammed into lockers.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Up next... 5x03: The Quarterback.<strong>_


	64. 5x03: The Quarterback

_**:(**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

In the middle of the night, very early on a Thursday morning less than two weeks after Kurt and Blaine got engaged, Kurt was startled awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He reached toward his bedside table as his mind scrambled to wake up, and it wasn't until he saw the name on the glowing screen that he realized the tune was the ringtone he had designated for his father.

Kurt's heart lurched as he sat up, instantly fully awake. The time on his phone was almost three o'clock in the morning.

"Dad?" he whispered frantically as he answered the call, hyper-aware that Rachel and Santana were sleeping nearby.

"I'm okay, Kurt," Burt said immediately, his voice rough. The sliver of relief Kurt felt as he absorbed his father's short sentence – he wasn't going to lose his father today – was overwhelmed by a new, icy fear.

His father was okay, but something wasn't.

Kurt glanced around his bedroom, where everything was peaceful and shrouded in darkness, and the image of his surroundings seared itself into his mind as he struggled to remember how to speak. He felt strangely numb, like his body was preemptively shutting down.

"It's Finn," Burt explained why he was calling, his voice shaking with the pain of the sudden loss.

Finn was gone.

Kurt sat dazedly and listened as his father told him everything they knew. _Finn was gone_. Kurt sat in his bed and stared at nothing and tried to find a place in his mind to store the words his father was saying.

The funeral would be sometime during the weekend.

Burt and Carole would pay for his plane ticket home, but did Kurt think he could handle actually booking the flights? Yes.

Nobody else knew yet. Did Kurt want to tell Rachel? No.

Burt would call Rachel's dads after he hung up with Kurt and have them call her.

Did Kurt want to tell Blaine, or would he rather Burt call Mr. Schu and have the teacher tell everyone in New Directions when they arrived to school later that morning?

"I want to tell him," Kurt whispered his first full sentence of the conversation. He didn't want Blaine hearing about Finn's death from anyone but him. And he desperately wanted to hear Blaine's voice. To know for sure that Blaine was still _there_.

After a few final details and the most emotionally loaded exchange of "I love you"s Kurt had ever experienced, he said goodbye to his father so they could both reach out to other loved ones before the news started to spread out of their control.

Kurt dropped his phone into his lap and stared down at it. He felt as if someone had reached inside him and shut off his ability to feel anything but a dull, constant ache in his chest.

Finn was gone.

Kurt dialed Blaine's number and lifted the phone back to his ear.

Blaine's sleepy answer – "Kurt?" – threw Kurt's emotional switch from zero to as high as it could go, and Kurt was suddenly unable to speak through an intense lump in his throat and an abrupt, crushing flood of grief.

He heard Blaine clear this throat. "Kurt?" Blaine tried again. "Hello?"

"It's Finn," Kurt managed to whisper.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Finn?" Blaine sat up in his bed, rubbing his face with his free hand. It sounded like Kurt.

After a few seconds of drowsy ignorance, the sudden realization of what "_it's Finn_" meant hit Blaine like a physical blow.

"He's not okay," Kurt predicted Blaine's question before he found his voice to ask it.

Blaine had never lost someone so close to him before. He was fortunate; he had his parents and his brother, and even all of his grandparents. He didn't know what to do to handle the choking grief that was racking his body, so he tried to focus on what he could do to help Kurt.

"I'm... Kurt, I'm so sorry," Blaine said, not sure what else to say.

"I love you," Kurt whispered.

"I love you so much," Blaine replied immediately, clutching his phone to his ear and wishing he was _there_. "Are you...?"

"Oh god," Kurt interrupted, his voice still hushed but suddenly frantic. "Rachel's phone is ringing. She's– she doesn't–"

"It's okay," Blaine reassured him. "Where are you?"

"In my room," Kurt explained.

"That's good," Blaine said, finding a degree of calm in the simple task of helping someone else. "That's fine. Her dads are going to tell her what's going on. Why don't you just stay there and keep talking to me for now, alright?"

"Right," Kurt agreed. "I'm going to turn on my light so she..." Blaine heard the sound of the lamp on Kurt's bedside table clicking to life. A signal to Rachel that Kurt was awake.

As they waited for whatever Rachel was going to do or say or need, Kurt told Blaine the details of what had happened. He was in the middle of a sentence about how he needed to get out of bed and find his laptop so he could book a flight home when he abruptly stopped talking and Blaine heard Rachel's sob of anguish as she threw herself into the bed with Kurt.

Blaine kept the phone pressed to his ear – he couldn't tell if Kurt had dropped his phone or if maybe he was still holding it as he clung to Rachel – and cried with them. Mostly, he could hear Rachel's sobbing, but sometimes he could hear Kurt, too. Blaine sat on the edge of his bed, trying not to make enough noise that his parents would wake up, and realized they had all been peacefully asleep ten minutes ago.

It didn't take long for the commotion in the loft to wake Santana up, and Blaine listened as things got loud and hectic as Kurt explained to her what had happened. After a moment of chaos, things quieted down again and Blaine couldn't hear anything.

"Blaine?" Kurt suddenly asked.

"I'm still here," Blaine replied. His mouth was _so_ dry. He reached for a water bottle on his bedside table and took a long drink.

"Sorry," Kurt apologized for the lengthy interruption.

"Don't be," Blaine shook his head as he put the bottle down. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," Kurt admitted.

As Kurt booked his and Rachel's flights home – for the next afternoon – Blaine's phone started to ping in his ear, the sound of incoming text messages. He put the phone on speaker so he could continue to talk to Kurt while he checked to see who was texting him.

Sam, Tina, Artie, and Marley. Somehow, the news of Finn's death had reached them, and they were all worried about Kurt and Burt and Carole.

Just as Blaine was finishing replying to everyone, reassuring them that he had talked to Kurt and that he would make sure that Burt and Carole had whatever help they needed, the Andersons' house phone rang.

"My parents are waking up," Blaine said to Kurt, unsure about what he should do and unhappy about the idea of possibly ending his call with Kurt.

"Okay," Kurt understood. "Um, Rachel and I need to pack and finish dealing with the logistics of flying home on such short notice, anyway."

"Try to get a little sleep if you can, okay?" Blaine encouraged him, fighting back tears at the prospect of having to hang up. The concept of _last conversations_ weighted heavily on his heart. "Even if you're just closing your eyes and resting."

"Don't worry about me," Kurt scolded tearfully. "I'll... see you tomorrow."

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine said intensely. "So much."

Kurt's breath hitched a few times and he took a long, shaky breath. "I love you," he said quickly before his emotions stole his voice again.

Blaine ended the call and dropped his phone onto his bed.

His parents hadn't come to his room yet, so Blaine stood up and walked over to open his bedroom door. He glanced out into the hallway and saw that the light in his parents' room was on. They were probably trying to figure out how to come wake him up – unaware that he was already awake – so Blaine grabbed his phone (in case Kurt texted him or called) and went to their room.

For the second time in as many months, Blaine and his parents spent the rest of the night hugging and crying together.

School on Friday was both agonizing and productive. Sadness was everywhere, as everyone who had known Finn grieved the loss of a friend and everyone else grieved the loss of such a young life. Blaine, with Mr. Schu's support, got New Directions together before school and organized a plan to make sure Burt and Carole would have all their basic needs met for the next few weeks. Unique, Marley, and Jake would be in charge of making sure they always had plenty of prepared meals so they wouldn't have to cook. Sam and Ryder would take care of mowing the lawn. Tina, Artie, and Kitty volunteered to be in charge of cleaning the Hummel-Hudson house once or twice a week (Blaine was confident that Burt and Carole would accept the help).

Blaine was going to be the errand-runner and chauffeur. He had driven Burt to doctor appointments many times, and he knew that Burt and Carole would be most comfortable asking him for help out of everyone in New Directions. He was not yet officially part of their family, but he had grown very close to his future in-laws over the past few months.

He finally heard from Burt just before lunchtime, when Burt called to ask Blaine if he could pick Kurt up at the airport so that Burt could stay with Carole. Blaine agreed immediately. He was glad to help, and he was very eager to see Kurt. To see and hear and feel Kurt in his arms so he could trust that Kurt was safe.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt spent the morning making arrangements with his professors, his boss at the diner, and Isabelle at Vogue dot com so that he could go back to Ohio for the weekend to attend Finn's funeral. Nobody offered any resistance; as soon as Kurt uttered the words "my brother passed away unexpectedly", everyone was immediately ready to allow him time to go home and grieve with his family.

He helped Rachel do the same (Santana was gone. Kurt hoped she would make it back to Ohio on her own), and then they took a taxi to the airport. They had packed their bags the night before.

Kurt was surprised, but glad, when Rachel fell asleep on his shoulder shortly after takeoff and slept the entire way to Ohio. Kurt didn't sleep, partially because his brain wouldn't slow down enough to allow him to rest and partially because every bump of turbulence made his blood run cold with fear. He was so, so aware of the fragility of his life, and he felt desperate to make it safely to his family.

So, Kurt stared out the window and thought of his brother and his mother, who had both been denied a long life.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine got to the airport early and found Rachel's dads already standing by the door marked "arrivals". Blaine smiled politely at them as he walked into their line of sight, but he didn't say anything. He had met them briefly at Rachel and Finn's almost-wedding at the courthouse, but he didn't _know_ them.

Rachel and Finn's almost-wedding. Blaine thought about it as he hovered as close to the arrivals door as he could, trying to find a spot that allowed him to see clearly down the hallway without blocking everyone else so he could see Kurt as soon as he rounded the corner. Part of him wished that his friends had gotten married that day. Maybe they hadn't been ready. Maybe they would've had a rough first few years of marriage as they tried to work out how to combine their personalities into one household. But, Blaine thought (_wished_), if they had been married, maybe Finn never would have never crossed paths with the moment that had ended his life. _Maybe_ things would've been different.

"Blaine, right?"

Blaine snapped his attention back to his surroundings as LeRoy Berry walked over to stand next to him. Blaine nodded, his throat a little tight after thinking about an alternate reality where Finn got to live his happily ever after.

"We're so sorry," LeRoy said as his husband, Hiram, walked over to join them. "How're you holding up?"

"I need to see Kurt," Blaine admitted. He needed to see with his own eyes that Kurt was alive and well. "And Rachel," he added as he wondered what he should say to her. He hadn't seen her since she had found out that she was going to play Fanny Brice on Broadway, but he knew that she didn't want to celebrate and jump around with excitement about anything right now.

"That's right," LeRoy said thoughtfully, "you're newly engaged, aren't you? Congratulations. Rachel always speaks so highly of both you and Kurt."

"Thank you," Blaine said.

They waited in comfortable silence together for the next few minutes until Kurt and Rachel arrived.

Rachel rounded the corner first, dragging her pink suitcase behind her. As soon as she saw her dads, she let go of the suitcase – it fell to the ground with a loud _thump_ – and ran the rest of the way down the hallway, barely holding her sobs in until she threw herself into her dads' arms.

Kurt appeared from around the corner just as Rachel's suitcase hit the ground. He paused to grab it before continuing down the hallway to where Blaine was waiting. He dumped his and Rachel's bags on the ground as soon as he was out of the secure zone and held his arms out for Blaine to close the final few steps between them for a crushing hug.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt held Blaine as close as he could, emotionally drained and finally able to relinquish Rachel's care to her dads, and had a meltdown. He sobbed until he felt thoroughly nauseated and his head ached, and then he finally let go of his fiancé and tried to decide if he was _actually_ going to throw up.

Blaine led him to a bench against the wall so he could sit down, and Kurt started to feel slightly less ill as he took a few deep breaths. Before taking a seat beside him, Blaine grabbed Kurt's bag and carried it over so it wasn't lying in the middle of the hallway anymore.

"We should go home," Kurt realized as Blaine sat beside him and rubbed Kurt's back with one hand, encouraging him to breathe and relax. "My dad and Carole..."

"It's only been a few minutes, Kurt," Blaine said quietly as Kurt stared blankly at the floor in front of them. "It's okay."

Kurt turned his head to look at Blaine and got his first good look at him since Kurt had run into his arms a few minutes prior. Blaine's face was red and swollen from crying – Kurt knew that his face was, too – and his eyes were full of worry and sadness as he rubbed comforting circles up and down Kurt's back.

"I don't know what that was," Kurt confessed about his sudden, uncontrollable sorrow. He sighed heavily. He was starting to feel physically better, but he still felt like he was walking through a terrible dream. He had just been home, less than two weeks ago. The anniversary of his engagement to Blaine was the next day.

Blaine leaned in and kissed Kurt's cheek. He didn't say anything, but he took his hand off Kurt's back and used it to grab one of Kurt's hands, interlacing their fingers.

A few minutes later, Kurt decided he was ready to go home, so Blaine grabbed his suitcase and they walked hand-in-hand to Blaine's car. They didn't talk much during the drive back to Lima; Kurt wasn't sure if he felt asleep for part of the trip, or if his mind was just so full of emotions and memories and worry for his father and Carole that it just _felt_ like a shorter drive than usual.

They didn't turn on the radio. There was too much potential for a song to come on that reminded them of Finn.

Pulling into the driveway of the house was particularly painful. It was _their_ house. His and his father's and Carole's and Finn's. But now it wasn't.

Blaine was concerned about Kurt's emotional and physical state, Kurt could tell. He hovered as close to Kurt as he could without impeding Kurt's ability to walk, like he was ready to catch him if he fell. Kurt didn't mind. He never wanted to let Blaine out of his sight again.

Seeing his father and Carole was as painful and as comforting as he had imagined. They all cried and clung to each other, at some point pulling Blaine into the mix, too, and somehow made it through the afternoon without being interrupted by a single visitor or delivery person. All of that came later in the evening, when Marley and Jake stopped by with their first round of meals and the local florist stopped by the house two separate times with multiple vases full of flowers from friends and family.

Blaine spent the night with Kurt in his bed. There was no objection from Burt; they all knew Kurt and Blaine weren't going to do anything but sleep, wrapped up in each other's arms for comfort.

Finn's bedroom door was closed.

The next day was spent finishing the plans for the funeral. Kurt and Blaine tried to help as much as they could to take as much of the load off of Carole as possible, but, by the early evening, they ran out of things to do. All that was left was the long wait until the funeral the next day.

Burt insisted that they leave the house for dinner. Carole wasn't ready yet, he explained, but he wanted Kurt and Blaine to get out and do something other than sitting around waiting for the pain of the following day.

They went to Blaine's house to pick up his suit for the funeral and then went out to dinner at a small restaurant near Dalton in honor of their two-week anniversary of being engaged. They tried to talk about other things, but the conversation always returned, directly or indirectly, to Finn.

The last time Kurt had seen him or spoken to him was right after their engagement. In the parking lot at Dalton.

Blaine had seen and talked to him twice after that, when Finn had come to McKinley to help New Directions rehearse for Nationals. The last time had been just two days before Finn's death.

"We walked to the parking lot together after glee club," Blaine recalled as he and Kurt walked to the car so they could drive back to Lima. "We were talking about Nationals from last year – when we won – and just remembering how fun it was." He paused to keep control of his breath and shook his head sadly. "And then we just casually waved goodbye and went to our cars, and that was it."

They made it home in time to say goodnight to Burt and Carole, and Blaine spent the night in Kurt's bed again. Kurt knew he would be there the next night, too. Every night until Kurt went back to New York.

The funeral was predictably gut-wrenching. The sorrow of losing someone so young was a heavy burden on all of Finn's friends and family. Kurt sat between his father and Blaine, turning mostly to Blaine for comfort because Burt was understandably focused on Carole, and felt empty inside, like he had lost part of himself that he could never get back.

And then, less than twenty four hours later, Kurt and Rachel had to fly back to New York.

Blaine, Burt, and Rachel's dads brought Kurt and Rachel to the airport and waited together as they checked in. Then, they all wandered together toward the entrance to the security line and it was time to go, and Kurt was frozen.

Rachel's dads took her aside to have a quiet conversation, leaving Kurt alone with his father and Blaine, and none of them knew what to say. Kurt couldn't say what he was thinking – what he guessed they were all thinking – as he hugged his father and then wrapped Blaine in his arms.

_This could possibly be the last time I ever see you._

Kurt managed to hold his tears at bay until his father wrapped his arms around both Kurt and Blaine and mumbled, "I love you, boys," into the top of Kurt's head.

Kurt untangled himself from the group hug so he could hug his father properly again and sob quietly into his shoulder. As he cried, he was vaguely aware of Rachel and her dads returning, and the sound of Rachel and Blaine hugging and sharing a few soft, tear-filled words.

"I love you, Dad," Kurt finally managed as his tears started to subside.

His father squeezed him briefly before releasing him from the hug.

"I love you, Kurt," Burt said, his voice thick with emotion.

As Kurt turned away from his father to say one more farewell to Blaine, a lump formed in his throat and he struggled to keep a new round of tears from falling.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's left hand and lifted it to his lips to kiss the ring on Kurt's finger before pulling him into a tight embrace.

They had said all they needed to say the night before, so Kurt knew everything Blaine was trying to reinforce through the crushing hug. I'm so sorry this happened, but it was so good to see you. Call me any time, day or night, even if it's just because you want to hear my voice and know I'm still here. It's going to be okay.

"Love you," Kurt choked out as they stepped apart.

Blaine looked as overwhelmed as Kurt felt; his eyes were swollen from crying and were full of tears as they faced the heaviness of the fear that this goodbye could be _goodbye_.

"I love you, too," Blaine said.

Kurt took a deep breath and knew it was time to go.

"See you soon?" he asked.

Blaine reached out, grabbed Kurt's face in his hands, and pressed a tender kiss to Kurt's lips.

"See you soon," Blaine agreed as he released Kurt and took a small step back.

Kurt nodded at him and turned away before he could change his mind and decide to move back to Ohio so he would never have to go more than twelve hours without seeing his father and his fiancé.

New York was where he belonged, he reminded himself as he glanced briefly at Rachel and they exchanged a silent agreement that it was time to go. Kurt walked over and took Rachel's hand, and they both waved at their families before turning to walk into the security line.

Kurt didn't look back.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Three weeks to the day after Finn's funeral, Kurt packed his suitcase again for a trip back to Ohio. This time, for a weeklong memorial Mr. Schu had organized in glee club. A week of songs to remember Finn.

In order to pack his suitcase, Kurt had to empty it of the suit he had worn to the funeral three weeks earlier. He had been unable to stand the idea of seeing it in his closet every day when he returned to New York, so he had left it neatly folded in his suitcase. Hidden.

Now, it was time to put it back where it belonged. Maybe it was symbolic: he couldn't stay in denial forever.

As he steamed the suit to get rid of a few wrinkles, Kurt thought about his brother. In the three weeks since Finn's death, the main thought that had plagued Kurt's mind was the list of things Finn was going to miss in the future. Kurt and Blaine were engaged, but Finn wouldn't be Kurt's best man at their wedding. Finn would never get to be an uncle to their children. Finn would never be a teacher, would never sing again, would never travel the world.

Finn would never marry Rachel and live happily ever after.

Rachel was broken. She and Finn had been in a good place when Finn passed away – not yet officially a couple again, but well on their way – but Finn had been the love of her life and everyone knew it. Kurt had tried to help her over the past few weeks, making sure she ate at least one meal every day and dragging her out the door to go to class on days when she didn't think she could get out of bed, but there was little he could do to make her feel better. She would have to find inner peace about the situation in her own way.

People asked Kurt how he was doing almost every day, and he never knew what to say to them. He was trying to survive long enough that his grief might soften into something manageable. Into the constant but mild grief that still lived inside him as a result of his mother's death, more than a decade earlier. Less than a month after Finn's death, Kurt still felt like nothing in his life would ever be _truly_ happy again.

After steaming the suit, Kurt finished packing his suitcase and walked around his bed to pick up a framed photo of his and Finn's graduation photos from his nightstand.

Finn would never graduate from college.

He put the frame under one of his pillows. He didn't want Rachel to see it if she walked into his room while he was gone.

"Rachel?" Kurt said softly as he entered her room and found her lying in bed, staring at nothing. "I'm going now."

She didn't look at him. Instead, she waved in his direction – a wordless "goodbye" – and Kurt left to fly back to Ohio without her.

It still felt surreal, like there had to be some other explanation for his trip home. He wanted Finn to be there. To meet him at the airport and apologize for the misunderstanding and live a long, happy life.

Kurt knew he was going to spend the rest of his life missing his brother the same way that he had spent most of his life missing his mother.

His father picked him up at the airport this time. Blaine had plans with his parents that evening, so Kurt and Burt went home and spent the evening with Carole.

Carole seemed better. Not good, but better. Her smile when Kurt walked into the room was genuine and she laughed at funny things during dinner and participated in the conversation. But there was an underlying sadness in her eyes, too. Kurt knew it was probably hard to suddenly have a young man in the house again when her son was gone.

Kurt and Blaine conversed via text message all evening. After both having dinner with their respective parents, they both had schoolwork to do. They distracted each other so much that it took them twice as long as it should have to finish their assignments, but Kurt didn't mind as he crawled into bed very late that evening. He never regretted time spent talking to Blaine.

_Goodnight_, Blaine texted him after they decided that they absolutely _had_ to stop chatting or they would be unbearably exhausted the next day. _Can't wait to see you in the morning!_

_Me too!_ Kurt agreed. _Goodnight. I love you._

Blaine sent him a string of red hearts. _I love you, Kurt!_ he added. _Goodnight._

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine met Kurt in the McKinley parking lot before school. Kurt was already there when Blaine arrived, so Blaine jumped out of his car – two Lima Bean coffees in his hands – and climbed into Kurt's. He put the drinks in the cup holders and then reached across the car and tugged Kurt toward him for a long kiss.

"Hi," he smiled against Kurt's lips, kissing him a few more times in quick succession. "Sorry I'm late."

"Hey," Kurt said lightly as Blaine sat back. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You're welcome," Blaine took his coffee from the cup holder and continued drinking it (he had already finished half of it on the drive to McKinley from the Lima Bean). "What're you going to do today until glee club?" he wondered.

"I'm not sure," Kurt said. "Mercedes texted me last night about an idea for a memorial garden for Finn out near the football field, so I think I'll probably work on that with her."

"That's a nice idea," Blaine approved.

"How is everyone?" Kurt asked. "New Directions?"

Blaine sighed. "We're floundering," he confessed, disappointed.

"That's why Mr. Schu organized this memorial, isn't it?" Kurt guessed.

"I think he's hoping that, by forcing us to confront the loss so directly, we'll find a way out of our creative paralysis," Blaine confirmed.

Kurt nodded his approval. "What time is it?" he wondered, reaching for his phone to check the time.

"I should probably go," Blaine pouted. "I've got to get some stuff from my locker before class."

"You should definitely go," Kurt turned his phone so Blaine could see the time. It was later than Blaine thought.

"Ah!" Blaine grabbed his bag and his coffee and leaned over for a quick kiss goodbye. "I'll see you this afternoon. Love you!"

"Love you, too," Kurt laughed as Blaine quickly got out of the car. "See you in a few hours!"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After school, New Directions and many former members of New Directions gathered in the choir room.

Mr. Schu walked to the white board and wrote _FINN_.

"I'm really glad so many of you could make it back for this," he said to the group. Kurt, Santana, Puck, and Mike Chang had accepted Mr. Schu's invitation and come back to Ohio for the memorial.

"We wouldn't miss it for anything, Mr. Schu," Mike said.

"The funeral was for everyone," Mr. Schu explained, "but I wanted to do something just for us. To memorialize him the only way we know how: by singing. All week long, anyone who wants to can come up and sing. Maybe a song he sung? Maybe something that reminds you of him?"

"Singing isn't gonna bring him back," Puck snapped.

"No, it's not," Mr. Schu confirmed. "Nothing is. Not ever. But, for two minutes or so, we can all maybe remember the best parts of him. So, think of what you want to sing – _if_ you want to sing – and we'll start tomorrow."

"I can't wait until tomorrow, Mr. Schu," Mercedes said. She stood up and walked to the center of the room. "I've been bawling for three weeks. If I don't get this all out now, I don't think I'll ever stop crying."

"Sure, Mercedes, start us off," Mr. Schu allowed.

"I, uh, remember Finn telling me that he sang this song to his baby's sonogram," Mercedes told the group. "Well, he thought it was his baby."

Kurt smiled as he remembered that day. The assignment had been ballads, and he had encouraged Finn to sing out his feelings about the baby. He hadn't known that Finn was going to go home and sing the song to the baby's sonogram on his laptop screen.

"He was the first cool kid to be nice to any of us and he was our leader in here," Mercedes added before glancing skyward. "We love you, Finn."

Hearing the music, and then Mercedes' words as she sang, was more difficult for Kurt than he had anticipated. This had been Finn's song for the baby he thought, at the time, was his daughter.

Finn would never have a daughter.

"_Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes. Come on and come to me, now. Don't be ashamed to cry. Let me see you through 'cause I've seen the dark side, too. When the night falls on you. You don't know what to do. Nothing you confess could make me love you less. I'll stand by you. I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you._"

Some of the other students sang along as Mercedes continued to sing, but Kurt couldn't. He didn't think he would be able to sing for Finn in front of everyone – wasn't sure he _wanted_ to – even if he could think of an appropriate song. He didn't want to sing out his feelings. He wanted his brother back.

He and Blaine walked together to Blaine's locker after glee club, both silent.

"Do you think," Kurt finally asked as Blaine put a few books from his bag into his locker, "you're going to sing anything this week?"

"No," Blaine shook his head as he closed his locker.

"Me neither," Kurt confessed.

"If you want to sing something, but not alone, I'll sing with you," Blaine clarified.

"Thank you," Kurt appreciated the offer.

"Hey, Hummel!" Becky suddenly shouted at them from down the hallway. "Principal Sue wants to see you in her office, right now!"

Kurt looked to Blaine for a clue as to why Sue would want anything to do with him, but Blaine just shrugged.

"Be right back," Kurt told him before walking down the hallway to Sue's office.

"Sweet, gentle, Porcelain," Sue addressed him as soon as he sat down. "I know you were instrumental in raising the funds for the tree in the memorial garden in Finn's honor."

"All I did was drive to Home Depot and buy a tree for twenty dollars," Kurt clarified, "but... yes."

"Well, it looks like we're going to have to dip into your 'West Village Halloween parade ass-less chap' fund once again," Sue informed him. "Tree's gone. Someone's vandalized the memorial."

"I don't understand," Kurt said disbelievingly, "why would someone do something like that?"

"Who knows? Grief can bring out the irrational in all of us," Sue explained. "Sometimes it makes people do very strange things. Sometimes, when people die, we want to hold onto what's left of them to get us through the hard times."

Kurt had a hard time imagining that someone had stolen the tree to _keep it_, but he didn't say so.

"I'll take that twenty dollars for a new tree, please," Sue said, extending her hand. "I prefer exact change. Thanks," she added as Kurt handed over the money.

"What was that about?" Blaine asked when Kurt walked out of Sue's office.

"Someone stole the tree," Kurt told him. "Finn's memorial tree. We just planted it today, who would –? Anyway, she wanted money for another one."

"Why would someone steal a tree?" Blaine scoffed.

"Because they're a horrible person," Kurt said. "I don't know."

"Early dinner?" he suggested as they walked out of the school into the parking lot. "I promised Dad and Carole I would help them go through Finn's room tonight, but I've got a few hours before we're supposed to start."

"Sure," Blaine agreed. "Breadstix?"

"Of course," Kurt nodded. "Lima's finest."

They ended up sitting at the same booth where they had been sitting when Kurt had asked Blaine to go to prom with him the first time. That fact sparked a conversation about prom, and they chatted all through dinner, about prom and a host of other topics. It wasn't until they were walking out of the restaurant that Kurt started to feel nervous about cleaning out Finn's room.

"I've barely been in there," he explained as they stood between their cars. "I haven't thought about what I want to keep. What if we give away something that we shouldn't?"

"Hey," Blaine put a hand on Kurt's arm to calm him down. "You'll know."

"Want to come help us?" Kurt hoped.

"I don't think that's my place," Blaine disagreed gently. "But call or text me when you're done, if you want to."

"Is there... anything you want?" Kurt asked awkwardly. "From Finn?"

Blaine shook his head.

"Okay," Kurt acknowledged.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and squeezed it. "You can do this, Kurt," he encouraged him. "You'll have your dad and Carole there with you."

Kurt pulled Blaine into a hug. "I'll text you," he promised. "When we're done."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

They got started as soon as Kurt got home.

Walking into Finn's bedroom was strange for Kurt. It was just like Finn left it. Like he was going to walk in the door at any second. There was even a drink with a straw in it, like Finn had just walked out.

"I marked these boxes so it would be easier to separate things," he explained, motioning to three large boxes he had placed on the floor that morning: Keep. Give Away. Donate.

"Thanks, honey," Carole said from where she and Burt were sitting on the end of Finn's bed.

"You don't have to do this now," Burt told her, hearing the pain in her voice. "It can wait."

"There's no timetable," Kurt agreed.

"No, we should do it now," Carole decided. "I'm afraid I'll never do it."

Kurt turned toward the window to start looking through all of Finn's things. It felt like a monumental task. And like a strange violation of Finn's privacy.

His eyes fell on a football, covered in signatures, sitting on the dresser under the window.

"Oh, look," he realized, reaching out to grab it. "It's the ball from the first game we ever scored at."

He turned to his father and twisted his left hand around in the air like the Single Ladies dance. It seemed like so _long ago_, when Kurt had still been in the closet and had persuaded Finn to pull some strings and allow him to try out for the football team.

"You should keep this, Dad," he tossed the ball to Burt.

"The weirdest football game I've ever been to," Burt recalled.

Kurt noticed the lamp on the same dresser by the window and walked over to look at it. "It's the 'faggy' lamp from my Marlene Dietrich basement redecoration," he recalled.

"I think he kept it in here to prove a point to Burt," Carole explained.

"You know, if it's okay with everyone, I think I'd like to keep that lamp," Burt decided.

"No, it's not okay with me," Carole disagreed as Kurt moved over slightly and picked up Finn's hairbrush off the top of the dresser. "That thing is awful."

"I need a lamp for my office at the shop," Burt tried to justify his desire to keep the lamp.

Kurt stared down at the hairbrush in his hands as his father recalled what had happened in the basement of their old house, nearly three years prior.

"I tore into him about this lamp," Burt remembered, his voice full of regret. "You know, I was right in principle, but, you know, come on, the boy didn't have a prejudiced bone in his body. And I knew what he meant when he was calling it 'faggy'. I wasn't teaching him a lesson in tolerance. I was teaching myself one and he was just unlucky enough to be there for it."

Burt unplugged the lamp, carried it to the center of the room, and put it down on the floor.

"Finn knew how you felt about him, honey," Carole tried to reassure him. "He kinda liked it when you yelled at him."

"Should'a hugged him more, you know?" Burt decided, struggling to hold back tears. "You know, I was always, you know, we'd fist bump or we'd high five, but... should've given him more hugs."

They had barely started cleaning out the room and Kurt already felt sick with grief. He clutched the hairbrush to his chest as his father continued.

"You know, the last time I saw him, he was so bummed out about some test at school. And I just, you know, told him to 'get back at it!'. You know, he was 'worth it!'. It was the perfect time for a hug. But, for whatever reason, I just– I gave him a pat on the back. And that's that. Now he's gone."

As Burt tired to regain control of his emotions, Carole placed Finn's letterman jacket in the Donate box.

"Oh, don't donate that," Kurt stepped forward and took the jacket out of the box. "I want it."

He couldn't bear the thought of something so classically _Finn_ leaving their family.

"Seeing him coming down the hallway wearing this," Kurt said as he stared down at the jacket in his hands, "it was like Superman had arrived."

He put the jacket on and turned his head to smell it. It did smell kind of like Finn. "God, his arms were long," Kurt laughed a little as he straightened out his arms and the jacket's sleeves could still cover his hands.

From her place on the floor, where she was starting to sort through Finn's clothes, Carole looked from Kurt to Burt, devastated.

"I always thought that when I, uh– how do parents go on when they lose a child?" she said. "You know, when I would see that stuff on the news, I would shrug it off because it was just too horrible to think, but I would always think 'how do they wake up every day?'." She struggled to control her breathing. "I mean, h–how do they breathe, honey?" she looked at Burt, but Burt didn't have any answers. None that would help.

"But you do wake up," Carole said through her tears. She looked up at Kurt. "And, for just a _second_, you forget."

Kurt knew that feeling.

"And then," Carole continued, "oh, you remember. And it's like getting that call _again_ and _again_, every time. You don't get to stop waking up. You have to keep on being a parent even though you don't get to have a child anymore."

She covered her face with her hands, overwhelmed with grief, and both Kurt and Burt immediately rushed to her side as she sobbed. She reached for Kurt as he settled down onto the floor beside her, and hugged him tightly while they all cried together.

"I love you, Kurt," she said as she released him, after they had all cried so hard that they felt like they couldn't cry anymore. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Kurt didn't trust his voice, so he just shook his head and hoped that she understood that _he_ understood.

He had lost his mother and she had lost her son.

The rest of the evening proved to be slightly less intense than the first few minutes, but it was still taxing enough that Kurt felt completely devoid of happiness by the time they were finished. He decided to keep a few things – the letterman jacket, a pair of drumsticks, a little "I love Lima" sticker Finn had stuck to a corkboard near the door, the hairbrush, and some photographs – and Burt and Carole kept some other things, but most of the stuff from Finn's room ended up in the Donate box.

The empty room – with just its barren furniture waiting to be dismantled – felt like the most unfriendly place in the world.

_Are you still awake?_ Kurt texted Blaine, trying to shut the mental image of the empty room out of his mind as he closed his bedroom door behind him.

_Yes_, Blaine replied almost immediately.

_Can I call?_ Kurt wondered.

Blaine called him, instead.

"It was worse than I thought it would be," Kurt said through a fresh round of tears.

"I'm sorry," Blaine replied soothingly. "I'm really sorry, Kurt."

"His room's empty now," Kurt explained, starting to feel a little hysterical. "Once the furniture's gone it'll be like he never lived here. Maybe I should've kept more of his stuff. What if we just donated his favorite shirt? Or something he wanted one of us to have? What if–"

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted.

"He's really gone," Kurt sobbed.

He and Blaine cried together about that fact for a minute until Kurt started to feel like his exhaustion was physically weighing him down.

"I should go," he moaned unhappily. "I've never been so tired."

"You worked hard today," Blaine appreciated. "Emotionally."

"Thanks for having that little meltdown with me," Kurt tried to end the conversation on a slightly less serious note, but the words didn't sound as funny as he wanted them to.

"I'm here for you, Kurt," Blaine reassured him. "I'm going to give you the hug I want to give you now when I see you in the morning."

"Lima Bean, right?" Kurt reminded himself. They had decided to meet for coffee at the Lima Bean the next day instead of Blaine stopping to get it on the way to McKinley.

"Right," Blaine confirmed.

They said their _I love you_s, and Kurt was asleep – in his pajamas, with his face washed and moisturized – ten minutes later.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

After coffee with Blaine the next morning, Kurt noticed something going on by the dumpster in the McKinley parking lot as he drove past the school, so he stopped to investigate.

He was wearing Finn's jacket. It felt nice to carry a tangible piece of Finn around with him.

Students were spray painting the exterior of the dumpster, turning it into a memorial for Finn.

"What's up with the Banksy loser parade?" Puck wondered as he suddenly appeared, walking over to stand beside Kurt.

"You're exhausting," Kurt scolded. "You seriously don't recognize this dumpster? You used to throw me into it at least once a week."

"Oh, yeah," Puck recalled.

"As soon as Finn joined the glee club, being a loser, an outcast, and a misfit... it all became okay," Kurt said, remembering how his days in the dumpster had rapidly disappeared once Finn joined the glee club.

He started to walk toward the dumpster to get a closer look at the artwork.

"Hey, give me that jacket," Puck requested, touching Kurt's arm to get his attention. "Seriously, I'll pay you for it. I'm sure you have a whole room full of mementos. I've got _nothing_ to remember him by."

"Well, you can't have this," Kurt said firmly.

"That jacket is reserved for people who earned it!" Puck said angrily. "I'm not gonna let you bedazzle it with glitter and turn it into some Project Runway shawl."

"So, what're you gonna do?" Kurt asked, stepping toward Puck, answering the other boy's aggression with his own. "Beat me up and take it from me? Throw me in a dumpster? You can't have it."

He and Puck glared at each other briefly before Kurt turned and walked away toward the dumpster.

Puck was gone when he turned around a few minutes later to return to his car.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"Hey," Kurt greeted Blaine that afternoon as they ran into each other near the choir room door. "How's your day been?"

"Okay," Blaine shrugged. "Sam and Artie wanted to do a song in the auditorium before school instead of this afternoon in glee club and it was... sad. And I overheard some of the Cheerios in the hallway talking about some kind of shouting match between Santana and Sue earlier, but I'm not sure what that's about. You?"

"I spent most of the day remotely working on Vogue dot com stuff," Kurt explained as they walked into the choir room and saw that they were the last ones to arrive. "A plus of working for Vogue _dot com_."

Blaine took a seat in the back, and Kurt found a seat on the row below.

Santana sang _If I Die Young_, and got so emotional that she couldn't finish. As she ran out of the room, Kurt stared after her, worried. He and Santana hadn't spoken since they arrived for the memorial – Kurt wasn't even sure how she had gotten to Ohio or when.

He stood up and went after her. He had a good guess about where she had run off to.

"You okay?" Kurt asked as he walked into the auditorium and found her sitting on the edge of the stage. "You sang beautifully."

"I couldn't do it," Santana told him.

"There was only one more chorus," Kurt said as he walked down the steps toward the stage.

"No, not the song," Santana clarified. She had a piece of paper, folded up, next to her on the stage. "I had this whole plan to surprise everyone and not be a bitch for once in my life and say all these nice things about Finn and then, at the last minute, I chickened out. I even wrote them all down," she added as Kurt reached the stage and hopped up to sit beside her.

"Would you read it to me?" Kurt asked, knowing that she wouldn't have brought it up if some part of her didn't want him to hear it.

"No, I can't," Santana told him, tilting the list away. "It's too embarrassing. They're, like... really nice."

"If there's one thing I've learned from Finn dying," Kurt told her, "it's that shame is a wasted emotion. I'm sure Finn had secrets, too, but who cares now? Do you really think one day, on your death bed, you're going to think 'oh good, no one knew I was kind'?"

Santana dropped her gaze to the paper in her hand. "Okay," she agreed to read what she had written about Finn. "When we had sex, Finn never stopped asking me if I was okay the whole time. And he meant it. One time, Becky Jackson left a piece of chocolate birthday cake on my chair and, when I sat on it, it looked like I'd pooped my pants, and so Finn walked behind me until I could get out of school so no one saw my chocolate butt and thought that I'd messed myself."

"Yeah," Kurt laughed softly, "you would've never lived that one down."

"I know," Santana said, barely audible. She folded the paper up and added, "He was a much better person than I am."

"That is true," Kurt replied. "But Finn really cared about you. And I don't think he would've done all those things if he didn't think you were decent, too."

Santana could be mean. Horribly, purposefully mean. But she could also be a steadfast, thoughtful friend.

"Can you leave, please?" Santana said, her voice shaky.

Kurt stood up and took off Finn's jacket. He draped it over her shoulders, hoping it would bring her as much comfort as it had brought him, and walked out of the auditorium.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next day, it was Puck's turn to sing for his best friend. He sat alone on a stool in the middle of the choir room with his guitar.

"_Well, we busted out of class. Had to get away from those fools. We learned more from a three minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school. Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound. I can feel my heart begin to pound. You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes and follow your dreams down._"

As Kurt watched him sing, he wondered if maybe he had underestimated the degree to which Puck had been devastated by Finn's death.

"_Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember. No retreat, baby, no surrender._"

When he finished, all the students got up and walked to huddle around him.

"I love you guys," Puck said.

Suddenly, Santana stormed into the room. She was furious. "Where is it, Puckerman?" she accused.

"It's just a tree," Puck scoffed. "I told Bieste I'd put it back."

"No, not the tree," Santana said severely. "_Finn's jacket_. I went for a lie-down in the nurse's office, hung it up on the coat rack by her door, and, when I woke up from my grief siesta, it was gone." She got in Puck's face. "I know you took it. We all know you took it."

"I didn't take a jacket," Puck denied vehemently.

"If we were rounding up the usual suspects," Artie said, "that would pretty much just be you."

"I didn't take Finn's jacket!" Puck shouted.

"_Enough_!" Mr. Schu roared. Everyone turned to look at him as he added, "Please, no fighting this week."

The group dispersed. Kurt met Blaine's gaze briefly and gave him a nonverbal "I'll meet you outside" before turning his attention to Puck.

"Seriously, Puck," he said calmly but firmly. "You can keep it tonight, but I need it back tomorrow, alright? It's Santana's now."

Blaine was waiting for him just outside the choir room door.

"Do you think he took it?" Blaine wondered.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "Probably."

"Hey," Sam walked up to them, "we're going to go in a minute and put some drumsticks at Finn's memorial by his old locker. You guys wanna come?"

Blaine looked at Kurt for confirmation before answering for both of them. "Sure," he said. "We'd love to."

"I'm going to run to the bathroom first," Kurt told them. "Why don't you go with Sam, and I'll meet you over there," he suggested to Blaine.

"Okay," Blaine agreed.

As Kurt walked out of the bathroom into the nearly-empty hallway, he ran into the last person he expected to see in the hallways of McKinley this week.

Rachel.

Kurt flung his arms around her and hugged her, but neither of them cried. Rachel seemed surprisingly calm and very sure about her decision to come for the last day of the memorial.

"I couldn't _not_ come," she said sadly as Kurt released her. "I owe it to him to– to come back to this place that meant so much to him."

"To us," Kurt understood.

Rachel nodded.

Kurt took her hand and led the way to the memorial at Finn's old locker. The whole row of lockers was covered in notes and flowers, plus some football equipment, candles, and balloons. And the current members of New Directions were standing there, looking down at the shiny red drumsticks they had just added to the memorial.

"This is sort of cheesy," Kitty commented as Kurt and Rachel approached, unnoticed.

"No," Rachel disagreed, studying the memorial for the man she loved, "it's beautiful."

Everyone turned to look at her, surprised to see her and unsure of what to say.

"I just had to see it," Rachel explained.

Kurt made eye contact with Blaine and shook his head slightly. _No, I didn't know she was coming._

They all turned their attention back to the memorial for a moment, and then Kurt turned to Rachel.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

Rachel took a deep breath. "I'd like to sing for him," she announced softly. "One final time."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

They all walked back to the choir room together. Rachel let go of Kurt's hand with a gentle "thank you, Kurt," before she walked to the center of the room and everyone else found a seat. Blaine and Kurt sat together, right in the middle where Rachel could look to them for support as she sang.

"Nobody treat me with kid gloves, okay?" Rachel requested. "I don't know what to say, either."

She reached up and touched the _Finn_ necklace around her neck.

"I loved Finn," she said, her voice trembling, "and he loved me. And he loved all of you guys. I know he did."

In front of Blaine and Kurt, Mike reached out and grabbed Tina's hand.

"I like to sing in the car," Rachel told the group, "and, um, and, before Finn, I used to sing alone. And this was the first song that I sang with him when we would drive around together, so... this is for him."

The room was absolutely silent as Rachel began the song.

"_When the rain is blowing in your face and the whole world is on your case, I could offer you a warm embrace to make you feel my love._ _ When the evening shadows and the stars appear and there's no one there to dry your tears, I could hold you for a million years to make you feel my love._"

Kurt reached over and grabbed Blaine's hand, and Blaine held it between both of his on his lap. Rachel's comment about singing in the car weighed heavily on his mind. He and Kurt loved singing in the car together.

"_I know you haven't made your mind up yet, but I would never do you wrong. I've know it from the moment that we met. No doubt in my mind where you belong. I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue; I'd go crawling down the avenue. No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do to make you feel my love._"

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. They had all lost a friend. One of their dearest friends. But Rachel had lost the man she loved.

"_Oh, the storms are raging on the rolling sea and on the highway of regret. The winds of change are blowing wild and free. You ain't seen nothing like me yet."_

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, overwhelmed, and Kurt stared back at him for a moment. What if it had been one of them instead of Finn? They still had a chance at a happy life together. Blaine's soul ached with the knowledge that it could all be stolen from them in one tragic moment.

"_I could make you happy. Make your dreams come true. Nothing that I wouldn't do. Go to the ends of the earth for you to make you feel my love. To make you feel my love._"

When she finished the song, Rachel lowered her head, and Kurt stood up and pulled Blaine with him to wrap her in a hug. The three of them were quickly joined by the everyone else, enveloping Rachel in a group hug in an attempt to remind her that she didn't have to suffer alone.

"Thank you, guys," Rachel said tearfully. She looked at Kurt. "Thank you, Kurt."

Blaine could see the unspoken words in her eyes as she looked at her best friend. _Thank you for keeping me going these past few weeks._

Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine walked out to the parking lot together a few minutes later. They paused by Rachel's car, and Blaine struggled to maintain his composure as Rachel showed them the plaque she had had made to go on the choir room wall.

_The show must go... all over the place... or something,_ the quote underneath Finn's photograph said.

Blaine looked from the photo of Finn to Kurt's face, and then to Rachel's. They were supposed to be a family. Him and Kurt. Finn and Rachel.

They were still a family, Blaine decided, as he hugged Rachel goodbye so she could go back inside and show Mr. Schu the plaque. They were just going to have to learn how to be a family without Finn.

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's not much to say here except... what a <strong>_**tragedy**_**. I'm glad they decided to do the delightful Beatles episodes first, before this amazing but heartbreaking tribute episode. That way, we can assume that Finn knew about both Kurt & Blaine getting engaged and Rachel getting the role in Funny Girl before he passed away. Which, obviously, doesn't make things any better or less tragic, but maybe it means that Finn had a little burst of extra happiness in the final few weeks of his life.**_

_**Thank you, Cory, for bringing Finn to life for us. Rest in peace.**_

_**Up next... 5x04: A Katy Or A Gaga!**_


	65. 5x04: A Katy Or A Gaga

_**My only regret about this episode is that it (or, the theme/lesson of the week, anyway!) didn't happen while both Kurt and Blaine were at McKinley! They could've done some kind of Katy/Gaga mash-up duet or something. I don't know. :D**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

After Finn's memorial, things got better for New Directions. They had properly honored their friend and said their public goodbyes, and with those facts came some peace. The plaque that Rachel had given Mr. Schu to hang in the choir room helped, too. It felt like a public announcement: Finn Hudson made a difference here. Seeing Finn's face every day gave them a renewed sense of purpose and reminded them that he would've wanted them to keep moving forward with their lives.

They could have fun again. It was okay.

The atmosphere in the choir room on Monday afternoon was more upbeat than it had been since Finn passed away. Everyone was goofing off, playing the room's various instruments and chatting and laughing, as they waited for Mr. Schu to arrive. Blaine sat down with Artie at the piano, and they spent the few minutes of free time making up short, silly theme songs for themselves and their friends.

"Alright, big week, guys!" Mr. Schu announced as he walked into the room with a piece of paper in his hand. "Come on, gather 'round! I have here, in my hand... drum roll please... a secret list of the show choirs that we will be in competition with at Nationals in six weeks."

They were all ready to hear it. Blaine already had a pretty good idea of which groups would be on the list, but he listened intently as Mr. Schu informed the others.

"Okay, let's see what we've got," Mr. Schu said, examining the paper in his hand. "We've got the Rust Belters from Pittsburgh, the Thunder Showcats from Gainesville, and, finally, from Fort Wayne... Throat Explosion."

"No!" Tina wailed. "Why, god!"

"Uh, _what_?" Jake scoffed. "Throat Explosion... that's a joke, right?"

"Anything but!" Blaine scolded. "They're the new super group the show choir underground's been buzzing about."

Nobody but Tina had any idea what he was talking about, so Blaine tried to impress upon them the seriousness of the situation. "Their budgets for costume, makeup, hair _alone_ are _astronomical_. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book _Outliers_, right?"

Silence. Blaine rolled his eyes. "So," he informed the group, "Gladwell says you can't _possibly_ master anything unless you've spent _ten thousand_ hours practicing it. So, students can't even _join_ Throat Explosion without proving they've logged in ten thousand hours of show choir rehearsal. They don't even go to class! They just perform. Every minute of every day. They live their art; they know no boundaries. They're constantly pushing the envelope, living and performing on the edge. They're like mini Lady Gagas."

"We're so screwed," Tina worried. "They're not like Vocal Adrenaline or unfeeling borg robots. They're total outsiders and misfits, which used to be _our_ niche! We can't compete with Throat Explosion anymore at that level because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year! Look around... we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now!"

"Oh, you best check your spectrum, Queen T," Unique disagreed, "because orange is the new black and Unique is the new Gaga."

"Well, not Marley," Tina clarified. "She's a Katy Perry. So is Sam, so is Blaine."

"I'm a Katy Perry and I'm proud of it," Blaine confirmed.

"The truth is, Tina, we're a potent mix of Katy Perrys _and_ Lady Gagas in here," Mr. Schu reassured her. "But it's not a liability. It's the way we're going to beat Throat Explosion. Now, some of us in here are, you know, ambi-edge..."

"'Ambi-edge'?" Artie narrowed his eyes at their teacher. "You just make that up?"

Mr. Schu paused, like he was going to try to explain himself, but then kept talking. "Some of us are more, you know, wholesome, innocent, romantic, all-American girl and boy next door types," he explained.

"Who in here would describe themselves as a Gaga?" Mr. Schu asked.

Tina, Kitty, Unique, and Jake raised their hands.

"Okay, great!" Mr. Schu approved. "The rest of you are Katys?" he looked to Blaine, Sam, Marley, Artie, and Ryder.

"Is there a third option?" Ryder wondered.

"We're gonna mix it up a little bit," Mr. Schu announced as he walked to the whiteboard and wrote _Katy vs Gaga_. "We're turning our weaknesses into our strengths. This week, the Katys will get their Gaga on and the Gagas will bring the Katy."

Blaine's dreams of staging an elaborate Katy Perry number in the auditorium were crushed in that moment, but he knew it was a good lesson plan. They needed to push themselves out of their comfort zones.

"Throat Explosion does their one thing very, very well," Mr. Schu explained, "but we need to be able to do both, impeccably, or else we're not going to have a chance in hell at winning Nationals this year."

Blaine nodded. Every member of New Directions was going to have to bring his or her _absolute_ best to their set at Nationals or they were going to be crushed by Throat Explosion.

"Okay," Mr. Schu instructed, "get into your groups and start figuring out what song you want to do this week."

Blaine, Sam, Marley, Artie, and Ryder decided on _Applause_ without much arguing. It was one of Gaga's newer songs, and it would be fun to dance to. They agreed to meet back in the choir room in an hour to start working on costumes, because Blaine and Sam had to leave for a student council meeting.

"Dude," Sam said after the meeting, as they stood up to leave the classroom and make their way back to the choir room, "you've gotta help me."

"Sure," Blaine agreed. "What's up?"

"Okay, you know Nurse Penny?" Sam asked.

"...Yes," Blaine confirmed when Sam paused and waited for an answer.

"Well, she's– we really connected, you know, and I was totally convinced that she's a smokin' hot Katy, like me. Perfect, right? _No_. Today, she comes up to me at my locker and she's got this fake tattoo on her arm because she's into Skrillex and some jerk ex-boyfriend of hers who's taking her to the Nine Inch Nails concert in Columbus this weekend! She's got a 'musical dark side'; how am I going to live up to that?"

Blaine started to answer, but Sam interrupted.

"Also!" he said, "she's never even heard of _True Jackson, VP_. Like, okay, if you haven't watched it, that's fine, but –"

"_True Jackson, VP_?" Blaine asked. "Is that even on anymore?"

"No, it got canceled," Sam said bitterly. "Apparently the people at Nickelodeon don't care about quality entertainment."

Blaine couldn't contain his smile.

"Don't judge me, dude, okay?" Sam scolded as they walked down the hallway together. "I'm badass! I play football and guitar and I've been hillbilly hand fishing. I just happen to like sweet things, too. They relax me, which is why I like her so much."

"But you said that she's into Skrillex and Nine Inch Nails," Blaine recalled, pausing so he could turn and face Sam, "so she clearly isn't exactly what she seems."

"Exactly!" Sam agreed. "She _seems_ like a Katy, but she's secretly a Gaga. And she only dates Gagas and I'm a Katy!"

"Okay, well hold up," Blaine thought about the situation. "Penny likes Gagas and you're a Katy. _But_, Mr. Schu is making all the Katys sing a Gaga song. So, we bring Penny in to see it and she's gonna get all weak in her Skrillex-lovin' knees and forget all about her douche ex-boyfriend. And you, my friend," Blaine added pleasantly, "will have a new love of your life."

Sam was on board immediately. "_Yes_," he gasped as they started walking again. "And we can wear crazy costumes – Penny totally asked me about my stripper past, so I've gotta show her some major skin – and it'll be so edgy and cool."

"Exactly," Blaine said happily. "Just because you're a Katy and she's a Gaga doesn't mean you're not meant for each other. It just means you've got to find that first spark of common ground! I mean, look at me and Kurt. He's an amazing Gaga, and I'm pretty solidly a Katy, and we're getting married."

"That makes me feel so much better," Sam confessed, relieved, as the reached the choir room to rejoin Marley, Artie, and Ryder.

"Alright," Blaine said as he and Sam walked over to where the trio was gathered around the piano watching the _Applause_ music video on Artie's phone, "we've got five costumes to make, so let's get to work."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That afternoon, between his final class of the day at NYADA and his shift at the diner, Kurt stopped to submit an ad for auditions for his new band and, as a result, was almost half an hour late to work.

"Where have you been?" Rachel hissed at him when he finally arrived. "You said you were only gonna be five minutes late!"

"Sorry," Kurt mouthed before explaining, "I was at Cooper Square. I was putting an ad in the Village Voice for my new band!"

"Wait," Dani said from behind the counter, "you're starting a new band?"

"Yes!" Kurt confirmed proudly. "Yes, well I sort of have to because Adam kicked me out of the Adam's Apples when he found out I was engaged."

The news of Kurt's engagement had been the last straw that broke any chance he had of maintaining even a casual acquaintance relationship with Adam. Adam had been civil about it, asking politely if Kurt would please resign from the Adam's Apples, but it had still been pretty awkward.

"Well, what kind of band are you starting?" Dani asked, leaning forward on the counter, interested. "Are you taking girls?"

"Well, originally I was thinking of a Madonna cover band," Kurt explained, "but I think I want it to be more organic than that. So, yes, girls will be in it. And... I was hoping the three of you could spare me the agony of open auditions by signing up?"

Dani looked enthusiastic, Santana looked skeptical, and Rachel looked hesitant.

"I don't know, Kurt," Rachel said. "I think it's just a little too soon."

"Rachel," Kurt scolded gently, "Finn wouldn't want you sitting on the sidelines while life passes you by."

"I know!" Rachel agreed. "It's just that, with whatever strength and creative energy I have, it has to go towards _Funny Girl_. I think that joining a band right now would just be a little too much, but... thanks."

"Well," Dani informed him as Rachel walked away, "you've got me!"

"Yes!" Kurt celebrated.

"What about you, babe?" Dani turned to look at Santana.

"Okay, I guess," Santana agreed reluctantly. Dani applauded rapidly, excited. "But listen, if we're going to be a part of this band, we don't just get to help with the set list. We also get a say on who joins, right?"

"Sure, as long as you don't go all crazy Nicki Minaj on me," Kurt allowed. "I'll see you at auditions!"

"...I rented out the NYADA dance studio for the auditions tomorrow," Kurt explained the situation to Blaine that evening, carrying his laptop around the loft after he got home from work. "I'm so nervous. And excited!"

"That's so amazing," Blaine encouraged him. "Has anyone replied to the ad yet?"

"Just one person, last time I checked," Kurt explained. "Which was five minutes ago."

Blaine laughed. "I'm sure a bunch of people won't bother to respond; they'll just show up," he assumed.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. "I'm hoping for maybe ten people. We just need one more person since Santana and Dani are on board already. Probably a guy, right? Is four people a decent number for a band? Maybe we should try five."

"I think four _or_ five would work," Blaine said, furrowing his brow as he thought about it. "And I agree that you probably want to try to find another guy. Although, you plus three girls could be great, too."

"Want to come audition?" Kurt teased.

"I wish," Blaine pouted. "I miss you. We're doing Katy Perry vs. Lady Gaga in glee club this week, and you're the most talented Gaga I know."

"Aww," Kurt approved. "If you're singing a Katy Perry song, you better recruit someone to record it for me. I have a weakness."

The compliment had the desired effect. Blaine ducked his head, flattered. "Actually," he explained, "Mr. Schu switched things up, so I'm doing _Applause_ with Sam, Artie, Marley, and Ryder."

"Oh my god, I'm so jealous," Kurt whined. "Are you doing costumes?"

"Yes," Blaine nodded. "Mine is that one from the _Applause_ video with the green jacket and the silver horse tail, you know?"

"You're going to look so hot," Kurt predicted as he imagined Blaine in the costume.

"More like 'so ridiculous'," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"And you _wouldn't_ look ridiculous with a bright blue wig and a candy bra?" Kurt laughed. "It's hot _because_ it's weird, Blaine."

"I didn't know you were into that," Blaine flirted.

"I might be," Kurt teased him.

"Mmm," Blaine wiggled his head playfully. "I'll remember that."

"So... you're doing Lady Gaga for Nationals?" Kurt wondered why Mr. Schu had chosen a Katy vs. Gaga assignment for the week.

"I guess we're not really sure yet," Blaine explained. "But, oh my god, me and Tina were the _only_ ones who _even knew_ who Throat Explosion was when Mr. Schu read us the list of our Nationals' competition this afternoon."

"And you're surprised because...?" Kurt grinned at Blaine's indignant tone of voice.

"You'd think they would at least _try_!" Blaine complained. "We are the _reigning national champions_. We cannot be this lazy."

"I'm sorry," Kurt frowned with him.

"It's fine," Blaine sighed dramatically. "Let's change the subject. How's Rachel?"

"She's okay," Kurt told him. "She's better, anyway. She's still sad about Finn, though."

"I'm sure," Blaine said softly.

"But," Kurt said before the conversation turned down a gloomy path, "she started vocal rehearsal this week! I've never had _Don't Rain On My Parade_ stuck in my head so often in my life."

Blaine smiled. "I can't wait to see it," he said excitedly. "The show. I mean, it's probably at least six months away at this point, but _wow_. Broadway."

"You'll be living here by then," Kurt realized.

"Don't jinx it!" Blaine scolded. "I haven't been accepted to NYADA yet."

"And if you're not accepted to NYADA, you're just going to stay in Ohio?" Kurt teased.

"Well, no," Blaine realized. "I'm coming as soon as graduation's over, no matter what. We've waited so long; I'm ready to just be _us_ again, in the same place, taking the world by storm together."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next day, Kurt, Santana, and Dani got to NYADA's dance studio plenty early before auditions were scheduled to begin just in case someone came early. Dani decided that she wanted to play with the band instead of just watching the auditions, so Kurt and Santana sat down at a table and watched her warm up with the other band members until it was time to get started.

Nobody came.

"So, how long do we have to wait here?" Dani asked after half an hour of _nothing_.

"This is humiliating," Kurt sighed heavily. "I spent all my tip money renting out this room because I thought we'd have a turnout!"

"What did you expect?" Santana scolded. "No one's going to try out for a band that doesn't even have a name. Although _I_ came up with an amazing one."

"Okay, we are not naming the band The Apocalipsticks, _okay_?" Kurt reiterated a conversation they had had the afternoon before. "I am _manifesting_ the perfect name, alright? It takes time."

"Yeah, and, in the meantime, no one signs up," Santana tapped the sign-in sheet with her pen.

"One person did," Kurt picked up the sign-in sheet to look at the name he had written down, "but they obviously chickened out. Maybe it's for the best. I mean, who names himself 'Starchild'?"

"It's an homage," an unfamiliar voice explained from the doorway, "to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars."

Kurt looked up as Starchild walked into the room, tall and handsome under his makeup and heavy eyeliner. But all Kurt could focus on was his sparkly black suit and a top hat.

This was a character, not a person.

"Sorry I'm late," Starchild said to Kurt and Santana. "People kept stopping me on the street asking if they could take their picture with me."

"Yeah, 'cause you look freaking badass!" Dani exclaimed, pleased with his distinctive look.

"Thanks," Starchild turned to look at her before turning his attention back to Kurt and Santana. "I did design and sew this costume myself."

Kurt felt the familiar, unwelcome prickle of jealousy clawing its way into his mind. The costume was outrageous, but it was impeccably made.

"It's a little _Project Runway_," Kurt tried to downplay the suit. "Season six. Have you prepared a song?"

"Yeah, of course," Starchild said pleasantly. He turned to walk to the microphone stand. "It's by one of my favorite artists. Somebody that always inspires me to be myself, no matter what... other people think."

He motioned vaguely in Kurt's direction, and Kurt shifted uncomfortably in his seat, embarrassed.

His embarrassment quickly turned to shock as Starchild sang Lady Gaga's _Marry the Night_ and absolutely _owned_ the performance. There was no denying that Starchild had complete control over the room as he performed. And his vocal range was incredible.

"Yes!" Santana shrieked with joy when the performance ended. She jumped to her feet. "Bravo!"

Kurt didn't know what to say. This was not what he expected.

"I would not be embarrassed to share the stage with you," Santana gushed.

"Thank you," Starchild ducked his head.

"You just rocked it _so_ hard," Dani approved.

"Thank you for your time, Starchild," Kurt said, "but it's not a fit."

Santana turned on him. "Are you _insane_?" She questioned. She turned to Starchild again. "I'm sorry, would you mind just stepping outside for a moment while I bitch slap some sense into my friend?"

"No, I don't need a minute, okay?" Kurt said firmly. "I've made my decision, alright?" He looked at Starchild. "Your aesthetic is striking, Starchild, but it's a little... outré for the team that I'm assembling. But, if you're willing to tone down your look, maybe I'd reconsider."

Starchild raised his eyebrows, surprised and disappointed. "Uh, okay," he nodded. He picked up his hat from the floor by the window (where he had thrown it during the performance) and walked to the door. "Well, thanks for the opportunity to audition," he said kindly. "Bye."

"Are you _stupid_?" Santana hissed as soon as Starchild walked out the door.

"_No_," Kurt snapped. "I just have a very clear _vision_ for this band, and he does not fit."

"This band is going to be an utter failure," Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm out of here."

Dani offered Kurt a guilty grimace as Santana pulled her out the door.

"Sorry about this," Kurt said to the band. "Thanks, though."

The band left, and Kurt sat alone in the dance studio and thought about his band.

Distinctiveness was a good thing. It was what made people remember you. But Kurt wanted a band that could, possibly, find mainstream success, which was why he had decided to nix his initial idea of a Madonna cover band. This wasn't just about fun, not this time. This was about trying to create something that could make some money and find a broad audience.

Starchild would appeal to some people, but not to others. And Kurt wasn't even sure what genre of music the band would eventually settle into. He couldn't really imagine Starchild sitting on a stool singing a lovely ballad. His costume, the wild persona, would be a distraction.

Plus, Kurt admitted to himself, this currently-unnamed band he was starting was supposed to be _his_ band. Could he handle possibly being overshadowed in his own band?

He wasn't sure.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Alright, Gagas," Sam announced that afternoon as he, Blaine, Artie, Marley, and Ryder assembled in the auditorium to discuss their Gaga performance. "I'm taking over this Monster Ball. Since I'm obviously the edgiest one in the group, and as a former teen stripper, I understand the power of theatricality and performativity."

_Performativity isn't a word_, Blaine thought, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Yeah, but what are they building?" Ryder asked, motioning around at the large set being built on the stage.

"The future, right?" Sam explained. "They're building the future, alright? We're gonna get scary and weird and controversial."

"Uh, hence the catwalk?" Blaine wondered, looking at the extension to the stage that had been added overnight.

"We're taking in the audience, Blaine, right in their faces!" Sam said passionately. "And we're gonna drop-kick the fourth wall!"

It all seemed a little excessive to Blaine, but he was glad that Sam had a clear vision. This was Sam's project.

"Are those strobe lights?" Artie asked, pointing above them.

"Believe it!" Sam confirmed.

"Because some kids might be epileptic," Artie worried.

"Is it a seizure or is it just hardcore, next-level break dancing?" Sam contemplated. "I don't know!"

Blaine narrowed his eyes at Sam as Artie turned and looked at him, displeased.

"Come on, guys, I need sick ideas!" Sam said loudly. "If we're gonna impress Penny, this thing has to be so crazy that it's declared legally, clinically insane!"

"What if we had, like, sparklers, but... we're inside!" Marley suggested eagerly. "_That's_ crazy!"

Blaine reached over and rubbed her arm briefly. _Honey_.

"Yeah!" Ryder agreed. "Yeah, yeah, or confetti, only shaped like human skulls!"

"No!" Sam disagreed. "No, no, no, no, no! No, those ideas _suck_! You're not thinking edgy and fresh, you're thinking safe and tired and boring!"

Blaine wasn't sure what to say.

"Okay, look," Sam walked over and started handing them sheets of paper, "here, take this sheet music for _Applause_, okay? Learn it. Own it. Live it. And then strap in because hey! Hey, hey Artie," he snapped his fingers to make sure Artie was paying attention. "We're not doing this for glee club. We're doing this in front of the entire school. And yes, Penny the school nurse will be in attendance. Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm gonna go guarantee us a sold out show."

"How're you gonna do that?" Marley asked as Blaine fought back the urge to comment that they weren't selling tickets.

"The same way Gaga would," Sam explained. "By recruiting some Little Monsters."

He hurried away, and Blaine and the others stared after him.

"Is he okay?" Ryder wondered.

"Sometimes," Blaine said, "you just have to let him work things out for himself."

While Sam was off doing whatever he was doing to try to advertise their performance, Blaine and the others went to the choir room to continue working on their costumes.

Marley's was the first one they finished because it was the smallest: a sea shell bikini. Even with the help of a few of the students from the school's Renaissance Fair club, the rest of the costumes were going to be hard to finish by the time they wanted to do the performance, but Marley's was easy because they had just attached shell shapes to the cups of a bra, and that was it.

"Why don't you try it on?" Blaine suggested. "To make sure it fits." If it did, they could cross Marley's costume off the list and she could help the rest of them finish their costumes.

Marley went off down the hallway to the bathroom to change, but she didn't return for more than fifteen minutes.

"How hard is it to put on a bra and some shorts?" Ryder mumbled.

Blaine shushed him and stood up from where he was trying to attach a long, shiny silver tail to his costume. "Let me go see if she needs help or something," he suggested.

He knocked on the girls' bathroom door and pushed it open slightly. "Marley?"

"I can't," Marley said immediately. "I can't wear this."

"May I come in?" Blaine wondered.

"I guess," Marley said dejectedly.

She was hiding in one of the bathroom stalls.

"Come on," Blaine encouraged her, tapping on the stall door. "Does it fit? Let's see it."

Reluctantly, Marley opened the door and stepped out into the main section of the bathroom.

"You look great!" Blaine said as she slowly twirled around, showing him the outfit from all sides. "You've got an amazing body," he added, remembering Marley's struggle with an eating disorder earlier in the year. Maybe they should've chosen a less revealing look for her.

"That's not..." Marley looked at herself in the mirror. "This isn't _me_."

"That's the idea, right?" Blaine encouraged her.

"I'm not comfortable," Marley said.

"We can add some material to the middle," Blaine suggested, motioning to her bare stomach. "Make it more like a single piece?"

Marley shook her head. "No," she disagreed. "It's fine, whatever."

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Marley said, and she disappeared back into the bathroom stall and closed the door.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, Kurt was adding a silver border to the lapels of one of his suit jackets, enjoying focusing on something other than his doubts about whether or not he had done the right thing by turning Starchild away, when Rachel emerged from her room.

"So, Santana showed me Starchild's _amazing_ audition video," Rachel said, "and she said that you passed on him because you didn't want to share the 'lavender limelight' with anyone?"

"Rachel, it's a band, alright?" Kurt told her. "If I was afraid of sharing the limelight with someone, I would do a solo show at the Duplex about my obsession with Broadway divas."

It wasn't completely a lie. He didn't mind _sharing_ the spotlight, as long as he got to spend some time there.

"Why did you do that?" Rachel tried to figure out his motive for not asking Starchild to be part of the band. "You know, he is really something special."

"Like I said before," Kurt explained as Rachel climbed onto his bed and sat in the middle, watching him pin the jacket, "Starchild's look... it's just too edgy. It's too out there. It's... it's not what I want for this band."

"Okay, and what is that, exactly?" Rachel inquired as Kurt turned away from his jacket to look at her.

"I dunno, mainstream acceptance and success for once?" he suggested. "Look, I've been doing this weirdo, quirky, fabulous, outrageous, sidekick best friend thing for a while and it hasn't gotten me very far."

"It got you to New York!" Rachel disagreed, motioning around them. "It got you into NYADA!"

"Does that give me financial security?" Kurt argued. "A mass audience? A song on the radio?"

"Since when is that what you want?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe since I moved to New York and saw one of my friends book a Broadway show and another one a national commercial," Kurt confessed.

He walked over to a chair in the corner of his room and sat down.

"Look, Rachel," he said, "there's nothing wrong with wanting to be that thing that everyone likes. That thing that everyone wants to see and hear, you know? That doesn't offend or challenge anyone."

"That's not _you_," Rachel pushed back. "You're more _specific_."

"Which is code for 'fringe', which is code for 'unsuccessful', which is code for 'you'll never make it in the big leagues, kid, stop trying'!" Kurt replied bitterly.

"I know it's not my band," Rachel acknowledged, "so I'm not going to tell you what to do. But, as your best friend and your biggest fan, what I love the most about you is that you don't try to do or be what anyone else is doing, okay? You make your own path."

That was something Kurt had always liked about himself, too. But he was so _tired_ of being the odd one in his group of friends. He didn't want to be an acquired taste for the rest of his life.

"It's so hard sometimes," he said unhappily.

"I know," Rachel replied. "But it's gonna be worth it in the long run, I promise you. Your brand? It's gonna be _huge_. Look at Madonna! She was performing in the East Village and then she was on the _Super Bowl_, okay? That's going to be _you_, I know it."

Kurt hoped so. And it felt good to hear Rachel saying such nice things about him.

"You are a true talent, Kurt," Rachel said, climbing off his bed. "But I think, you know, that Starchild might be as well. And, luckily, it might not be too late for you to call him back."

"I wish," Kurt said to himself as Rachel walked away. "I don't even have his phone number. Or his real name."

He decided to call Blaine to ask his opinion.

"Hey, you," Blaine said brightly.

"Hi," Kurt smiled. Blaine always sounded so happy to hear his voice. It made Kurt feel warm inside every time. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," Blaine confirmed. "What's up?"

"There was only one guy today at the auditions," Kurt told him. "And, you know, whatever, my mistake for having a lackluster ad, I guess, but... he was really good."

"Great!" Blaine said. "But... you don't sound excited."

"I panicked," Kurt admitted. "He was this flashy guy, with a crazy, sparkly suit and top hat and I just don't see _that_ as what I want my band to be."

"So, you turned him down," Blaine guessed.

"Right," Kurt told him. "But now I've had a change of heart and I have no way to contact him."

"Why not?" Blaine didn't understand.

"He just gave us the name 'Starchild'," Kurt explained. "It's his stage name. So, who knows who is really is or where he lives or if he even has a phone?"

"Did you search online?" Blaine suggested. "'Starchild' is a unique name."

"I couldn't find anything," Kurt said. "There's a StarChild project run by NASA and some kind of creepy alien child skull that's called Starchild, but nothing about the guy I'm looking for."

"Huh," Blaine understood. "Well... you could run another ad?"

"Eh, too 'romantic comedy'," Kurt laughed. "I think I'll ask around at NYADA before I try anything like that."

"Good idea," Blaine approved.

"Um, also, on a semi-related note," Kurt said, speaking quickly before his insecurity could stop him from asking the question, "do you think I'm too 'fringe'?"

"What?" Blaine asked.

"Like, in general," Kurt tried to explain. "People always use words like 'unique' or 'special' when it comes to me, but don't you think they really just mean 'weird'? And not in a good way?"

"No," Blaine scolded, "of course not. You _are_ unique. You _are_ special. You're the most unique and special person I know."

"What does that _mean_, though?" Kurt wondered. "Isn't that just another way of saying that I'm the furthest from 'normal' of anyone you know?"

"What that means," Blaine said firmly, "is that there is nobody else in the world like you, Kurt. You don't remind people of someone else or bore people with the same things a million other people have to offer. Everything about you – your look, your voice, your heart – is memorable because it's a breath of fresh air in a world full of 'normal'."

"Do you _really_ believe that?" Kurt pressed, still unsure. He knew Blaine didn't want to hurt his feelings. "Don't you sort of have to say that, as my fiancé?"

"What your _fiancé_ wants to say," Blaine said firmly, "is that you are the _most_ _amazing_ man that has ever lived and that anyone who doesn't give you a chance to show them that fact isn't worth a second glance. What your _fiancé_ wants to say is that he loves you more than _anything_ and that he believes in you, always."

"Okay," Kurt teased to combat the tears in his eyes, "I'm starting to feel better."

"I'm serious, Kurt," Blaine said softly.

"Me too," Kurt reassured him. "Sometimes I just wish that things were easier."

"I know," Blaine replied. "Maybe one day it will be."

"I love you," Kurt said. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Blaine told him. "Sam's having a bit of a meltdown about impressing Penny – the school nurse, did I tell you this before? – with our Lady Gaga performance tomorrow, but it's making him really focused so it's actually been kind of fun."

"How's the costume?" Kurt smiled.

"Not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn," Blaine laughed. "And now there's a wig, too, which is probably my favorite part. It's fun to fling your hair around."

"I can't wait to see the video," Kurt confessed. "The one thing I miss about glee club, other than you, of course, is getting to dress up in a crazy costume for a big, crazy number in the auditorium."

"Do you– wait, hold on," Blaine said, distracted. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Kurt?"

"You have to go?" Kurt guessed.

"Sorry," Blaine apologized.

"It's fine," Kurt reassured him. "It's late, anyway. I love you."

"I love you, too," Blaine said warmly. "Goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight," Kurt echoed. "Talk to you tomorrow. Bye!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine, Sam, Artie, Ryder, and Marley did their _Applause_ performance, but it didn't go exactly as planned. In the excitement of getting dressed and ready for the song, none of the guys realized that Marley wasn't around and, when she finally reappeared, skipping onto the stage to join the performance, she wasn't wearing the costume they had made for her. She was dressed as Katy Perry.

Other than the distracting and unauthorized costume change, the performance went perfectly, but Sam was not happy when they finished.

"What happened to the seashell bikini?" he turned on Marley.

"I wasn't comfortable!" she retorted.

"Well, get over yourself!" Sam scolded. "You think I'm just comfortable up here with no shirt on?"

"Yeah, you probably are," Marley guessed.

"Well, I'm not exactly loving this giant white thing that keeps getting caught in my wheels," Artie spoke up.

"Yeah," Blaine said, annoyed that she hadn't just come to them to have them alter the Gaga outfit until she felt comfortable, "and I look like Siegfried _and_ Roy and I still did it."

"It _was_ the assignment," Ryder reminded her.

"Okay, I'm sorry, you guys!" Marley said. "But I am who I am and I'm not going to change that for any _number_ or any _guy_!"

"Marley, we're all trying to win a championship here, as a team," Mr. Schu said, standing up from his seat in the audience. "But you put your personal agenda above that. I'm sorry, but you're suspended for the rest of the week."

"Oh, snap!" Becky declared from her seat.

As much as he appreciated Marley's sentiment of not changing who she was for anyone, Blaine agreed with the punishment. This week's lesson wasn't about showing the world your true self. It was about pushing all of them out of their comfort zones to strengthen the team in preparation for Nationals. Plus, Marley had deliberately misled them, her teammates, and that was not the kind of thing they needed with Nationals only a few weeks away.

Blaine and the other guys went backstage to get changed out of their costumes.

"Did the video turn out?" Blaine asked Artie when they had finally finished changing into their normal clothes and washing off their stage makeup.

"Yeah," Artie confirmed, holding Blaine's phone out so he could have it back. They had set up three phones – Blaine's, Artie's, and Ryder's – on little tripods to record the show from different angles, and Artie was going to edit the footage together that evening. "I'll send you the link tonight."

Blaine texted Kurt a few photos of him in the crazy Gaga costume. _Video coming later tonight!_

Kurt texted him back a few minutes later. _Oh my god, I'm at work. We will talk about this later._

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was glad he was in the kitchen when Blaine's photos came through, because he couldn't contain his squeak of delight when he saw Blaine's Gaga outfit. He would've been embarrassed if any customers had witnessed his little outburst.

The costume was a little different than the one in the music video – Blaine's showed more skin – but it was a great interpretation. And Kurt thought Blaine looked as attractive as ever. Edgy, which was something new and interesting.

After a moment spent leaning back against the wall, composing himself, Kurt put his phone away and went back to work.

"Hello, welcome to the Spotlight," Kurt recited, barely paying attention as he walked up to a new customer who was sitting alone at a booth near the window, "I'm Kurt, I'll be your chorus boy waiter today. Uh, can I start you off with one of our signature orange freezes...?"

It was Starchild.

Only, it wasn't.

"First, can I ask you something?" Starchild teased, removing the pair of glasses he was wearing so Kurt could see his face clearly. "Is this toned down enough?"

He looked completely ordinary. Handsome and well-styled, but nothing like the wild character he had been the first time Kurt had met him.

"Oh my god, Starchild," Kurt gasped.

"It's Elliott Gilbert, actually," Elliott introduced himself. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Yeah," Kurt glanced around and announced to the room "I– I'm taking an intermission! That's how we say 'I'm taking a break' here," he explained to Elliott as he sat down across the table from him. "We have to say it, otherwise we get fined. Um, I'm so happy to see you. I've been trying to find you since your audition."

"Same," Elliott confessed. "Hence... my stalking you." He motioned outward at the diner.

Kurt was pretty sure it was a joke.

"So, I'm just going to come right out and say this," Elliott continued, speaking quickly and earnestly. "I need to be in your band. I mean, I came to New York to be in your band. Something cool and fun and special."

"Well, here's hoping," Kurt said. "Uh, came from where? If you say Ohio I'm gonna die."

"Paramus," Elliott told him, "New Jersey. Land of malls."

"Oh," Kurt acknowledged.

"As soon as I was old enough, I used to take New Jersey transit into the city to see shows and concerts and go to museums," Elliott said. "So, I only applied to colleges in New York."

"Oh, do you go to NYADA too?" Kurt wondered. He had asked around in some of his classes, but nobody had known Starchild.

"No," Elliott clarified, "NYU. I... didn't get into NYADA."

"Huh?" Kurt stared at him in disbelief.

"But it's cool," Elliott played it off. "I mean, I'm doing things all over the city, and one of the things on my artist bucket list... is to be in an indie band."

Kurt nodded.

"So, if Starchild's too much for you," Elliott said, "I can be whoever you want."

Kurt laughed briefly, unable to believe his good luck. He didn't want Elliott to change who he was to be in the band, but if _Elliott_ joined the band, instead of Starchild, Kurt thought he couldn't possibly have found a better fourth band member.

"I just wanted to make an impression," Elliott explained.

"You did," Kurt reassured him. "And, after a lot of soul searching, I've come to the conclusion that the greatest chance for my band, and my brand, to be successful is to surround myself with the best people. And, although there wasn't much of it, you blew the competition away."

"So, I can audition again?" Elliott asked, hopeful.

"No," Kurt shook his head, "you're in. As Elliott Gilbert, as Starchild, or someone in between. Whoever you wanna be."

"Intermission's over," Santana called from behind him. "And you have a fiancé, so stop flirting."

"Santana!" Kurt twisted around in his seat to look at her. "This is Elliott Gilbert... aka Starchild!"

"Oh!" Santana did a double-take. "Well, hot damn!"

"And," Kurt said as he turned back to face Elliott, "I _hope_, the newest member of our band?"

Elliott smiled and ducked his head.

"Absolutely," he agreed.

"Perfect!" Kurt said, bouncing slightly in his seat. It was really happening. He was really starting a band. "Okay, well, I probably should really get back to work, but..." he pulled his phone out of his pocket and slid it across the table to Elliott, "I need some way to contact you."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine was in a great mood when he arrived at McKinley. He had spent a long portion of the previous evening talking to Kurt on the phone, and the conversation had been lighthearted and flirty and _good_. Blaine told Kurt about the drama with Marley and sent him the link to the video Artie had put together of the _Applause_ performance. Kurt told Blaine about finding Elliott. (The band's first rehearsal was scheduled for Friday night.) And then, a conversation about how much Kurt liked Blaine's Gaga costume had led to their least awkward round of phone sex so far. It had been a good night.

He ran into Sam in the hallway near his locker before his first class and received some additional good news.

"Hey! Okay, so, you know how I thought Penny was a Gaga? Well, surprise! She's a Katy and was just pretending to be a Gaga!"

"Kind of like you," Blaine teased him.

"Exactly!" Sam confirmed. "And we talked about it, and made out a little, and she's totally into me."

"You... okay," Blaine shook his head. "Well, congratulations! That's great!"

Sam brought Nurse Penny to the auditorium with him that afternoon as Blaine and the other Katys watched Kitty, Jake, Tina, and Unique sing a beautiful, simple version of Katy Perry's _Wide Awake_.

"Alright," Mr. Schu addressed everyone when the song was over. "Great job this week, everyone! Tomorrow, let's do one more number, all together as a group."

"Katy Perry or Lady Gaga?" Ryder asked.

"A vote?" Mr. Schu suggested. "All in favor of a Katy song tomorrow?"

Blaine, Ryder, Artie, Sam, and Jake raised their hands.

"Traitor!" Unique scolded Jake.

"Well," Mr. Schu said, "that's the majority. Katy Perry it is. See you guys tomorrow!"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt's band had its first meeting in the loft on Friday afternoon. Their goal was to choose a name for the band, but they were easily distracted.

"So," Elliott asked, "in the diner the other day, Santana said something about your... fiancé?"

Kurt wiggled his left hand in the air, showing off the ring. "His name's Blaine," he explained.

"I thought she might just be lying to give you a reason to get away from me," Elliott laughed. "Wow."

"Don't get him started, please," Santana whined. Dani smacked her arm.

"Is he here, in New York?" Elliott wondered.

"No," Kurt shook his head. "Not yet. He's still in Ohio –"

"What he means is he's still in high school," Santana added.

"–but," Kurt ignored her, "he's moving here over the summer."

"Right," Elliott understood. Kurt couldn't tell what he was thinking.

It took them a few more minutes of chatting about their pasts and their lives in New York to finally get back on track, searching for a name for their newly-formed band.

After nearly forty minutes of brainstorming, they had nothing.

"What if we name our band... the Nip Slips," Dani suggested from her place on the couch beside Santana. "Boob lovers of all genders will show up, for sure."

"Um, it worked for the Barenaked Ladies," Elliott sat up from where he had been lounging on the floor on the other side of the coffee table, "and they were guys."

"Sure, we'll just call ourselves the Areolas," Kurt disapproved.

"Nope, Areola 51... get the sci-fi geeks," Santana said. She wrote it down.

"I was being sarcastic," Kurt clarified.

"No, actually you were just being the no-bot," Santana said, agitated. "How about you pitch something instead of shooting down everything that we're coming up with?"

"Okay, I don't have it yet," Kurt explained. "But I'll know it when I hear it."

The door to the loft slid open behind him, and Kurt twisted around in his chair as Rachel walked in.

"Oh, yo, girl, how was rehearsal?" Santana asked.

"It was sad," Rachel said as she walked toward them. "I sang _My Man_ all day, which was kind of depressing."

"Aw, we have comfort food if you want a slice," Kurt offered.

"No, I'm good," Rachel declined, tugging off her jacket. "What are you guys doing?"

"Beating our heads up against the wall trying to come up with a name for our band that pleases the queen," Santana said, motioning at Kurt.

"Why don't you call yourselves... Pamela Lansbury?" Rachel teased.

Kurt whipped his head around to look at her.

_Yes_.

"No– I was _kidding_," Rachel laughed.

"Rachel, you're a genius!" Kurt said. He turned back to the group. "A band with the raw sex appeal of Pamela Anderson and the quiet dignity of Angela Lansbury!"

It was _perfect_.

"Okay," Kurt turned to Rachel, "now you _have to_ join!"

"No, I can't, I told you!" Rachel resisted.

"Rachel, I'm serious, okay?" Kurt stood up and walked over to stand in front of her. "No more _Funny Girl_ excuses! When Barbara was doing Fanny, she still had time to sing for the President and Lady Bird Johnson, pose for the cover of _Time_ magazine, and sing _Happy Days Are Here Again_ to adoring nightclub audiences all around the country! Now, you can _do this_!"

"Okay," Rachel agreed, "you had me at Lady Bird Johnson."

"Yes!" Kurt exclaimed, throwing his arms around her for a hug. The rest of the group voiced their approval, too, and Kurt felt like everything was so _right_. This was his band.

"Okay," he said to the group, "let's get to work."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Meanwhile, in Ohio, Mr. Schu asked New Directions to come to rehearsal in their Katy and Gaga costumes so they could take a group photo. They posed together in the choir room for the snapshot and then settled down into their seats for a music theory lesson.

"... and that is why math and music will be friends to the end," Mr. Schu summarized at the end of his short lecture.

"You guys," Tina suddenly ran into the room (she had left the room a few minutes earlier to go to the bathroom), "Throat Explosion just tweeted out that they're doing _Applause_ as one of their Nationals numbers!"

"So?" Ryder said. "Big deal, we'll just do another Lady Gaga song."

"They're _mocking us_!" Blaine explained, jumping to his feet, indignant. "They're saying they're so confident they're going to win they're even going to give us a little head start by telling us what their set list is!"

"Seriously," Artie wailed as Blaine sat back down, "we should just forfeit now–"

"Guys!" Mr. Schu interrupted. "Guys, just calm down! So, our competition is good! So was Vocal Adrenaline. And the Warblers. And thank god for that! If there's anything we can learn from this week's lesson, it's that other people's greatness makes our greatness even greater! Gaga and Katy, they push each other to try harder, to get better, to be bolder. At the end of the day, all of the friendly competition between those two just means more really amazing music for all of us. I mean, I hope Throat Explosion is unstoppable. Because then we know we have to be unstoppable, too."

"You think he had that in his mind all week, or did he just make it up on the spot?" Jake whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Ryder scolded quietly. "Mr. Schu's such a genius."

"This week, we saw what it was like to face our weaknesses and turn them into strengths," Mr. Schu continued. "We split up. But now, for our last number, we're going to come together as one unified group."

"Oh, please let it be another Journey song!" Sue interrupted as she walked into the room. "There's gotta be one left! Hello glee club," she said as she walked over to stand beside Mr. Schu. "Hi, William."

"Sue," Mr. Schu greeted her.

"You know, I was sitting in my office, organizing my collection of custom-made bobble heads of my sworn enemies," Sue told him, "and, just to the right of Henry Kissinger and Drake, well, I saw your hair helmet just bobbling up and down, and I realized... well, I haven't marched in here and brought down the hammer in way too long."

She turned and looked at New Directions.

"You're all suspended for a week."

Blaine shook his head. What was her _problem_ with them?

"Wait, Sue, you can't –" Mr. Schu argued.

"I can do that and I just did it, William," Sue told him. "There are rules about what kids can wear to school and these rejects from the cutting room floor of a Tod Browning movie are in violation of each and every one of them."

Blaine glanced down at his outfit. It probably _was_ in violation of at least one part of the school's dress code.

"Okay, what rules?" Mr. Schu countered. "The glee club has been walking around in costumes for four years."

"Well, that was B.S.: 'before Sue'," Sue explained. "One week suspension, starting now."

Sue and Mr. Schu continued to argue for a moment, but Sue's word was final.

"Even though I don't know your names, you band geeks are suspended, too!" Sue pointed at the band before she walked out of the room.

New Directions went to the auditorium and performed _Roar_ anyway, despite Sue's insistence that they were banned from attending glee club rehearsal for a week. They had fun singing and dancing and swinging across the stage on a fake vine hanging from the ceiling, and Blaine was pleasantly exhausted by the time he got home that night.

_Hey!_ Kurt texted him late that night. _Are you still awake?_

_Yes,_ Blaine replied.

_I have a video for you_, Kurt told him.

A few seconds later, another message came through, this time with a link.

_May I present... Pamela Lansbury's very first rehearsal! In honor of my sweet, Katy Perry-loving fiancé._

Blaine watched the video of Kurt and his new band singing _Roar_ in the loft three times before he replied.

_I love you so much. Thank you!_

_Love you, too_, Kurt replied. _Thanks for all your support this week. And always._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Up next... 5x05: The End Of Twerk!<strong>_


	66. 5x05: The End Of Twerk

_**Let's just pretend that Sue's weird weeklong suspension at the end of the last episode just... went away. We hear nothing about it here, and the timeline remains unchanged (in the previous episode, someone mentioned that they have six weeks until Nationals. And Nationals do, indeed, happen six episodes later. Disregarding the random Christmas episode since that's not part of the season 5 timeline). Okay? Okay. :)**_

_**This is a fun episode for Kurt and Blaine. Their story doesn't move much, but they're both pretty adorable. So, I like it!**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The floors throughout McKinley were scheduled for professional cleaning and waxing over the weekend, so Blaine volunteered to stay after school on Friday and clear the choir room floor. The big things, like the piano, would be taken care of by the cleaning crew, but Blaine needed to move the chairs and music stands and other small pieces of furniture.

Blaine put on his headphones and danced around the choir room as he cleaned, enjoying the alone time and the chance to dance with no choreography or purpose.

He was twerking by the piano when he suddenly heard Tina's voice.

"Blaine," she laughed from the doorway, "what are you doing?"

She was filming him on her phone.

"Tina!" Blaine cried, tugging his headphones off his head and rushing toward her, horrified. "Tina, get out! Get out! Get out of here!"

She ran away, shrieking with laughter, and Blaine buried his face in his hands and knew that he was going to be the laughing stock of New Directions.

He was right. On Monday afternoon in glee club, all of New Directions – and Mr. Schu – gathered around Tina to watch the video over and over and over. Most of them had seen it over the weekend (Blaine was _not_ speaking to Tina for the foreseeable future), but they were all eager to watch it again.

"Blaine, this is nothing to be embarrassed about!" Mr. Schu tried to reassure him as the group roared with laughter.

"Yes, it is!" Sam laughed.

"That's a twerk fail gawker nightmare," Blaine whined, folding his arms across his chest.

"No," Mr. Schu disagreed as he walked over and sat down beside Blaine. "No, this is a _revelation_."

"If this is turning into what I think it's turning into," Artie declared, "I just want to say that it's physically impossible for me to twerk."

"I beg to differ," Kitty commented.

The other students laughed and _ohhhh_'d at the innuendo.

"Look how you're all riveted by that video," Mr. Schu analyzed the situation as he stepped down off the risers to stand in front of the group. Ryder rushed over to sit beside Blaine and wrapped a teasing, protective arm around his shoulders.

"_That's_ the kind of reaction we need from the judges if we're gonna one-up Throat Explosion at Nationals," Mr. Schu decided. "We need to edge up our America's Sweetheart image a little bit. Show the judges that we're not afraid to rebel."

"Mr. Schu?" Marley stood up. "What if some of us don't know how to twerk?"

"Have no fear," Mr. Schu reassured her, "your twerk-torial is here! And, if you can all dance like Blaine did in that video, we are gonna need a bigger trophy case."

Blaine shook his head and waved his hands, _no, no, no_, but he knew it was too late. He had to embrace the video and the fact that he had, inadvertently, inspired this week's lesson.

All the students who knew how to twerk, Blaine included, got out of their seats and started demonstrating the dance, laughing and teasing Marley and the others who didn't know how. Then, they went to the auditorium and had a lesson on how to twerk from Kitty and Jake.

_Okay_, Blaine texted Kurt as he walked to his car after rehearsal, _I have to know. Have you seen the video?_

_What video?_ Kurt replied.

Blaine realized he didn't actually have access to it. Thankfully, Tina had not uploaded it to the Internet; she had just messaged it to all of their friends. But, apparently, not Kurt.

_Hold on_, he said to Kurt. Then, he texted Tina and asked her to send the video to Kurt's phone. (_Ok!_ she replied.)

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt had that afternoon off from the diner and Vogue dot com, so he went home after his final class and sprawled out on the couch to watch TV and eat junk food. It was his favorite day-off ritual. Alone in his home with some delicious food and mindless television.

The texts from Blaine (and the video from Tina) were the most exciting thing to happen to him all afternoon.

He hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. It took him a couple minutes to get control of himself so he could call Blaine back instead of texting him.

"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine said in lieu of a greeting when he answered the phone.

"You're so cute, though!" Kurt said, failing completely at his plan _not_ to laugh.

"I don't want to be _cute_, Kurt," Blaine pouted. "It's not _cute_."

"Okay, well, it's hot. Or sexy. Or whatever you want to call it," Kurt allowed. "Those pants..."

"I didn't know anyone was filming me!" Blaine whined. "This isn't right."

"That's why it's so cu– uh, sexy," Kurt told him. "Because it's just _you_. Uninhibited."

Blaine exhaled heavily. "I guess," he said.

When they ended the call a few minutes later ("I'm going to hold a grudge about you laughing at me, _Kurt_. I love you.") and Kurt put his phone down on the table in front of him, he fell over onto his side on the couch and laughed until he cried.

He was calm again, flipping through the channels on their television and finishing off a carton of ice cream, when Rachel arrived home after her _Funny Girl_ rehearsal. He barely glanced at the door as she slid the door open and announced, "I just had the most _incredible_ experience of my life!" as she walked into the room.

But, as Kurt's glaze flitted away from her, his brain caught up to what his eyes had just seen and he snapped his attention back to his best friend.

Her usually-long hair was short, cut into a blunt bob.

"Oh my _god_," Kurt gasped. "Did you cut your hair?"

"I was feeling stuck," Rachel explained, a happy spring in her step as she walked toward him.

Kurt struggled to decide what to say, but then Rachel reached up and peeled off the wig, revealing her long hair tied up underneath.

"Oh," Kurt huffed out a laugh.

"You know," Rachel explained, walking over to sit in a chair near Kurt, "Rupert's amazing, but he has such _specific_ views on everything. And it's not like I don't trust his vision, but I felt like I needed to just rebel a little bit in order to have more room to play."

"So, he doesn't know that you were wearing a wig?" Kurt worried about Rachel lying to _Funny Girl_'s director.

"Not at first," Rachel clarified, "but then I told him after rehearsal and he really loved it and I might get to wear it in the show!"

She pulled a wig stand out of her bag and started shaking out her wig so it would lie properly.

"What if he got mad about you lying to him?" Kurt scolded. "Or what if he saw that you cut your hair and sent you packing?"

"Okay," Rachel scolded gently in return as she fit her wig over the wig stand, "you know what, Kurt? You've become boring. You go to class and then you come home and you watch your stories and you eat all this food and you Skype with Blaine. And it's not even sexy Skyping, I know this because you just go to sleep! Same thing, every day."

"I change up my afternoon smoothie occasionally," Kurt pouted, not bothering to tell her that _obviously_ he wasn't going to have Skype sex with Blaine with her or Santana in the loft. Even if he used headphones so they couldn't hear Blaine, they'd still be able to hear _him_.

"You know, it felt so good taking a risk with this wig," Rachel told him as she started pulling the pins out of her hair to let it down after being under the wig all day. "It's like I just... I felt so _alive_. And I know I could've messed everything up, but I didn't even care! It's like I just wanted to risk it all."

"What's gotten into you?" Kurt wondered as he ate some popcorn.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "But you remember in high school how everything felt so _urgent_? Like if we didn't just go for it we'd lose our chance forever?"

"Yes," Kurt recalled, "it was very stressful."

"I want to feel that way again," Rachel admitted, her voice suddenly a little bit gentler.

Kurt watched her shake her hair out, back to normal.

"Does this have something to do with Finn?" he asked.

Rachel paused to consider the idea. "You know, if part of my grieving process is just diving head first into life," she said, running a brush through her hair, "then... maybe."

Kurt thought about Finn and all the things Finn would never have the chance to experience. Maybe the best thing he could do to honor his brother was to remember to enjoy the spontaneity of life.

"Alright, Rachel Berry," he decided, "you got me."

He put his food down on the coffee table in front of him and stood up.

"Let's go out and do something crazy," he suggested.

Rachel gasped happily and jumped to her feet. "Like what?" she inquired.

"Let's go use flash photography at the Met!" Kurt bounced briefly in place.

"Small potatoes," Rachel disagreed. "How about we break out that bottle of limoncello you've been saving up?"

"What for?" Kurt asked, intrigued.

"Anesthesia," Rachel grinned deviously.

Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Let's get tattoos!" Rachel exclaimed.

"_Tattoos?_" Kurt repeated, shocked.

"Tonight is about living on the edge, Kurt," Rachel encouraged. "About conquering our fears and _going for it_!"

"Tattoos are permanent," Kurt fretted.

"Well, that's why you choose carefully," Rachel reassured him. "You've just got to pick something that really means something to you. I mean, what about Blaine?" she suggested. "You could get a tattoo of–"

"_No_," Kurt cut her off. "No. All I can think about is, like, some kind of horrible headline: 'Man gets tattoo of fiancé's name; relationship cursed'."

Rachel shot him a glance that said _you're insane_.

Kurt was silent, thinking. What could he get tattooed on his body that he wouldn't regret in ten years?

The answer came to him as soon as he asked himself the question.

_It gets better._

It was a personal statement; the story of his past and his present and the promise of his future. And, in a small way, it _did_ honor Blaine and his contributions to Kurt's life. In addition, it was a slogan linked to a movement that Kurt was passionate about. It meant something to him _and_ to others.

Plus, it was simple and short and could be tattooed on his body in a location and font size that would be easily covered up if he ever needed to be tattoo-less for a role.

He texted Blaine. _Rain check on our Skype date tonight? Rachel wants to go out, a last minute thing._

_Sure,_ Blaine replied. _Maybe reschedule for Wednesday?_

_Perfect_, Kurt agreed. _I love you._

_Goodnight_, Blaine said. _Have fun with Rachel! Love you._

Rachel clutched Kurt's arm the whole way to the tattoo parlor ("I texted Dani," Rachel assured him, "and this is where she got her tattoos so we know it's good!").

"Are we actually gonna do this?" Kurt panicked as they walked through the door into the shop.

"I've always wanted one," Rachel said, rushing forward to look at a book of design ideas that was sitting on a countertop.

"Do you think Blaine's gonna be mad?" Kurt worried. He didn't feel like he needed Blaine's permission to get a tattoo, but he was worried that maybe it would be the polite thing to do to talk to his fiancé before he permanently altered his body.

"Well, isn't he, like, obsessed with Adam Levine?" Rachel recalled.

Kurt thought about it for another second. She was right; Blaine had a thing for Adam Levine, both his music and his look. He would be okay with Kurt getting a small tattoo on his back. Maybe more than okay.

Maybe Blaine would love it. The idea gave him a surge of courage.

"You're right," Kurt said to Rachel. "You're right about everything. I just need to wake up and come out of myself."

"Yes!" Rachel cheered.

"You know, I mean, I'm an _artist_!" Kurt tried to pump himself up to combat his nerves. "I should start acting like one! Would Andy Warhol be standing here worrying? No, he wouldn't!"

Rachel pulled the bottle of limoncello out of her bag.

"To rebellion," she said as she uncorked the bottle, "in all of its forms."

"Okay, oh!" Kurt watched her take a drink straight from the bottle. "Chug, chug, oh!"

"Whew, I don't like," Rachel squeaked as she handed the bottle to Kurt.

Kurt drank some and had the same reaction. "Oh god, it tastes like lemons and gasoline," he complained as he handed Rachel the bottle. "It's the worst,"

"It's the worst," Rachel agreed, returning the bottle to her bag as she continued to look through the book of design ideas.

"What're you going to get?" Kurt asked her.

"I don't know," Rachel said. "Let's surprise each other!"

"Okay," Kurt agreed.

"A cute kitty cat," Rachel pointed out one of the designs in the book as a man with lots of tattoos and a serious look on his face walked up to them.

"So, who's first?" he asked.

Kurt and Rachel looked at each other, both trying to pretend that they weren't panicking, and Kurt decided he would rather get it over with than sit and wait.

"I'll go first," he said with a brisk nod of his head.

The tattoo artist took him behind a curtain, away from Rachel, and Kurt went for it. He got a tattoo on the back of his right shoulder.

Most of it was a blur in his mind by the time he woke up the next morning, back in the loft, safe and warm in his bed like any other day.

Except that his head was pounding like he had spent the night at a frat party instead of a tattoo parlor.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Rachel said brightly as Kurt emerged from his room in his pajama pants and a robe. She was standing at the stove.

"Two shots of limoncello and I feel like I got hit by a bus," Kurt whined. "I'm the worst rebel in the world."

"Well, I made pancakes!" Rachel informed him as Kurt sat down at the table.

"Ow!" he jumped when he sat back and his shoulder hit the back of the chair. "Oh, I forgot that was there for a moment."

He had a _tattoo_ on his back. It was hard to believe. And a little hard to remember. The combination of the small dose of alcohol and his panic had muddled Kurt's memory of exactly what had happened after he left Rachel standing at the counter.

"I didn't want a tramp stamp," Kurt explained as Rachel walked over, eager to see his new body art, "and I thought if I got one on my arm then I wouldn't be able to go sleeveless again."

"Let me see!" Rachel urged.

"Okay, so, when we decided that we were doing it, I knew exactly what I wanted," Kurt explained, standing up so he could untie his robe. "I even printed it out in a font that I liked so the tattoo guy knew exactly what to do."

"Okay," Rachel said.

"It's both personal and political," Kurt said proudly, "just like me."

He dropped his robe into a chair and twisted around so Rachel could see his back. "Ta-da!"

"Aw, Kurt!" Rachel approved. "'_It gets better_', that's so swe–"

She stopped talking so abruptly that Kurt's heart lurched in his chest.

"Wh– is it infected?" he worried, regretting for a moment the fact that he had chosen to put the tattoo on his back where he couldn't see it without a mirror.

"No," Rachel said, "it just... it says 'it's get better', not 'it gets better'. They misspelled it."

Kurt hated himself in that moment. _Why_ had he agreed to get a tattoo? This was why tattoos were a terrible idea! He rushed to a mirror on the wall nearby and twisted around to look at the words written on his back.

"_Oh_ my god," he gasped, "I have absolute nonsense written on me permanently!"

"Okay, you– you _have_ to get it removed," Rachel suggested.

"Of course I do!" Kurt turned away from the mirror to face her. "What if I run into Dan Savage in the steam room at the gym? I mean, I'll be humiliated!"

"Don't worry, they do a really good job at removing tattoos these days!" Rachel reassured him.

"Yeah, for tens of thousands of dollars!" Kurt panicked. "Which I don't have!"

"Okay, then, we're going to go back to the tattoo parlor and we're going to have them fix it," Rachel suggested.

"Just show me yours," Kurt requested, "because maybe he spelled Streisand wrong and– and we can be maimed together."

"You know what, I..." Rachel backed away slightly, "I didn't go through with it."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Kurt asked in disbelief. The whole thing had been _Rachel's idea_.

"I was thinking about all of my favorite idols," Rachel explained herself. "Barbra, Patti, and Carole King... and none of them have tattoos!"

"I cannot believe you backed out without telling me!" Kurt scolded.

"I went! I was gonna go through with it," Rachel told him, "but you were halfway through yours and I just... look, I'm really sorry, okay? I'll... I'll go back with you and we can get your money back."

"No," Kurt disagreed, "what I want back, I can't get! My innocence, my pride, and my unblemished alabaster skin!"

"Kurt..." Rachel said as he snatched his robe off the chair and rushed back to his bedroom. He ignored her.

What was he going to do? He paced around his room, trying to release some of his frustration with Rachel and his horror about his disastrous tattoo. He wanted to call Blaine, but he was too embarrassed. What was he going to say? "Hi, honey, guess what? I permanently maimed my skin last night, on purpose! Whoops!"

Instead, Kurt decided to give himself a day to think about it. A day-long delay so that he wouldn't make another rash decision.

He got dressed and went to class, then to work at the diner, and then home to have dinner and call Blaine.

He didn't tell him about the tattoo.

Instead, they talked about the twerking fiasco happening at McKinley. Sue had seen New Directions having their twerk lessons in the auditorium the day before and had made the dance move the subject of her Sue's Corner segment on the local news that evening.

"And then," Blaine said dramatically, "she decided to _ban twerking_ at school, which is absolutely ridiculous, by the way. So, Mr. Schu set up a protest, and we twerked all over the school and– well, we did that _Blurred Lines_ song, but I don't even think Mr. Schu understands what it's about."

"Ew," Kurt grimaced.

"Yeah. Anyway," Blaine continued, "Sue called him into her office and _fired him_, but he's refusing to leave."

"Did she call the police?" Kurt hoped.

"I don't think so," Blaine said. "I guess he left the building at that point, when she fired him, but he's taking the issue to the school board tomorrow night. We're gonna do a little demonstration about dance through the years to show them that new dances have always scandalized a few people... so what?"

"All of this because you got caught twerking all alone in the choir room," Kurt couldn't resist teasing him.

Blaine laughed. "Whoops," he joked.

They both laughed at that, and then Blaine asked, "What's new with you? How was your night out with Rachel last night?"

"It was fine," Kurt tried not to directly _lie_ about what he and Rachel had been up to. "Finally tried that bottle of limoncello I surreptitiously acquired last month. Please learn from my mistake and never drink that stuff; it was horrifying."

"Alright," Blaine agreed. "I'll take your word for it."

"Speaking of, uh, alcohol," Kurt tried to steer the conversation away from his activities the night before, "I'm looking forward to going out with you next week when you're here for your NYADA audition."

"I don't think our fake IDs will pass inspection in a place like New York," Blaine doubted.

"Right," Kurt agreed, "the alcohol thing just, uh, reminded me of our plan to try that bar I heard about the other week. You can get in when you're eighteen; you just can't drink."

"I can't believe it's _next week_," Blaine said. "I can't wait to see you."

"Happy circumstances, this time," Kurt agreed. "Do you know what you're going to sing for your audition?"

"Not yet," Blaine confessed.

"Well," Kurt reassured him, "you've got so many songs in your repertoire, so don't worry. Whatever you decide to sing will be amazing."

"Thanks," Blaine said, and Kurt could hear the smile in his voice.

They said goodnight not long after that, and Kurt crawled into bed (slowly and carefully; his shoulder was swollen and tender), hoping that the answer to the question of what he should do about his tattoo would be clear in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

The next evening, Kurt went back to the tattoo parlor.

"Are you dyslexic?" he marched over to the artist who had done his tattoo two days earlier. "Or illiterate? Or a charlatan? You completely messed up my tattoo! I am scarred!"

"Let me see," the man – Kurt was pretty sure his name was Louis – said calmly. Kurt tugged his shirt off his shoulder and showed Louis his tattoo, and the artist said, "That is exactly what you told me to write,"

"No," Kurt disagreed firmly, "I wanted a message of hope. Something to represent my strides I've made as an individual and the political sea change."

"Well, you should'a put 'it gets better' on there," Louis suggested.

"I did!" Kurt replied indignantly.

"Nah, you didn't," Louis disagreed, unfazed. He stood up from his chair and grabbed a sheet of paper that was in a stack under the counter. He handed it to Kurt. "This is what you gave me to write. I don't ask questions because I don't wanna hear everybody's bull crap story about what their tattoo means."

It was the printout Kurt had made on the parlor's computer two nights before to show Louis exactly what he wanted his tattoo to look like.

The paper didn't say "It gets better".

It said "It's get better", exactly like the tattoo on his back.

Embarrassment flooded through Kurt.

"I must've screwed it up when I was typing it," he realized. His nerves and the limoncello must've been enough to distract him from making _sure_ that the words were correct. All he could remember focusing on was the font. He had wanted the font to be perfect.

"Yeah," Louis confirmed, snatching the paper out of Kurt's hands.

Kurt sighed unhappily. The tattoo disaster was his fault. What was he going to do?

"Let me ask you something," Louis said. "What are you even doing here? You don't seem like the tattoo type."

"I wanted to rebel and shake off my doldrums," Kurt confessed. He turned and walked over to sit down in an empty chair. "My path has been different and exciting, considering my background. But, considering who I think I am and how I see myself, it's like I've taken the streetcar named predictability. I guess this is the price I pay when I try to surprise myself," he added unhappily.

"No," Louis disagreed, "I think your motives were true. It's just that, you know, when you go off road, man, weird stuff is gonna happen. Check this out."

He walked over to Kurt and adjusted his shirt so Kurt could see a demon tattoo on his chest.

"That demon looks like John Davidson," Kurt realized.

"I got that in Hong Kong," Louis explained. "I was trashed, right? And I asked this guy for a Harley Davidson tattoo. And I guess something got lost in translation 'cause, when I woke up, I had the host of _That's Incredible!_ on my freaking chest. Eh, turned him into a demon. Lame-ass goes to badass. Two hours, tops. My body's covered with mistake ink. You can fix damn near anything."

"How can you fix this?" Kurt wondered, pointing to his shoulder.

"Why don't you give me another shot at it?" Louis suggested. "I'm, uh, starting to get a sense of who you are. Why don't you hop back up on the table and I'll see what I can do?"

Kurt was extremely hesitant.

"No charge," Louis told him. "I'll even throw in a tongue piercing, no cost to you."

Kurt breathed out a disbelieving laugh as Louis turned to walk away, assuming Kurt would follow him. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Look," Louis said, turning around and walking back to Kurt. He was very serious. "You step back now, you will never take another risk again. You will have given up on the whole concept of going nuts. What you gotta do is you gotta go _more_ nuts. Have a positive experience. And then you'll realize that that is where you find the juice of life."

"Come on," Louis smacked Kurt on his right arm, causing Kurt to flinch in pain, and walked away.

"Okay," Kurt said quietly to himself as he stood up, "juice of life..."

"You into Bette Midler?" Louis asked as Kurt took his shirt off and prepared to let the artist fix his tattoo.

"What?" Kurt didn't understand why that was relevant.

"How do you feel about Bette Midler?" Louis rephrased the question.

"I love Bette Midler," Kurt acknowledged.

"I thought so," Louis said. "Alright, get on the table."

Kurt obeyed. "What... are you going to do?" he asked nervously.

"I'm going to ask you to trust me," Louis said calmly. "Let's turn this mistake into something worthy of a young artist like yourself."

Kurt swallowed his fear – worst case scenario: Kurt would ask him to cover the whole thing with a tattoo of a solid black ribbon or something – and let Louis do his work. When he was finished, Louis took a photo of the tattoo with Kurt's phone so Kurt could see it properly.

It said "It's got Bette Midler".

"Sometimes," Louis said as Kurt stared at the photo of his new tattoo, "the best part of an ink mishap is the story of how the final product came to be. The rest of your body tells a story, right? A scar here, a wrinkle there. The only thing different about a tattoo is that you put it there on purpose, to tell your own story. And now this particular tattoo," he gestured at Kurt's shoulder, "has a story of its own."

Kurt loved it.

At first glance, it was nonsensical, but it felt like a poem had been etched into his skin.

"Now," Louis said seriously, motioning at a chair, "we're going to pierce your tongue."

"I'm..." Kurt tried to think of a way to get out of it.

"Look," Louis said, "worst case scenario? You hate it and you can take it out. Your tongue'll heal up."

Kurt took a deep breath.

"Okay," he agreed.

It was an adrenaline rush. The pain (which wasn't as intense as Kurt had feared) and the knowledge that he had just _pierced his tongue_ filled Kurt with a feeling of being _alive_ that he hadn't realized he was missing.

He couldn't wait to show Blaine.

But first, he had to tell Rachel.

"Hey, where've you been?" Rachel asked as he entered their apartment. She was relaxing against her headboard, writing something. Kurt walked over to stand near her bed and hesitated briefly. He sounded so _weird_ with the piercing in his tongue.

"Look," Rachel said, misinterpreting his silence, "I know that you're upset with me about the tattoo and everything, but this silent treatment? It's a little immature."

"It's kinda hard to talk," Kurt explained, motioning to his mouth to explain his sudden lisp.

"Are you eating something?" Rachel asked. "Did you get a pretzel from the guy down the street? Because I thought we were diet partners."

On their way home from the tattoo parlor the night Kurt had gotten the misspelled tattoo, they had made an agreement to start eating healthier. If they were really going to start living their lives to the fullest, they wanted to do it right.

"I pierced my tongue," Kurt told her, sticking his tongue out at the end of the sentence to show her.

"You _pierced your tongue_?" Rachel wailed. "Oh my god! That is so gross, put that away! I don't want to look at it. Does it hurt?"

"Eh, it's not that bad, actually," Kurt explained. "Louis did it for free when he fixed my tattoo."

"You fixed it?" Rachel asked. "What did he do?"

Kurt turned around and started to unbutton his shirt. "He got a little creative with the phrasing – one might say poetic – but, you know, I really do think he captured my essence, given the circumstances."

"Let me see," Rachel encouraged as Kurt slipped his shirt off of his shoulder so she could read his new tattoo.

"'It's got Bette Midler'," she read the words aloud. "'It's got Bette Midler'... oh my god, that is genius and it makes absolutely no sense!"

"But it makes perfect sense," Kurt said as he turned back to face Rachel and buttoned up his shirt, "and I honestly kind of love it."

"So, uh, what about the tongue stud?" Rachel asked.

"Um..." Kurt sat down near her on the edge of her bed, "I think I was in the same boat as you," he admitted. "Ever since Finn died, I've been going about my business, but I've also kinda been in a trance. And I guess I just needed to be shocked back to life. And... there's something about having a metal stud go through your tongue that does the trick."

Rachel laughed softly.

"So, are you going to talk like that forever?" she asked.

"No, it should go down after a couple days," Kurt said. "You should totally get one of these," he teased her, motioning to his mouth.

"Oh, yeah, totally," Rachel played along.

"Yeah, or rethink that tattoo," Kurt said, more seriously. He wasn't sure if he would keep his tongue piercing, but he loved his new tattoo.

"I– I don't, I just... I don't think there's anything that I would, like, _love_ enough that I would want to get on my body for the next fifty years," Rachel told him, "so..."

"Well, suit yourself," Kurt said as he stood up. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna go Skype with Blaine and show him my new tat and piercing. Maybe if I play a little Maroon 5, I'll get cyber-lucky."

He winked dramatically and walked away to his room for his Skype date with Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

"Hey!" Blaine smiled as Kurt's image appeared on his screen.

Kurt smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, his smile turned slightly shy as he started to unbutton his bright red shirt.

Blaine blinked a few times and swallowed heavily, not sure what Kurt was doing. "Um...?" he started to ask, but Kurt held up a hand to stop him before quickly tugging off his shirt and scarf. Then, he winked at Blaine and scooted around so he was facing away from the camera.

There was something on the upper right side of his back. A little string of letters.

A rush of heat flooded into Blaine's face as Kurt turned his head to glance at Blaine.

"Is that a tattoo?" Blaine asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"Yup!" Kurt confirmed happily as he shifted around until he was lying on the bed on his stomach, facing Blaine again. He put his chin on his hands.

"You... when did you...?" Blaine asked.

"There's something else," Kurt said, and his voice sounded strange. Like he had something in his mouth.

"Okay," Blaine encouraged him to continue.

Kurt laughed and buried his face in his hands briefly before lifting his head again and sticking out his tongue.

His tongue was pierced.

For a moment, all Blaine could do was pray that his face didn't look as red as it felt.

"Do you want to hear the story or do you need a minute?" Kurt teased.

Blaine huffed out a soft laugh and shifted in his desk chair. "I want to hear the story," he said.

Kurt's eyes lit up, and he launched quickly into the tale. By the time he finished with a breathless "and I'm hoping you're not upset, because I kind of _love_ the tattoo and I've got to let the swelling go down before I make a final decision about the tongue piercing but I'm surprisingly not traumatized by it", Blaine had recovered slightly, but the lisp in Kurt's voice made it difficult to look anywhere but at his lips.

"You look so hot," he said before he could stop himself.

For a moment Kurt's face shone with joy, and then he leaned closer to the webcam.

"You're going to be here in less than a week," he reminded them both.

"Is... Rachel there?" Blaine had to ask.

Kurt sighed. "Yeah," he said, disappointed. "Let's call this a tease of things to come."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Blaine shifted in his chair again, and Kurt grinned at him before scooting back a little so he wasn't so close to his laptop screen.

"Can I change the subject?" Kurt asked.

"Please," Blaine urged.

"This is not going to sound as serious as I want it to because of ..." Kurt waved his hand at his mouth as he spoke with a heavy lisp, "but I want to apologize."

Blaine scrunched his face in confusion.

"Ever since Finn died," Kurt said, studying Blaine's face on the screen in front of him as he spoke, "I've been kind of... stuck. Not quite paralyzed, but not really myself."

"Is that why you got the tattoo and the piercing?" Blaine guessed.

"Rachel and I went, Monday night," Kurt confessed. "We were both feeling uninspired, and we wanted to _live_, you know?"

"Rachel got one, too?" Blaine asked, surprised.

"No," Kurt rolled his eyes. "She let me go back to get mine first and then chickened out."

Blaine laughed. "Oh my god."

"Anyway," Kurt returned to the point he was trying to make, "I just wanted to let you know that I... I guess I didn't even really realize that I was kind of out of it, but I'm starting to feel better."

"I haven't felt like you've been pulling away or anything, if that's what you mean," Blaine reassured him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"This might be the sappiest thing I've ever said," Kurt replied, "but, honestly? Just having you in my life helps."

Since their reconciliation, Kurt had discovered a new appreciation for their partnership. Even when they were hundreds of miles apart, they were _together_. They were always there for each other, in spirit. All day and all night.

"I'm glad," Blaine smiled at him, that smile that meant _I love you so much_. "I'm so excited to see you next week."

"And _this?_" Kurt stuck his tongue out, and then laughed, pleased, as Blaine buried his face in his hands to hide his blushing. "Don't worry; I won't take it out until you've had a chance to see it at least once."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The rest of the week passed quickly for Blaine. There was drama for some of his friends. Marley found out that Jake had cheated on her, and Blaine felt sick to his stomach that entire afternoon. Unique was forced to use a purple portable toilet that Sue had bolted to the choir room floor until Mr. Schu finally made a deal with Sue: no more twerking in exchange for a key for Unique so she could use the unisex staff bathroom. But, outside of his sympathy and very minor involvement with those issues, the final days of the week were pleasant for Blaine.

He had something to look forward to. He was counting down the days until his trip to New York, and the number was now a single digit.

Soon, he would be in New York, visiting Kurt and auditioning for NYADA and setting things in motion that would affect the rest of his life.

Mr. Schu asked for suggestions for New Directions' final song of the week – something "upbeat, optimistic, full of youth and hope" – and Blaine knew the perfect song. As they danced and sang The Royal Concept's _On Our Way_ together in the auditorium, Blaine knew that _this_ was the New Directions that could win Nationals.

They didn't need twerking. They didn't need to be edgy. They needed to be inspiring. They needed to inspire the judges the way they inspired each other: through songs. Songs that meant something.

"_To your place, place, place. We're on our way, way, way. We're on our way, way, way. We're on our way, somehow. Hold me close, close, close. We're losing time, time, time. We're losing time, time, time. We're falling to the ground. We are young, we are one. Let us shine for what it's worth._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>I don't have any tattoos at this point in my life and I've never had my tongue pierced. So, I apologize if anything about that stuff is inaccurate. I tried to just gloss over the exact details! Also, on the topic of tattoos... Kurt doesn't find out about it in this episode (or ever, I imagine), but Rachel's "Finn" tattoo? One of the sweetest things Glee has ever done.<strong>_

_**Revisiting these early episodes now, after the season is over, is so nice. They're so enjoyable! The second half of the season – which, really, is season 5... this first part is a continuation of season 4 – is SO good that I sort of forgot that all of this was great, too! The song at the end of this episode is so GLEE. One of my favorite New Directions end-of-episode performances.**_

_**Up next... 5x06: Movin' Out!**_


	67. 5x06: Movin' Out

_**This is a lovely episode for Kurt and Blaine. Finally, Blaine gets to visit New York a happy reason! Yay**_!_****_

_****_Here's a link to the song I chose for Blaine to sing for his audition: YouTube dot com / watch?v=ZUUiACzgug4  
><em>****_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday morning, Blaine and the other students of McKinley High arrived to find the hallways of their school lined with tables.

It was a career fair.

Blaine wandered through the hallways during lunch, checking out the various careers represented, but didn't take any information or speak to any of the men and woman behind the tables.

He knew his career path already. He was auditioning for NYADA on Thursday.

"Hey, guys!" Mr. Schu greeted New Directions, all gathered around the piano, as he walked into the choir room to start glee rehearsal that afternoon. He jumped directly into the week's lesson. "In spite of the complete lack of representation at the career fair, I know that a lot of you are thinking about a career in the arts. Well, it's no secret that Sue Sylvester doesn't believe that an artistic career is a very practical idea. And, for once, I have to admit, she's right."

Blaine listened intently, thinking about his plans to attend NYADA and, hopefully, work on Broadway or possibly in television or film.

"It's completely impractical," Mr. Schu told them. "You know, anyone pursuing the arts needs to go in with their eyes wide open. We're talking _zero_ job security and impossible odds. But, I've always believed that you have to pursue what you love, and that's why this week's assignment is about a goofy-looking kid who struggled for years in the music business."

"_Finally_, it's Marylin Manson week!" Kitty guessed as Mr. Schu walked over to the whiteboard to write down the week's theme.

"Close," Mr. Schu said. "Billy Joel."

"Who?" Unique asked.

"Oh, just a musical genius who's sold over a hundred and fifty million records, worldwide," Artie criticized.

"That's right," Mr. Schu confirmed. "Billy had to fight every step of the way in his career. He had countless failures and disappointments. Writing songs that nobody wanted. Playing piano in city bars just to pay the rent. Being told he'd never make it because he didn't look right."

"Translation: too Jewish," Jake commented.

"But, he ignored the haters and he kept pursuing his dream," Mr. Schu explained the rest of Billy Joel's career, "becoming the third best-selling solo artist of all time. I mean, he is a true inspiration to anyone pursuing a career in the arts, like our very own Mr. Blaine Anderson and Mr. Sam Evans!"

The other students applauded as Blaine stood up from his seat on the piano bench.

"Alright, as some of you may or may not know," he said, "this week is my big NYADA audition. I know; it's terrifying. So, I'm leaving today to maybe get some last minute tips from Kurt and Rachel!"

"And I'm going with him," Sam explained, "because I have an interview with the theater department at Hunter College. They saw, and they loved, my Tornado Town impressions reel, and I'm up for this awesome scholarship. The 'Channing Tatum former male stripper grant'."

"But," Blaine told the group, "we spoke to Mr. Schu and, because we have to miss this week's lesson, he thought the least we could do was maybe –"

"Kick it off with our very own take on a classic B.J.!" Sam finished the sentence for him.

Blaine shook his head briefly.

"Billy– Billy Joel," Sam clarified quickly. "Hit it!"

Blaine sat back down at the piano and played as they sang.

"_Anthony works in the grocery store, savin' his pennies for someday. Mama Leone left a note on the door. She said, 'Sonny, move out to the country'. Oh, but workin' too hard can give you a heart attack. You ought'a know by now. Who needs a house out in Hackensack? Is that all you get for your money? It seems such a waste of time, if that's what it's all about. Mama, if that's movin' up then I'm movin' out._"

As soon as the song was over, Blaine and Sam said goodbye to New Directions and started their journey to New York. Blaine drove them to the airport (electing to pay to park his car for the week rather than having someone drop them off and come back to pick them up when they returned), and they breezed through security and onto their flight.

For the first two hours of the flight, they chatted excitedly about their plans for the week and played a few games on their phones, but then Sam fell asleep and left Blaine alone with his thoughts.

Mr. Schu's words rung loudly in his ears. _Zero job security and impossible odds_. Suddenly, with his NYADA audition (and everything it represented) looming ahead of him, Blaine questioned his plan.

What if he went to NYADA, spent tens of thousands of dollars to improve his singing and dancing and acting skills, and then spent the rest of his life living paycheck-to-paycheck, struggling with debt and unemployment? He might _never_ land a role that would pay his bills for longer than a few weeks or months.

And there was Kurt to consider, too. What would a life of scraping by do to their relationship? Blaine wanted to believe – _did_ believe – that their love and commitment to each other would be enough for a happy life together, but _what if it wasn't_?

Was "pursuing his dream" worth it? He had other interests outside of performing. His real goal was to help people; to make their lives better. He could do that as a doctor or a teacher, couldn't he? He could be happy helping people in a non-artistic way. He could always do performing on the side. Maybe, if he was a teacher, he could find acting jobs when he was off during the summer? If he pursued a career in medicine, maybe he could volunteer at a children's hospital? He could entertain sick children to take their minds off of their daily struggles.

That train of thought contributed another thing to consider into Blaine's whirling mind. Children. It was one thing if he and Kurt had to go to bed hungry sometimes because money was scarce, but another thing entirely if they decided to have children and couldn't afford to take care of them properly.

He had to put Kurt and their possible future children ahead of his own desires, right? Another bonus to choosing to be a doctor or a teacher would be that Kurt could have more freedom in _his_ career. Kurt wouldn't have to worry if the bills were being paid if he didn't book a role for a few months.

But, Blaine worried, would he look back on his life in fifty years and _regret_? Would he wish that he had tried the starving artist path instead of the safer, more traditional route? Would he be creatively satisfied? There _was_ a chance that NYADA could open doors for him that would lead to a lifetime of singing and dancing and acting _and_ getting paid enough to support a family. Plus, if both he and Kurt were making at least _some_ money each month, that could add up to enough, right? Blaine wasn't going to be responsible for every penny they needed.

Blaine closed his eyes, anxious and tired of thinking about all the uncertainty of his future, and tried to distract himself by considering possible song selections for his NYADA audition.

The next thing he knew, Sam was shaking him awake. "We're here! We're here! Wake up!"

The short nap helped to calm Blaine's nerves. Sure, being a performer would be challenging, but he was capable. He could handle it. He and Kurt could handle it together.

As he and Sam took a train and then a bus to get from the airport to Kurt, Rachel, and Santana's apartment, all of Blaine's excitement returned.

He would be living here, in New York City, in less than six months.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was restless. The good kind of restless, where he couldn't really focus on anything because he was so excited.

Blaine had texted him when his and Sam's plane landed and Kurt, who had just returned to the apartment at that point after an afternoon shift at the diner, had immediately sought out a deck of cards to play solitaire at the table to keep himself from standing at the window, waiting for the first glimpse of his fiancé and his friend.

His plan to distract himself worked beautifully. With Rachel in her room memorizing lines for _Funny Girl_ and Santana in the shower, it felt like a normal afternoon and Kurt was slightly startled when the door to the loft suddenly slid open a few feet away.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, delighted and surprised, as he saw Sam and Blaine in the doorway. "Oh!"

"Tada!" Sam announced their arrival.

"Hi, hi, hi!" Kurt cried happily, jumping up from his chair and stepping into a hug from Sam, who was closest to him. Rachel came running out of her room, straight into Blaine's arms, and then she and Kurt switched places so Rachel could hug Sam and Kurt could hug Blaine.

"Hi!" Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek briefly as Kurt pulled him into a quick hug.

"Oh my god, I'm glad you're here!" Kurt gushed as he stepped back so he could see Blaine's face. "Oh, wow, that was fast!"

"We were lucky," Blaine acknowledged. "The train was right there, waiting for us. And the bus, too."

"_Of course_ it was," Santana said from behind Kurt.

"Hi, Santana," Blaine smiled at her over Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey," she replied. Kurt could hear the smile in her voice.

"Okay, here," Kurt suggested, tugging at the strap of Blaine's bag, which was still hooked around Blaine's body, "let's get this off you so you can get comfortable."

Blaine put his bag down beside him and reached out for another hug. This time, Kurt squeezed him for longer. No amount of talking on the phone or Skyping was as good as _this_. Having Blaine with him, in his arms.

When they stepped back from the second hug, Blaine's eyes lingered on Kurt's lips, and Kurt knew what was on his mind. Kurt's new tongue ring.

"Later," he teased quietly, darting in to peck a quick kiss on Blaine's lips.

Blaine grimaced in mostly-playful frustration and allowed Kurt to remove and hang up his jacket, grab his hand, and lead him over to the couch. Rachel and Sam were already sitting in two of the living room's chairs; Santana had disappeared to the bathroom to get dressed.

"...should totally go out to dinner!" Rachel declared as Kurt and Blaine sat down beside each other on the couch. Kurt tugged his hand out of Blaine's, not wanting to make their friends uncomfortable, and Blaine casually crossed his legs and leaned back, closing his eyes briefly like it felt wonderful to be sitting on something that wasn't moving.

"Sure," Blaine agreed politely as he opened his eyes and sat up.

"There's this really nice place," Rachel said enthusiastically, "kind of near NYADA, remember, Kurt? We've been thinking of trying it for a while, and this seems like the perfect opportunity!"

The _last_ thing Kurt wanted to do, now that Blaine was sitting beside him on the couch for the first time in weeks, was to go all the way to Manhattan for dinner, but he couldn't think of a legitimate reason to say no. He and Rachel _had_ been eyeing that restaurant for quite some time.

Plus, if he suggested that they order takeout or go out to eat somewhere nearer to their apartment, the problem remained: there was nowhere and no time to be alone with Blaine.

"What're we doing?" Santana wondered as she reemerged from the bathroom, fully dressed.

"We're going to dinner!" Rachel explained happily. "Want to come?"

"Sure," Santana shrugged, turning mid-step and heading for the door.

"Right now?" Kurt disapproved. "They just got here; let's rest a minute."

Santana paused near the door. "Wait," she realized, turning back toward the group, "you two are coming?" she motioned at Kurt and Blaine.

"Rachel invited us," Blaine explained.

"No," Santana said bluntly, walking over to nudge Sam's chair with her foot. "Let's go. Rachel? Get up."

"_No_?" Kurt questioned as Sam and Rachel stood up.

"No, you're not coming," Santana clarified. "You two are going to stay here and bang while we're gone so we can all sleep tonight."

"Oh my god, _Santana_!" Rachel scolded.

"It's a good plan," Sam admitted.

Kurt couldn't find his voice as Rachel turned to look at him and his face burned with embarrassment at the fact that his friends were going to walk out the door and _know_ that he and Blaine were having sex in the apartment as they were having dinner.

"Okay," Rachel said briskly. Now that she knew what was going to happen, she didn't want to discuss it further. "Well, um, see you guys later!"

"I'll text you when we're on our way back!" Santana sang loudly as the trio walked to the door. She waved at Kurt and Blaine, both still motionless on the couch, and slid the door closed behind her.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine and saw that his face was as red as Kurt's felt. Blaine shifted on the couch, steadying himself.

"Just one thing," Kurt clarified after they looked at each other in silence for a moment, "before we... get started."

Blaine nodded, encouraging him to hurry up.

"This," Kurt motioned to his mouth to indicate his tongue ring, "is still a little sore, so, uh, please be gentle."

Blaine reached up and untied his bowtie without taking his eyes off of Kurt. "Gentle," he agreed.

They were done talking after that. Kurt shoved Blaine over so he was lying on his back on the couch and climbed on top of him, and they explored the new sensation of Kurt's tongue ring until the still-relatively-new piercing started to hurt enough that it was more than mildly uncomfortable for Kurt. He took it out, tossing it onto his table by the window as he pulled Blaine into his room so they could make use of the bed.

By the time Santana texted Kurt to let him know that she, Rachel, and Sam would be home in forty five minutes, Kurt was absolutely sure of one thing.

Blaine really, _really_ approved of his tattoo.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Tuesday morning, Blaine woke up with all of his doubts about his career choice pounding in his head. Everything was suddenly so _real_. He was really going to move to this huge city. He was really going to get _married_. To _Kurt_. He was really going to choose a path for his life.

It was terrifying.

Kurt had woken up first – he was no longer in bed with Blaine – so Blaine wandered into the kitchen to find him.

"Good morning," Kurt smiled at him from his seat at the table. "Do you know how to use the coffee machine?"

Blaine glanced at the little machine on the counter in the kitchen and nodded, returning the smile as he walked over to make himself a cup of coffee.

"What're you going to do today?" Kurt asked quietly as Blaine sat down next to him. Everyone else was still asleep – Rachel in her bed, Santana on the couch, and Sam on an air mattress on the floor where the coffee table usually sat.

"Um," Blaine realized he didn't have any plans. His NYADA audition wasn't until Thursday. "I don't know, actually."

"Unfortunately," Kurt grimaced, "I have classes all day and then work at the diner this afternoon. But I can recommend some places to see, if you're interested?"

"Sure," Blaine agreed.

Blaine scooted his chair closer to Kurt so Kurt could show him a few places on a map on his phone, and completing the list of recommendations took longer than it should have because Blaine kept sneaking quiet kisses on Kurt's cheek and temple. Kurt squirmed happily as he did it, occasionally twisting away at the last second so Blaine's kiss landed at the base of his jaw or on his ear, instead.

"You two are gross," Santana scolded as she walked past, still half asleep. Kurt turned his head and let one of Blaine's kisses land on his lips, and Santana disappeared into the bathroom.

A few seconds later, Kurt accidentally dropped his phone as Blaine leaned in and started trailing little kisses down Kurt's jaw line, and the device bounced off the table before crashing to the floor. Blaine quickly sat back, burying his face in his hands in mock-horror, and Kurt couldn't stifle his giggles as Sam groaned his disapproval about the loud noise and started to wake up.

An hour later, everyone was awake, fed, and dressed for the day. They all rode into Manhattan together before splitting up: Santana off to meet Dani, Kurt and Rachel off to NYADA, and Blaine and Sam off to explore New York City.

They went to one of Kurt's recommended historical sites first – a former bath house on St. Mark's Place – and Blaine explained the concept and appeal of a bath house to Sam as they ate lunch at a small restaurant nearby. Then, they went to visit Columbia University, walked through Central Park for a few minutes, checked out Hunter College (where Sam had an interview the next morning), and finally ended up wandering around NYU.

Blaine was more anxious than ever about his future plans by the time he and Sam reached the Spotlight Diner early in the evening to have dinner and wait for Kurt, Rachel, and Santana to finish working so they could all go back to Bushwick together.

He _wanted_ to go to NYADA. He _wanted_ to be a performer. But there were so many _options_ of subjects he could study at NYU or Columbia – he had applied to both on the same day he applied to NYADA – and it made him doubt making NYADA his first choice. If he changed his mind about what he wanted to study while he was attending NYU or Columbia, he could just change majors and carry on. If he had second thoughts about his choice of study at NYADA, the only option was to drop out and start the entire applying-to-college process over again.

He was starting to seriously consider _not_ auditioning for NYADA, and he didn't know how to tell Kurt.

Blaine waved at Kurt, who was busy rushing to grab an order for one of his tables, as he and Sam walked into the diner. Kurt waved back and smacked Santana lightly on the shoulder as he walked past, motioning for her to find Blaine and Sam a table.

"So, did you boys like those historical sites I recommended?" Kurt inquired a few minutes later, when he finally had a chance to take an "intermission" and sit down with Blaine and Sam for a moment.

"Um, we checked out that deconstructed bath house on St. Mark's where Tennessee Williams got in that fist fight with Tallulah Bankhead," Blaine confirmed.

"Oh yeah, that was awesome," Sam said.

"Cool," Kurt approved.

"Uh, but it was mostly campus visits," Blaine clarified. "NYU, Columbia."

"Why?" Kurt wondered. "You're going to NYADA."

"I need safety schools, Kurt," Blaine scolded gently. "I haven't gotten in yet."

"But you _will_, as soon as you audition," Kurt said confidently. "The way I've talked you up to Carmen Tibideaux, she's gonna offer you a spot on the spot."

Blaine was so nervous he couldn't think of what to say in response.

"Which reminds me..." Kurt said, glancing over Blaine's shoulder at the piano on the diner's empty stage, "are you up for a little trial run?"

Blaine dropped his head, preemptively embarrassed.

"I don't want to send you into the lion's den under rehearsed," Kurt explained. "Come on!"

"No," Blaine whined halfheartedly as Kurt grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of his chair. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Yes, yes!" Sam encouraged.

"Come on, don't worry!" Kurt said as he pulled Blaine across the room to the stage. "The piano awaits..."

Blaine knew there was no way out of it (and part of him wanted to sing for the room, anyway), so he sat down at the piano as Kurt captured the room's attention.

"Hello, everyone!" Kurt raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Welcome to the Spotlight Diner and to a very special performance."

Blaine took a deep breath. Kurt believed in him. That meant something.

"Now, you may not know the name Blaine Anderson yet," Kurt told the patrons in the room, "but you will soon when it's lit up all over Broadway. Alright, ladies and gentlemen... Blaine Anderson!"

"Thank you, Kurt!" Blaine said as Kurt hopped off the stage. "Thank you, everyone."

Blaine decided to sing one of his favorite Billy Joel songs in honor of Mr. Schu's lesson of the week. "Sing along if you know it," he suggested to the room as he started the song's distinctive piano intro.

"_It's nine o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in. There's an old man sitting next to me, making love to his tonic and gin. He says, 'Son can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes.'_"

As Blaine sang, the diner's wait staff, including Kurt and Rachel and Santana, joined him and danced around the room with candles.

"_Sing us a song; you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we're all in the mood for a melody and you've got us feeling alright._"

It was fun. It felt good to sing for a group of people who didn't know him and to know that the crowd was enjoying the performance. This was what Blaine wanted; he wanted to entertain people.

"That was incredible!" Kurt shouted from where he was standing on the countertop when the song ended. "There's no way you're not getting into NYADA, and all our dreams will come true!"

Blaine nodded appreciatively as icy fear built up inside him. Kurt was so _sure_. But either choice – NYADA and a life pursuing a career as a performer or NYU or Columbia and a career as _something else_ – felt like minefield of possible regrets. How could he choose?

He knew he should talk to Kurt about it, but he was so afraid. How could he explain his decision not to audition for NYADA without sounding like he was critical of _Kurt's_ path?

"Thank you," he waved to the room as everyone applauded, feeling uncharacteristically shy. As the applause died away, Blaine stood up and walked back to his table where Sam was waiting.

"That was awesome," Sam complimented as Blaine sat down.

"Thanks," Blaine smiled at him.

"_Amazing_!" Kurt suddenly appeared from behind Blaine. He had food for both Blaine and Sam. "_You're_ amazing," he gushed as he set the plates down on the table.

"Thank you, Kurt," Blaine said, for both the food and the praise.

"Enjoy!" Kurt flashed Blaine and Sam a huge smile and hurried away.

After Kurt's and Rachel's shifts were over, they introduced Blaine and Sam to Dani (who was just arriving for an overnight shift) and then headed back to the apartment in Bushwick. They all had showers ("Cities make you feel so gross!" Sam decided) and climbed into bed, and Blaine snuggled up to Kurt and was so tired from walking around all day that he fell asleep before his mind had a chance to run away with him again.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Wednesday morning, Sam and Rachel both had to leave early – Sam had to get to Hunter College for his interview and Rachel had an early _Funny Girl_ meeting before her first class of the day at NYADA – and Santana slept in, so Kurt and Blaine went into Manhattan together. Kurt took Blaine with him to all of his classes ("Why not see what you have to look forward to?") and enjoyed introducing his fiancé to his classmates and professors. Blaine seemed to enjoy sitting in on the classes; he had questions and commentary for Kurt during every break between classes.

After Kurt's final class that afternoon, they went to the Statue of Liberty together. It was Blaine's suggestion; "Let's do something touristy!" They walked hand-in-hand around Liberty Island, marveling at the iconic statue and enjoying being there together.

Blaine was a little quieter than usual throughout the afternoon, but Kurt knew he was probably nervous about his NYADA audition. When Blaine got nervous, he stopped talking.

Which was why Kurt had planned a surprise for dinner.

After the Statue of Liberty, Kurt suggested that they go out for a nice dinner.

"It'll take a while to go back to the apartment and change, right?" Blaine worried. "It's still early, but..."

"That's why I had Santana bring our outfits to NYADA this afternoon," Kurt explained, laughing when Blaine's eyes widened in happy surprise. "I had to pay her fifty bucks to make the detour on the way to the diner, but she texted me whining about how heavy our clothes were earlier today, so I know she did it."

They went to NYADA and changed their clothes, and then Kurt hailed them a taxi.

"Where are we going?" Blaine asked after Kurt told the driver the address.

"Just a little up-and-coming place that serves delicious food," Kurt told the truth. "Someone at Vogue dot com recommended it."

Kurt's surprise was waiting for them inside the restaurant.

"Oh no," Blaine gasped as soon as they walked in the door. "_Kurt_."

"I _told_ you I was going to introduce you while you were here," Kurt teased him as he grabbed Blaine's hand and led him to the table where Isabelle Wright was waiting for them.

"Kurt, hello!" Isabelle greeted him warmly with a quick hug.

"This is Blaine," Kurt introduced Blaine. "Blaine, this is Isabelle."

"It's _so_ nice to meet you," Blaine shook Isabelle's hand.

"I hope Kurt has told you that you're a bit of a celebrity in our office," Isabelle smiled as they all sat down. "That _proposal_... anyone who makes this guy," she motioned at Kurt, "smile like that is a person worth knowing."

"Thank you," Blaine ducked his head.

Kurt picked up the conversation then, in an attempt to give Blaine a little time to recover from the initial surprise, and the trio spent the next few hours enjoying a steady flow of thoughtful, enjoyable conversation and delicious food.

"Oh my god," Blaine laughed once he and Kurt had said goodbye to Isabelle and started the short walk to the subway station that would take them home, "I can't believe that just happened."

"I _told_ you she would love you," Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand as they walked, "and that you would love her. You're both so sunny."

"She's so _interesting_," Blaine gushed. He rattled off a few examples of his favorite stories that Isabelle had told them over the course of the evening, and Kurt was pleased to hear him so chatty. Kurt's goal for the dinner had been twofold: to introduce Blaine and Isabelle and to get Blaine's mind off of his NYADA audition.

He was pleased with himself, but he wasn't done distracting Blaine yet. If they went back to the apartment now – the sun had barely gone down – Blaine would have the whole evening to start worrying again.

"So," he squeezed Blaine's hand as they approached the entrance to the subway station, "we have two options here."

"Okay," Blaine narrowed his eyes, suspicious of more surprises.

"We can go back to the loft," Kurt offered, "and hang out with Rachel and Sam."

"Or...?" Blaine wondered.

"_Or_," Kurt explained, "we can give that bar in Greenwich Village a try."

That was _definitely_ Blaine's preferred choice; Kurt could see the excitement in his eyes. But there was also some uncertainty there, too.

"Are you sure?" Blaine worried. "The first time we tried a gay bar..." he trailed off, and Kurt understood. Things had not gone well that night.

"If we stopped doing things after the first try every time the first try didn't go as planned, we'd probably never do anything fun," Kurt told him. "Tonight, I want to go dancing with my fiancé in New York City."

"You are," Blaine said, swooping in for a quick kiss, "the most wonderful man in the world."

"We'll see how you feel about that when the night is over," Kurt teased. "I have no idea what to expect from this place... I've just heard vaguely good things about it."

"Let's go find out," Blaine smiled.

So, they did. They went to a gay bar in Greenwich Village and danced together for hours, until they were sweaty and exhausted and full to the brim with happiness. Blaine was in his element right away; it was like he absorbed the vibe of the room and felt _free_ there. Kurt was a little more hesitant for the first few minutes, uncomfortably aware of all the strange people bumping into them and just generally _around_ them, but Blaine stayed with him every second of the night and was so excited that Kurt eventually relaxed and let himself get lost in the music and the dim lighting and _Blaine_.

They had sex in the shower when they returned to the loft. Everyone else was already asleep, so they tried to be quiet, but Kurt was so buzzed on _life_ that he couldn't find the energy to really care if his friends knew what was happening behind the closed bathroom door. They could just roll over and fall back asleep when Kurt and Blaine were done.

Climbing into bed felt so, so good after such an activity-filled day. Kurt and Blaine mumbled their final _I love you_s and both fell asleep quickly, comfortable and safe together in Kurt's bed.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine was so nervous he couldn't eat breakfast.

The day before had been one of the best days of his life. A day of big firsts: his first time sitting in on a full day of college – NYADA – classes, his first time visiting the Statue of Liberty, his first time meeting Isabelle Wright, his first time going out dancing with Kurt in the city.

As he sat at the table and listened to Sam and Rachel as they told the story of Sam's disastrous interview at Hunter College and his new plan to skip college and become a male model, all Blaine could think about was the "first" that was going to happen to him in a few hours.

His first audition for NYADA.

In an ideal world, his first and _only_ audition for NYADA, but Blaine didn't dare to believe that Kurt was right and he would be quickly accepted.

By the time everyone else was done eating and Blaine was done shoving the pancakes on his plate around so it looked like he had eaten _something_, Blaine knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't go to NYADA. He needed _options_, didn't he? He liked having options; options meant freedom.

He had to tell Kurt.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt noticed that Blaine didn't eat anything at breakfast, but he didn't mention it. He remembered very well that sick feeling of fear and uncertainty as your future loomed before you and you had _one moment_ to do it right.

Instead of trying to manipulate Blaine's feelings, Kurt decided to just make it a normal day. To remain calm and steady so Blaine could lean on him for support.

"Carmen Tibideaux's a classicist," Kurt reminded Blaine as they retreated to Kurt's room to choose an outfit for Blaine's audition. "So, for your audition, let's try to avoid shocking patterns and anything that says 'look at me, I'm the center of attention and this primary color proves it!'."

He picked up one of Blaine's red polos as he spoke, shaking it playfully, but Blaine didn't smile or laugh from his seat on a stool near the window.

"Kurt, wait," he said, instead. "Just... stop. I have to tell you something."

He looked kind of dead inside, like he was drowning in guilt.

"Oh no," Kurt said, "you've got that look. The look I saw the night after Callbacks." He sat down on the edge of his bed, trying to voice his fear to _get it out there,_ but also trying to keep the mood light. "If you cheated on me again, I will not accept sex addiction as an excuse," he half-teased.

"I... don't want to audition for NYADA," Blaine confessed, staring at the ground as he said the words and then letting his eyes flit up to look at Kurt.

That was not what Kurt had expected.

"Well, you can't get in on reputation alone," Kurt reminded him.

"No," Blaine agreed before elaborating. "NYADA's just a performing arts school. That's all you can study there. I have other passions. Other interests I might want to explore in college."

"For instance?" Kurt wondered.

"I don't know!" Blaine hesitated to commit. "You know how much I love kids... I'd love to be a teacher like Mr. Schu. Or... or pre-med, or something!"

"Of course," Kurt said as he realized what was going on, "how could I forget the numerous conversations we've had about you wanting to be a doctor?"

"My passion for medicine has always been my secret shame!" Blaine argued. "My first guy crush was George Clooney, aka Doctor Roz on _ER_. And... it's no secret what my favorite Milton Bradley game is. Operation!"

Kurt let him talk it out, but he knew what this rushed "confession" was about. Blaine was so scared that NYADA wasn't going to work out that he was trying to preemptively sabotage the situation.

"It's such a great relief to be able to tell you this now," Blaine exhaled a shaky, nervous laugh. "I'm just glad I did it before my audition."

Kurt pressed his lips together to keep from laughing and just nodded at Blaine. _I know what this is about_.

"_What_?" Blaine noticed Kurt's expression.

Kurt stood up from the bed and walked around the bed to Blaine.

"We're getting married," Kurt reminded him as he grabbed Blaine's hand and pulled him over so they could sit together on the edge of Kurt's bed. "I know you. And I get it! And this is a sweet side of you that I don't get to see very often."

Blaine's hand was cold in Kurt's.

"You're scared," Kurt pressed.

"Of what?" Blaine tried not dodge.

"Look," Kurt told him, "when I first moved here, I honestly felt like I was Crocodile Dundee, alright? The city is huge, the buildings are huge, and everywhere you look it's like there's all these beautiful people who seem to just come from some secret meeting where they teach you how to make it in the big city."

"What if I don't get in?" Blaine worried. "You didn't."

"You will!" Kurt reassured him. "And if you don't, it won't matter. You're a performer; you're gonna find the spotlight. And you can't shy away from your greatness just because you're afraid you're not great enough. You have a gift, and it wouldn't be right to let you hide that away."

Blaine's expression softened as Kurt spoke, and Kurt knew the moment of panic was over as Blaine exhaled heavily.

"Thanks for knowing me," Blaine said, relieved. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Kurt reminded him as they leaned together for a hug. He rubbed Blaine's back, hoping that Blaine really _knew_ how much Kurt loved him.

"And we're in this together," Kurt added as they both sat back. "And I can't stop you from failing, but I can promise to make it safe if you do."

The corners of Blaine's mouth turned up slightly, almost a smile, and Kurt decided that it was time to move the conversation to other topics. They had work to do.

"And I think Santana should do your makeup," Kurt suggested.

Blaine sucked in a nervous breath, but, as he followed Kurt out into the main part of the apartment to see if Santana had come home yet or if they needed to text her and see if they could stop by Dani's apartment where she had spent the night, Kurt could tell that he was more relaxed than he had been before their conversation. More himself.

They picked out an outfit for Blaine, went to Dani's apartment where Santana was waiting to do his makeup, and then there was nothing to do but make it to NYADA on time.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Kurt asked Santana as Blaine opened the door to leave. "You're going to miss out on a historic moment!"

"Oh, please," Santana shooed them with her hands, but she added a shouted "good luck!" just before the door closed behind them.

They chatted about the audition on the train to Manhattan, and Kurt was surprised to discover that Blaine didn't want to tell him the song he had decided to sing.

"You surprised me yesterday," Blaine teased, "so let me surprise you today."

"Do I... know the song?" Kurt pressed for clues.

"I think so," Blaine guessed.

Kurt decided not to press further. He didn't want to inadvertently add to Blaine's anxiety, even about something so trivial.

When they got to NYADA, Blaine was assigned a room to warm up in, and Blaine insisted that Kurt stay with him. Kurt helped him warm up, encouraging him and singing along with him, and then they just had to wait for someone to come get Blaine when it was his turn.

The knock on the door made both Blaine and Kurt jump, and Kurt laughed apologetically. He was nervous, too.

Kurt kissed Blaine lightly on the lips – he didn't want to mess up Blaine's light layer of makeup – and shoved him toward the door. Blaine laughed as he opened the door and he and Kurt walked together to the entrance to the round room.

"I believe in you," Kurt said firmly as they paused and Kurt made sure Blaine's outfit was perfect.

"I love you," Blaine replied, equally serious, and then smiled slightly. "Now go find a seat so I can sing to you."

Kurt rushed away and snuck into the round room to take his seat beside Rachel and Sam.

The room was full. The crowd consisted mostly of family and friends of the people auditioning, but there were also some NYADA students and teachers. Carmen Tibideaux sat at the front of the room.

Blaine was first because his last name was first, alphabetically.

"Hello," Blaine smiled at Carmen Tibideaux as he walked to the center of the room. "I'm Blaine Anderson."

"Mr. Anderson," Carmen greeted him. "Whenever you're ready."

Blaine nodded, and Kurt was so nervous and excited he could barely sit still. He reached over and grabbed Rachel's hand. They shared a quick glance before focusing their full attention on Blaine as he turned and glanced at the instrumentalists behind him to make sure they were ready.

Blaine's gaze flashed to Kurt as the music began, and Kurt's heart lurched in his chest. He smiled and gave Blaine a quick thumbs-up, and Blaine took a deep breath and relaxed slightly as he began the song.

"_So many nights I have stood in the moonlight, watching it fade into dawn. Wanting her back with me, warm in the moonlight. Knowing that moment was gone._"

Rachel squeezed Kurt's hand, and Kurt hung on Blaine's every word.

"_Out of mind, out of sight, 'til the moon rose tonight. All at once I felt a chill. In a spill of moonlight, she was there. Though we both held very still, there was something pulling in the air._"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Rachel leaning in his direction, and he silently hushed her before she could say anything. He knew what she was going to say. The song was about realizing that a love you thought you had lost was still alive. Had always been alive. Details aside, it could've been written about Blaine; Blaine had thought he had lost Kurt's love. Until he suddenly realized he hadn't.

"_When she whispered through the dark, I tried hard to hold my ground. I believed I had a choice, 'til the music in her voice turned my whole world around._"

Blaine moved around the front of the room as he sang, lost in the song.

"_I would like to understand, but the stars and I begin to blur. If she never touched my hand, then what filled me with the feel of her? In between us stood a wall. In a flash it fell apart. Is it possible she heard every last unspoken word racing out of my heart?_"

Kurt risked a glance at Carmen Tibideaux, but he could only see her back. She _had_ to like this. This was so _Blaine_. Eager and optimistic.

"_She never turned to me but suddenly we had so much to share. I never took her in my arms but she was there. Oh, she was there._"

For the first time since the start of the performance, Blaine glanced briefly at Kurt, and there were tears in both of their eyes.

"_No I never pulled her in, still her tenderness was everywhere. Oh, she slipped beneath my skin, just as if she'd always been right there. Has she been there all along? Was I too far gone to know?_"

Kurt bounced his knee a little, bursting with excitement, as the song crescendoed to its end and Blaine's NYADA audition was officially a success.

"_What a fool I must have been. For how could I pull her in when I've never let her go?_"

As soon as the sound of Blaine's final note died away, Kurt leapt to his feet and yanked his hand out of Rachel's to applaud as hard as he could. Beside him, Rachel and Sam did the same, and Blaine smiled at them and offered a short bow of thanks to his friends and the rest of the crowd.

Then, Kurt, Rachel, and Sam sat down – tried to calm down – and they waited for Carmen Tibideaux to say something.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Carmen Tibideaux stared down at the notebook in her lap for a moment, studying her notes on Blaine's performance, and then she lifted her head and looked at Blaine.

"I seem to recall," she said, "hearing your name from time-to-time from Mr. Hummel."

Blaine nodded, not sure if she wanted him to refresh her memory about how he knew Kurt or if she was just making a statement.

"As I am sure you know," Carmen continued, "Kurt speaks very highly of you."

"Thank you," Blaine acknowledged, glancing at Kurt in his seat a few rows behind Carmen.

"And rightfully so," Carmen told him, nodding. "That was a compelling performance, Mr. Anderson. Thank you."

All the tension in Blaine's body melted away as he absorbed the look of approval in her eyes.

"Thank you," he smiled at Carmen as Kurt, Rachel, and Sam clutched each other excitedly.

"Good luck, Mr. Anderson," she dismissed him.

Tears of relief were pooling in his eyes by the time he reached the door.

He had done it.

There was no guarantee that he would be accepted to NYADA, but Carmen Tibideaux had complimented him on his performance and he knew he couldn't have performed the song any better.

"Blaine!"

He heard Kurt's shout of excitement just soon enough to turn and brace himself so he wouldn't fall over as Kurt launched himself into Blaine's arms, hugging him tightly.

"That was absolutely _beautiful_," Kurt gushed, pulling away from the hug so he could look at Blaine as he spoke. "I _love_ you. _You did it!_"

"Thank you, Kurt" Blaine felt like he had never smiled so broadly in his life, blinking a few times to keep his tears from falling. Kurt kissed him, and Blaine said, "I love you so much."

A touch on the back of Blaine's shoulder announced the arrival of Rachel and Sam – Kurt had clearly _run_ out of the room, whereas they had walked – and Blaine hugged them both and accepted their congratulations and felt like he could do _anything_. The world felt like a place filled with endless possibilities.

Sam and Rachel had to leave (Sam had an appointment with a modeling agency and Rachel had a shift at the diner), and Kurt took Blaine to the bathroom to wash off his stage makeup.

"I'm starving," Blaine realized as Kurt carefully wiped the makeup off his face, careful not to get his shirt wet.

"That's because you didn't eat any breakfast," Kurt scolded.

"I was nervous, okay?" Blaine laughed.

"_Really_?" Kurt finished washing off his face and turned away, grinning. "I had no idea."

"Oh, _okay_," Blaine pretended to pout, smiling with him.

"Well," Kurt said cheerfully as he offered Blaine a paper towel to dry his face, "since auditions are happening today, most of my classes are canceled! So, what do you say we grab some lunch and head home for a lazy afternoon?"

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

It turned out to be more of a relaxing afternoon than a _lazy_ one. Kurt and Blaine took advantage of the empty loft, free of worry about being overheard or walked in on. (They did pull the privacy curtain that surrounded Kurt's room closed, _just in case_.) The freedom – not having to keep an ear out for approaching footsteps or closing doors that signified parents or siblings – was exhilarating. They took their time, and it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Once they were sweaty and sticky and satisfied, Blaine took Kurt's left hand in one of his as they both waited to cool off before a shower. He played with Kurt's ring for a while and Kurt watched him, letting his mind run wild with fantasies of what their life together was going to be like in a few months when Blaine moved in.

While Kurt took the first shower, Blaine napped, and then Kurt lounged on the couch and killed time on his laptop while Blaine showered.

"I can't believe I auditioned for _NYADA_ today," Blaine said as he emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes and with his hair freshly gelled.

Kurt put his laptop on the coffee table (he insisted that Sam deflate his air mattress every morning; it took up too much space) and sat up a bit so Blaine could cuddle up beside him on the couch.

"I'm proud of you," Kurt kissed his cheek.

Blaine sighed happily, and Kurt's chest flooded with warmth as Blaine shifted on the couch so he could lay his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"Thank you," Blaine said softly.

They watched mindless television, content to quietly enjoy each other's company, until Sam and Rachel came home.

Rachel's afternoon of _Funny Girl_ rehearsal had been uneventful, but Sam's day had been more dramatic. He told them about his visit to the House of Bichette Modeling Agency, where he had been told that he needed to lose ten pounds but that he _might_ be able to scrape together a living as a male model.

Blaine and Kurt were immediately concerned about the suggestion that Sam needed to lose weight.

"Sam," Blaine stressed, "you have an amazing body. You're in incredible shape!"

"You could use a haircut," Kurt suggested casually, "but please don't starve yourself for this."

Sam shrugged, neither agreeing not disagreeing with their comments, and Kurt and Blaine exchanged a glance and decided to drop it. Sam and Blaine were flying back to Ohio the next day; maybe some time at home would calm Sam down and give him time to realize that he didn't need to lose any weight.

Rachel decided to make dinner for the group, but they needed groceries. Kurt and Blaine volunteered to go out and get what they needed and went to the grocery store.

"Thank you so much for having us this week," Blaine said as they started the short walk home from the store, both carrying bags of food. "I know it's a lot to juggle all the stuff going on in your life _and_ two extra people to keep track of. I really wish you'd let me–"

"_Blaine_," Kurt scolded. "Our place is not a hotel. You are my _fiancé_ and Sam is a dear friend. We _want_ you to visit. You've paid for all your own transportation and food – and mine, as often as you could sneakily do so – all week. That is _more_ than enough."

He turned his head to glance at Blaine and realized that Blaine had fallen behind, paused in front of a storefront. Kurt turned and walked the few steps back to where Blaine was standing, and started shaking his head immediately as he saw what was in the large window. "No. Blaine... _no_."

"You told me a few weeks ago... 'I should really brush up on my piano skills'," Blaine stared at him, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Kurt cursed himself for ever mentioning it. Yes, he _wanted_ a piano, but he hadn't mentioned it as a hint for Blaine to _buy him one_.

"There's no room for it in the loft," Kurt lied.

"Yes, there is," Blaine scolded. "There are multiple places for this little piano in the loft, Kurt. You could use a desk, too, by the way."

Kurt allowed himself to examine the piano in the window. It was old. A little, old wooden piano that would fit perfectly with the décor in the loft.

"Let's just look at it," Blaine suggested, smiling.

"_No_," Kurt protested weakly.

"Alright," Blaine set his grocery bags down on the sidewalk, "you stay out here and watch this stuff and _I'll_ go look at it."

"The milk's going to get warm," Kurt argued. "This isn't– _Blaine_!"

Blaine turned and walked into the store, and Kurt tried to feel more annoyance than excitement as he scooped up Blaine's bags and followed his fiancé into the store.

As soon as Blaine – after asking the young woman who was working in the store if it was okay – sat down at the piano and played a few notes which turned into the introductory melody of _I Dreamed A Dream_, Kurt knew they had to have it.

Blaine dropped his hands into his lap and turned to look at Kurt, who had just set their bags of groceries down beside the piano.

Kurt made a show of rolling his eyes. "How much is it?" he wondered.

Blaine beamed at him and jumped up from the piano to go talk to the woman behind the counter about buying it.

"If you think Rachel – or Santana, for that matter – is going to help us carry _a piano_ up the stairs," Kurt said to Blaine a few minutes later as they continued their walk back to the loft, "you are out of your mind."

Blaine hummed his agreement that getting the piano up the stairs was going to be a problem. "Do you know any of your neighbors?" he wondered. "I think you, me, Sam, and one other guy could do it."

Kurt considered it. He _did_ know some of their neighbors, but did he want to ask them to help?

In the end, they didn't have to. Kurt and Blaine dropped their groceries off at the loft and then departed again to go back to the piano shop with Sam. ("It's a surprise!" Blaine told Rachel when she asked where they were going.) The store owner was there this time, and he had a plan. His two sons, who were a few years older than Kurt and Blaine, were on their way from their homes nearby to help.

They rolled the piano down the sidewalk on a cart and then spent half an hour maneuvering it up the stairs of their building. Kurt was grateful for the shop owner's sons and their experience; they had moved many pianos before, so they knew exactly how to do it. Kurt, Blaine, and Sam were just there to help with the heavy lifting.

Rachel was thrilled. She jumped up and down, clapping her hands, as Blaine and Sam moved the piano through the door into the loft. They put it between the living room and kitchen; a temporary location until Kurt could decide where he wanted it.

"Oh my god, Blaine, _thank you_!" Rachel flung her arms around Blaine's neck and hugged him. "You did _not_ have to do this!"

"I know," Blaine said happily as Rachel released him and turned to return to the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.

Santana was not so pleased.

"We don't have room for this," she argued after walking through the door and discovering the new addition to the loft.

"Uh, yes we do," Kurt informed her from his place on the couch. "Right there."

"Okay, seriously, I'm not going to be able to survive if you and your hag, Berry, are going to be tickling those ivories, belting out gay hits from _Rent_ and _Showboat_ all day," Santana whined.

"It's a 'thank you' for allowing me and Sam to stay here," Blaine explained.

"Okay, you guys," Rachel interrupted, carrying over a basket of bread, "I have some bread here if you want!"

"No can do," Sam declined. "No, right now I'm just on this Mentos and flavored air diet."

"Sam, that's ridiculous," Rachel scolded. "You don't need to lose ten pounds!"

"Yeah, Sam, we all agree," Kurt sat forward so he could look at their friend. "You don't need to be prison camp skinny to be a model! We think you should find another agency."

"No," Sam disagreed. "House of Bichette is, like, the best agency in town."

Kurt tilted his head, mouthing "House of Bichette" to himself in confusion. He hadn't heard of it.

"You know what I think?" Blaine said pleasantly. "I think that this argument would be best made in a song."

"Yes!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping joyfully as Blaine stood up and walked over to sit down at the new piano. Kurt followed him toward the piano, but didn't join him on the bench.

"No!" Santana whined, standing up from her chair near the piano. "No, no, no, no, do you see this? This is what's going to happen from every argument or discussion or meal from now on. It's gonna end in a freaking sing-along. It's bad enough we need to be singing waiters, okay? I can't have this in my home. I need my peaceful place!"

"You don't have to sing, Santana," Blaine told her as he played the first few notes of Billy Joel's _Just The Way You Are_.

"But I dare you not to!" Kurt teased her.

In the end, Santana couldn't resist. She retreated to Kurt's room for the first part of the song, but came back out – a hairbrush in her hand like a microphone – and sang the final half of the song with the rest of them. Afterward, they all returned to their seats for dinner and ate and enjoyed each other's company until it was time for bed.

Blaine was already comfortable under the blankets by the time Kurt came to bed after brushing his teeth. He slipped into bed, settling onto his back as Blaine scooted over to cuddle against his side.

"Goodnight," Blaine said warmly.

"Congratulations," Kurt turned his head and kissed him, "for today."

"Thanks," Blaine grinned.

"Only a few months left," Kurt encouraged him, "and then we'll get to go to bed like this every night."

Blaine ducked his head below Kurt's and nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck. "Yeah," he breathed, satisfied with the thought. "Every night."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next morning, Blaine and Sam had to go back to Ohio. They had breakfast in the loft with Kurt, Rachel, and Santana, and then it was time for them to leave for the airport. Kurt and Rachel had to leave, too, for NYADA, so Blaine and Sam said goodbye to Santana in the loft and walked to the subway station with the others.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand as soon as they emerged from Kurt and Rachel's building, swinging their hands between them as they walked. Rachel and Sam chatted as they walked, but Kurt and Blaine didn't say much until they reached the entrance to Rachel and Kurt's station. Blaine and Sam were going to take a bus to a different station so the train would take them directly to the airport.

"Call me the second you get your NYADA letter," Kurt instructed as Blaine pulled him into a hug.

"I promise," Blaine agreed, catching Kurt's face in his hands after the hug to kiss him. "Thank you for everything this week."

"You're welcome," Kurt smiled at him. "Thank _you_. For the piano."

"Yes!" Rachel agreed, interrupting to request a hug from Blaine. "It's amazing. So good to see you!"

Kurt hugged Sam while Blaine said goodbye to Rachel, and then Kurt reached out for Blaine again, hugging him one more time.

"I love you," Blaine reminded Kurt as he straightened Blaine's bowtie to delay their parting.

Kurt met his gaze, and Blaine knew what was on both of their minds. Finn had only been gone a few months, and it was still hard to say _see you later_ without thinking about the possibility that they were really saying _goodbye_.

"I love you," Kurt echoed, and then Rachel took Kurt's hand and led him away so they could catch their train.

Blaine was glad Sam was with him for the journey home because it kept him from sitting in silence and feeling sad about the fact that he had to leave Kurt and go back to his life in Ohio.

"It's Friday afternoon," Sam reminded him as they walked to Blaine's car from the Columbus airport later that afternoon. "We can probably make it to school before glee rehearsal."

They drove to McKinley and found Mr. Schu, Principal Sylvester, Tina, Artie, and Kitty standing in the hallway near the choir room door (and the career fair's new "The Arts" table).

"Blam!" Tina noticed them as they approached. "They're back!"

"Yo, dawgs, tell us everything!" Artie requested.

"Fact!" Sam explained. "Blaine thought he wanted to be a doctor for a minute and then Kurt talked him out of it and then he went to NYADA and he crushed his NYADA audition."

"Sam," Blaine scolded, "that was my news."

"Oh!" Sam continued as if Blaine hadn't said anything. "And Mr. Schu, did you know that Billy Joel never went to college? Fact! He didn't and I think you forgot to tell us about that. So, I'm gonna skip college, too, and become a male model."

"Impossible," Sue disagreed. "You're too fat."

"No, I'm not and I don't care what you or Miss Bichette or anyone says," Sam retorted. He glanced at Blaine, who nodded his approval. "I like me just the way I am and I'm not gonna change for anyone."

"Well, that is just the 'screw you' spirit employers love," Sue said. "Honest to god, I cannot imagine what goes on in your lumpish, sexually ambiguous heads."

"'Cause they're nuts!" Becky explained as she walked up to stand with the group. "Any one of them is crazy!"

"Becky," Mr. Schu said, grinning, "you may be right. We may be crazy."

The students in the hallway, Blaine included, perked up at the chance for a final, spontaneous Billy Joel song to end the week.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Sue protested, turning quickly to face Mr. Schu, "no, don't you dare. Over my dead body will you inexplicably shoehorn in another Billy Joel song just to punctuate one of your weekly lessons that inevitably veers off into a saccharine barrage of angst and affirmation."

They sang it anyway. First, right there in the hallway in front of Sue, and then later in the auditorium. As Blaine danced and sang with Mr. Schu and his friends and classmates, he realized that he needed to relish his last days of high school as much as he had relished sleeping curled up against Kurt all week. Soon, he would move away to New York and everything would change. There were things about Ohio, and McKinley, that he definitely would _not_ miss, but there were also things he would. His friends, Mr. Schu, being part of New Directions. There was still some high school left, including Nationals in less than a month, to enjoy before he moved on to the rest of his life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Blaine's NYADA audition song is "She Was There" from the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. :) I think Blaine would really connect with the story about rekindling a love that was strained but never actually <strong>_**gone**_**. (The song makes me think of Kurt and Blaine in "I Do", when they have that scene in the hotel room and Blaine suddenly KNOWS that Kurt still loves him and is so relieved and happy about it.) And Carmen Tibideaux, as Kurt says in this episode, is a classicist (so, Blaine probably needed to sing a song written for a man) and only **_**really**_** accepted Kurt once he proved that he could **_**feel**_** what he was singing, so I think she would like the emotion from Blaine in this song.**_

_**Up next... 5x07: Puppet Master!**_


	68. 5x07: Puppet Master

_**Alright, so I'm kind of on an update-every-other-weekday schedule right now... thanks for your patience! :)**_

_**This episode is insane. The writers are stalling so hard at this point; my guess is that they wanted to keep McKinley/Ohio around until the 100th episode, so they had to do **_**something**_** to fill the time until then. And so... puppets. But hey, it's fun, so why not? This episode is so, so funny for Blaine. I don't know how well that hilarity stays intact when I write it down like this, but watching it? Hilarious.**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

On Monday afternoon, Blaine was delayed on his way to the choir room, so he arrived later than he normally did. As he walked into the room, he was met with a chaotic scene. His classmates were making a ton of noise as they attempted to entertain themselves until Mr. Schu arrived. Some were doing vocal warm-ups, some were playing instruments, some were dancing around the room. Blaine cleared his throat as he paused near the doorway. "Guys!" he tried to get his friends' attentions. "Guys! New Directions! New Directions!"

Some of the other students glanced at him, but the noise persisted. Blaine raised his voice. "Guys!" he shouted, which finally got everyone's attention. "Hey," Blaine explained, "I just ran into Mr. Schu and he's gonna be stuck in his classroom for the rest of the afternoon because of some school board inspection thing. But, he still wanted us to meet so we can start working on ideas for Nationals."

"Beyoncé!" Unique suggested loudly, and the room erupted into a shouting match of ideas.

"Wait, wait!" Blaine protested, annoyed that they weren't listening to him. "This is anarchy; we can't all just shout at the same time!" he scolded.

The group quieted down again.

"That's better," Blaine approved. "I have some ideas, already. I'm thinking that the music needs to be really simple so we can really highlight our voices. No guitars or nothing electronic. We go with a simple piano arrangement, which I could play."

"I'm assuming you're singing lead?" Kitty asked.

"Well, I _am_ a senior and this is my last go at it," Blaine reminded her. When she shot him an unhappy look, Blaine felt a prickle of defensiveness. Nobody else had any good ideas! "We need to win this!" he reminded the group.

"Feels like North Korea up in here," Tina criticized.

"Okay," Blaine agreed that maybe his first idea wasn't_ the plan_. "Forget the piano, forget all the music! We can just do, um... a cappella! That always works!"

"Déjà Warblers," Unique scolded, unhappy with the suggestion. "Should we wear matching blazers, too?"

"Let's take it back..." Sam added, "what was wrong with the guitars?"

"Nothing!" Blaine explained, exasperated. "Why can't you guys just stop resisting me for a second and just go with me?"

"Okay, Blaine Jong-il!" Tina said.

"Yes, Blaine Jong-il!" Sam laughed.

"I am not trying to be bossy," Blaine argued. "I am trying to give the benefit of my experience! I have won more show choir competitions than anyone in this room."

The other students glared at him.

"You suck," Ryder coughed into his hand, and Blaine didn't know what to do. He had _good ideas_. Why did everything in New Directions always have to be an argument? He threw his arms out, trying to figure out what was wrong with offering good ideas.

Jake stood up. "A cappella's worth a shot," he allowed. "Let's do it."

"Thank you," Blaine acknowledged.

"Then you two can have fun in your little barber shop couplet while the rest of us discuss something good," Unique resisted.

Blaine was fed up.

"Fine," he snapped, "you don't want my help? Then I'm not gonna give it."

He picked up his things and marched into the office adjacent to the choir room.

"Looks like somebody's _man_strating," Kitty criticized as Blaine sat down in the office, still in view of the choir room but slightly separated from the other students.

"I heard that!" Blaine retorted.

He spent the rest of the class ignoring everyone. He listened as the other students debated various ideas, but refused to participate.

The lack of any kind of consistent decision-making process was one of the things Blaine had always hated most about New Directions. And now, so close to graduation, he had run out of patience with the constant bickering. If his friends thought they could ignore their captain and figure things out on their own, they were welcome to try.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Meanwhile, as he walked from NYADA to the subway station he always used to start his journey home from Manhattan, Kurt had an idea.

He was walking past Callbacks, thinking about how glad he was that the emotional turmoil that he associated with the bar was now in the past, when he noticed a sign in the window. It was a poster for an indie band that was performing at the bar that evening.

Excitement flooded through Kurt as he realized that Callbacks might be the _perfect_ place to debut Pamela Lansbury. He and the other members of his band had just been talking about the idea of debuting during rehearsal over the weekend. They were ready.

Kurt stepped into the bar, had a pleasant conversation with the manager, and walked out a few minutes later with a date and time for Pamela Lansbury's very first show.

He texted the band before he descended into the subway, asking them all to come to the loft right away.

"Oh, good, we're all here!" Kurt said when he finally made it back to the loft and found that Rachel, Elliott, Santana, and Dani had all arrived before him. "Thank you, Team Pamela Lansbury, for assembling on such short notice."

"Okay, well, I rescheduled my dialect session," Rachel told him, "so what's up with this emergency text?"

"_What's up_ is I just booked our band's debut gig!" Kurt announced proudly.

"Amazing!" Elliott approved. "Where? When?"

"This Thursday, 7:30pm," Kurt explained, "at the Greenwich Village hotspot... Callbacks!"

"Oh!" Rachel squealed, delighted. "NYADA's premiere piano bar!"

"Wait, hold on," Dani said, "isn't that a Broadway hangout?"

"Well, traditionally," Kurt confirmed. "But, I talked to the manager and he says that Thursdays are kind of their dead night. So, we can go in and do whatever we want!"

"No," Santana disagreed. "We _cannot_ debut there. That is instant career suicide!"

Kurt glared at her.

"Yeah, Kurt... look, not to overstep," Elliott said carefully, "but I follow a lot of bands just starting out and it's kind of all about the launch. You know, getting music critics out to see you. And that's a lot easier with the right venue."

"Oh, come on!" Kurt couldn't believe he and Rachel were the only ones excited about this opportunity. "Callbacks is a real funky place, you know? They've got tons of history –"

"Yeah, but I can't think of a single band that started out there," Elliott countered. "I mean, it's not like the Bitter End or the Mercury Lounge or..."

"Yeah," Dani agreed, "and if people associate that place with show tunes, nobody's gonna come out for..."

"... our covers of Madonna's greatest hits?" Kurt finished for her. "I disagree, Dani!"

Dani grimaced, unhappy with his criticism.

"Oh," Elliott realized unenthusiastically, "so we're back to the whole Madonna thing?"

"Yes," Kurt clarified, "it was my first impulse. Okay, look, guys, I know it's untraditional, but you have to trust me. I was there, at Callbacks. I saw it all. A vision of perfect clarity. Every seat was occupied. A quiet hush fell over the expectant crowd as Pamela Lansbury made their way to the stage and the opening notes of Madonna's 1985 seminal classic hit _Into The Groove_ begin..."

He could imagine it so clearly. They could dress up in 80s-inspired outfits, colorful and fun. The crowd would love it.

The others didn't look convinced, but Kurt's cell phone suddenly rang and he reached into his pocket to grab it. He glanced at the screen as he pulled the phone out of his pocket. _Blaine_.

He had planned to just ignore the call, but he didn't want to ignore Blaine.

"Oh, that's my fiancé," he explained to the group. "Talk amongst yourselves."

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Glee rehearsal had just ended, and Blaine needed to vent. He held his phone to his ear, waiting for Kurt to pick up, as he walked down the hallway to his locker.

"Hello?" Kurt answered.

"Ugh," Blaine scoffed, "can I just say: glee club _sucks_! Mr. Schu asked for ideas for Nationals and, when I gave some _genius_ ones, everyone got all mad and started... dissing me." He unlocked his locker and acknowledged, "Maybe I came on too strong, but since when was that a bad thing?"

"It's not," Kurt told him. "But you've got to remember: at McKinley, everyone has an equal vote. And, if you come on too aggressively, they might think you're a control freak or a puppet master."

Blaine was so offended by the _puppet master_ accusation that he pulled the phone away from his ear slightly to glare at it.

"Anyway! I was going to call you," Kurt said. "Pamela Lansbury booked its first gig! And I know you were _just_ here, but I was hoping you could come cheer us on in the audience? So, what do you say? Can I send you the deets and a JetBlue voucher?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it," Blaine replied quickly before returning to the original subject of the conversation. "Wow, I can't believe anyone would see _me_ as controlling!" He said incredulously as he walked down the hallway toward the parking lot.

"You'd rather be the one in charge than the one being told what to do, right?" Kurt asked.

"I have _good ideas_, Kurt!" Blaine huffed. "So, yes, to answer your question, I would rather be in charge, but someone has to be!"

"Where was Mr. Schu today?" Kurt wondered.

"He had something else he had to do," Blaine explained, "so he asked _me_ to lead rehearsal today. Because, oh hey! I'm captain of New Directions. They act like that means nothing!"

He shoved the door to the parking lot open and stepped outside to walk to his car.

"It doesn't mean much, really," Kurt said apologetically.

"We are going to _lose_ at Nationals," Blaine declared, "because everyone in New Directions, _except me_, has this weird 'oh, well, if it's fun that means it'll just randomly be successful!' mentality. No, it won't! We have to _prepare_ for this competition, Kurt. I saw that video that leaked online last week of Throat Explosion's _Applause_ rehearsal, and oh my _god_."

He unlocked his car door and threw his bag into the back seat as he climbed in. "This would never have happened in the Warblers," he pouted.

"I... you might not want to mention that to the others," Kurt warned.

"I'm not trying to make New Directions into the Warblers!" Blaine snapped.

Kurt didn't say anything, and Blaine realized he was taking his anger out on the wrong person.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just mad."

"It's okay," Kurt responded. "I can tell."

"Ugh," Blaine huffed.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

"Look," Kurt said, glancing toward the living room where the rest of Pamela Lansbury was discussing the Callbacks situation, "they'll come around eventually, right? Everyone always thinks their own ideas are best at first, so they just need a little time to admit to themselves – and then, to you – that _your_ ideas are best, in this case."

"I guess," Blaine said, unconvinced.

"But, um, can we talk about this more later?" Kurt requested. "I should go."

"Sure," Blaine agreed. "I should head home, anyway. Thanks for letting me vent a little."

"That's why I'm here!" Kurt said pleasantly. "Love you."

"I love you," Blaine said. "Bye."

Kurt turned his attention back to Pamela Lansbury as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"So..." he wondered as he walked back to the living room, "what do we think?"

"We're on board!" Rachel said brightly.

"_Reluctantly_," Santana clarified.

"We figure... let's see what Callbacks has to offer," Elliott explained. "I guess, worst case, we can just pretend it never happened and try to hype a more traditional debut somewhere else."

Kurt shimmied his shoulders, delighted. "Excellent!" he approved. "Let's rehearse!"

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine hoped that he would feel better about the situation in New Directions in the morning, but he didn't. If anything, he felt worse about it.

He was grumpy all day. As he walked into the choir room for glee rehearsal that afternoon – arriving early, this time, so he could have a moment alone before dealing with his classmates – he tried to decide if he wanted to attempt to talk to the group again today. They _had_ to know that his ideas were good. Maybe they were just being stubborn.

"You're early," a voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Jeez!" Blaine cringed away from the voice and turned to see New Directions' piano accompanist sitting alone at the piano. "Ah, Brad! You scared the crap out of me! Warn me before you talk."

Brad looked unfazed, as usual, but Blaine immediately felt bad about snapping at him.

"I'm sorry, man," Blaine apologized. "I'm having a bad week."

"Tell me about it," Brad agreed. "I can't stop playing online blackjack. I owe thousands of dollars to some very sketchy people."

"Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" Blaine wondered, partially to Brad, but mostly to himself. "I'm in twenty three clubs. I probably would've been prom king if this school didn't have so many stoners. And what's wrong with having a solid game plan?"

"My house is getting foreclosed on," Brad confessed, but Blaine barely heard him.

"And get this," Blaine complained. "My fiancé called me a 'puppet master'. Well, if pulling strings means that I encourage people to reach their fullest potential, then hell yeah! Guilty as charged!"

He marched over to sit in the chair closest to the wall, away from the room's main cluster of chairs.

"Brad, if everyone wants me to just sit down and shut up... that's exactly what I'm gonna do," he announced. "I'm going to be right back here, in the back corner."

He started to feel weird as he spoke, like his body wanted to fall asleep all of the sudden no matter what his mind wanted. He blinked slowly, trying to finish his thought. "Believe me... that'll send a message... loud..."

"Blainey Days!" Tina's voice startled him awake. "Blainey Days, wake up!"

He opened his eyes and discovered Tina hovering in front of him. Only, it wasn't _Tina_.

She was a puppet.

Blaine's mind juggled multiple thoughts simultaneously as he looked at the puppet of Tina, but he couldn't grasp any of them. His mind felt pleasantly numb, like all his problems had gone away.

"We're sorry we didn't listen to you earlier," Tina said.

"Yeah, dawg!" Artie – also a puppet – said from behind Tina. "Our bad, yo!"

Kitty popped up beside Artie, and Blaine's mind shut off the part of him that was struggling with the absolute absurdity of the situation. It _felt_ real, which was good enough.

"I'd love to say something bitchy or downright cruel," Kitty said, "but I can't! Because you're clearly the most talented teenager at this school!"

"On this planet!" Ryder added.

"Yeah, that's why we're best friends," the puppet of Sam said, "even though I'm straight and you're gay and I'm blond and you're gay. May the Force be with you!" he ended with a Darth Vader impression.

"Kids, I've got an awesome idea!" Mr. Schu said enthusiastically from his place near the piano. "This week's lesson is all about the most inspiring guy we know: Blaine!"

Blaine sat up straighter in his chair, intrigued and flattered.

"Oh, child, Unique's got the blues and the only way to cure them is to hear Blaine's smooth-as-a-baby's-butt voice!" Unique requested a song from Blaine. The other students begged him to accept, and Blaine felt so _good_.

"Really?" he asked, pleased. "Well, if you guys insist... what should I sing? Oh! I know! Hit it!"

The next few minutes were a blur of delight. Blaine sang _You're My Best Friend_ and danced around the room with the puppet versions of his friends, and it was the most fun he'd had in glee rehearsal in a long time. Things were so much _better_ when people just _listened to him_.

"Blainey Days!" Tina's voice, harsh this time instead of pleasant, jerked Blaine out of his fantasy as he finished singing the song. "Blainey Days, what's wrong with you?"

Blaine blinked his eyes open, still slouched in his chair in the corner of the choir room, and tried to figure out what had just happened to him. Had he fallen asleep?

"Yeah, dude, you didn't say a word the entire class!" Sam scolded. "Didn't even sing!"

They were all picking up their things and leaving the room. Had he slept through the entire class? Tina didn't say he had been sleeping... what was wrong with him?

"Want us to call you a waaambulence?" Kitty scolded before she walked out of the room. "Because your pity party is out of control."

"Yeah, girl," Unique added, "check yourself before you wreck yourself."

She was a puppet.

Blaine narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out why he was suddenly seeing puppets and real people in the same space.

He tried to remember what he ate for lunch. Had he been drugged? He hadn't slept particularly well the night before, but there was no way he was sleep-deprived enough to hallucinate.

By the time Blaine made it to his locker, he felt physically better but more curious than ever about his vivid fantasy. Was that seat in the choir room haunted or something? Maybe he had inadvertently sat down in the exact spot where two parallel universes were colliding and he had seen an alternate universe where everyone was a puppet.

He knew Kurt was working at the diner that afternoon, so he waited until later in the evening to call him. Blaine put the call on speakerphone and folded a load of clean laundry and organized his closet as he talked to Kurt. He wasn't sure how to broach the subject of the puppet hallucination without sounding like he was _actually_ losing his mind, so he asked Kurt about Pamela Lansbury first.

"You got an email about your flight, right?" Kurt asked. "You'll be arriving pretty last-minute, but you should be able to get here at least half an hour before we hit the stage."

"Yes," Blaine confirmed. "I got it, thank you. I'm so excited to see you again... two weeks in a row! Do you have your set list nailed down yet?"

"Mostly," Kurt explained animatedly. "We're still trying to figure out exactly how many songs we should do and the song order – I need to talk to Elliott more about that; he knows about this stuff – but so far we've got: _Like A Prayer_, _Into The Groove_, _Open Your Heart_, _Like A Virgin_, _Dress You Up_, and _4 Minutes_."

"Who're you going to sing _4 Minutes_ with?" Blaine wondered.

"Santana," Kurt told him. "And we're still working out which parts of the other songs each of us will sing. I mean, selfishly, I want to sing them all – and I will certainly be heavily featured throughout – but the point of this _band_ is to sound good _together_. So, I'm trying to relinquish some verses. Do you think we should feature Rachel pretty heavily? There's plenty of chatter about her online now that she's the new Fanny Brice, so why not use that to our advantage?"

"Definitely," Blaine agreed.

"And I told the others already that _Dress You Up_ is mine," Kurt flirted, "because I'm singing that one for you."

Blaine laughed. "I can't wait," he admitted. "You're going to be _amazing_. Do you know what you're going to wear yet?"

"Eh," Kurt said, "not really. I was thinking we'd try bright 80's-inspired colors, but now I'm thinking maybe just an 80's-inspired _look_ but a little more modern in terms of our color palette."

"Whatever you wear, you're going to look fabulous," Blaine complimented.

"Well, thank you," Kurt said, and Blaine could hear the smile in his voice. "But, sorry, enough rambling about me... how're you? How was glee today?"

Blaine took a deep breath. He had to tell him.

"I... sort of blacked out for the entire class," he confessed. "It was _insane_, Kurt. I had this weird fantasy about puppets."

"... Fantasy?" Kurt asked suggestively.

"No!" Blaine shook his head even though Kurt couldn't see him. "No, no, not _that_ kind of fantasy. More like a weird hallucination. It was really fun, actually."

"Are you doing drugs?" Kurt worried.

"Kurt!" Blaine scolded.

"Just checking," Kurt said.

"No, I'm not... the point is, something's going on in the back corner of the choir room. I need to find someone else to sit there tomorrow so I can see if it's just me or if it really _is_ haunted."

"Haunted?" Kurt doubted.

"Or, you know, something like that!" Blaine whined.

"Well," Kurt sounded concerned, "be careful, okay? If it happens again, you should tell Mr. Schu."

"Yeah," Blaine lied.

He was going to figure out what was happening to that chair before he told _anyone_ who might disrupt the situation.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

The next day, Blaine had an idea as he walked to his arts and crafts class. Maybe he could bring the puppets to life in the real world, so to speak.

"Uh, excuse me, Miss Alfano?" he asked the arts and crafts teacher as she wandered by his seat as the class began. "As much as I've really enjoyed learning about yarn these past three months, I was wondering, since arts and crafts is my senior elective, if maybe I could do my own thing and venture into felt and fabric and even yarn and make... a puppet?"

Miss Alfano did not seem impressed by the idea. "Your request surely begs the question: why on earth would an eighteen year old man want to make a puppet?"

"Well, it's not just any puppet... it's a puppet of my fiancé," Blaine tried to justify his request. "We're six hundred miles apart and, even though I get to see him tomorrow night, I'd really like to see him right now. Even though it might only be in my imagination."

"Fine," the teacher agreed. "Make a puppet."

Blaine smiled a "thank you" and jumped out of his seat to gather the supplies he needed.

"May I experiment with decoupage?" Stoner Brett asked.

"No," Miss Alfano said quickly.

Blaine worked on the puppet through the class period and through lunch, and managed to finish it before he had to move on to his remaining classes of the day. He left the puppet in the arts and crafts room so its glue could finish drying while he was in class, and then went back for it when the school day was over.

He was impressed with his own handiwork when he saw the puppet again after school. It looked like Kurt, as much as a puppet could. He picked it up and carried it down the hallway toward his locker, making up silly conversations between him and Puppet Kurt as he walked.

"I forgave myself a long time ago," he said to the puppet. "I think it's time I forgave you now."

"You are right," he made Puppet Kurt say dramatically. "Please forgive me! In this argument, I don't have a leg to stand on!"

Blaine laughed, pleased with his joke, but paused when he noticed Principal Sylvester walking down the hallway toward him. She had on her usual track suit, but she was wearing stilettos.

She tripped and fell a few feet in front of Blaine, and he rushed to help her up.

"Hey, Principal, uh, Coach, um... jeez, are you okay?" he tried to make sure she hadn't hurt herself as he helped her to her feet. "Oh, what's with the shoes? Man, you have big feet."

"Well, I'm sorry if my femininity threatens you," Sue retorted.

Blaine glanced at Puppet Kurt, trying to think of a joke he could tell to lighten the mood, but he couldn't think of anything.

"What is that?" Sue noticed the puppet for the first time. "Did you just touch me with a _puppet_?"

"Oh, I made it in crafts class," Blaine said pleasantly.

"Get that thing out of here!" Sue scolded. "I don't ever want to see that thing in my hallway again!"

"What?" Blaine scoffed as Sue walked around him. "You can't just ban puppets!"

"Are you saying that because of the shoes?" Sue challenged, turning back around to face him. "Are you less afraid of me?"

Blaine had no idea why she would assume he cared at all about her shoes, so he just stood there and stared at the principal as she continued.

"In a few days' time, I am going to be evaluated on my abilities to run this school," Sue explained. "And if the school board comes here and sees schizophrenic students, clearly off their meds, talking to puppets... they're going to think I don't have a handle on things!"

She reached out and snatched the puppet away from Blaine.

"Whoa, hey!" Blaine disapproved, reaching his hand out toward Sue as she pulled the puppet away from him. "Hey! Kurt Puppet!"

"This is contraband," Sue said seriously, leveling Blaine with a threatening stare, "and if I catch you with your hand up the butt of anything that isn't human, you're in a world of trouble."

"No– be careful–" Blaine requested, helpless as Sue turned and walked away with Puppet Kurt under her arm.

Blaine pouted as he walked to his locker. Of _course_ Sue had taken his puppet away. This was the worst week _ever_.

Jake walked past as Blaine finished getting what he needed out of his locker, and he had a sudden idea.

"Jake, hey!" he slammed his locker closed and rushed after Jake as he walked away. "Uh, listen, I just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for me in glee club. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that really cares about pushing us so we can nail it, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Jake agreed casually, barely paying attention. "I mean, I'm getting pretty sick of it, too."

"Yeah, look..." Blaine reached out and touched Jake's arm, asking him to stop walking. "I don't know how else to say this, but..." he glanced around to make sure nobody was listening, "there's something going on in the choir room. I don't know if it's haunted or, like, a space-time rift happening, but trust me." He leaned forward slightly and suggested, "Do yourself a favor; sit in the back corner."

Jake looked skeptical.

"It's crazy!" Blaine made a gesture like his mind was being blown before continuing on his way to the choir room.

He made it to the choir room moments before Jake, joining the group in the middle of the room as they prepared to stretch before a dance lesson.

"Dance has never been our strong suit," Mr. Schu explained as Jake walked into the room. "But I think, with Jake's help, we can really kick it up a notch! Jake?"

"What's the point?" Jake wondered as he walked past the group and straight to the chair in the corner.

"I'm sorry?" Mr. Schu replied.

"Seriously, what is the point?" Jake said as he stood by the chair. "I could choreograph a sick dance; none of you can keep up. I mean, half of you can't even do it and won't even try. Why? Because you're not dancers." He sat down in the chair. "So, let's not waste my time. Let's just do another cut-and-paste dance routine that even Tina can pick up."

"You are such a conceited jerk," Marley accused.

"I'm not conceited," Jake argued, shifting in the seat to get more comfortable as he folded his arms across his chest. "I'm bored." Blaine watched him closely, trying not to be too obvious about it.

"Oh, please," Marley scoffed. "We've seen your dance moves. They're fine, not epic!"

Jake didn't answer. He just rolled his eyes and dropped his gaze, like he was done paying attention.

Blaine was so excited he could hardly concentrate as Mr. Schu shook his head, disappointed, and instructed the group to go change into workout clothes and meet him in the auditorium.

Jake didn't follow the group out. He didn't even look up.

There was _definitely_ something crazy going on in that corner of the choir room.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Thursday passed quickly for Blaine. Early in the morning, before school, he snuck into the choir room and sat in the corner for one final test to confirm that there was something mysterious happening. He had a dramatic hallucination about breaking into Sue's office to rescue Puppet Kurt and, when he was startled out of his second major hallucination of the week by the sound of a door slamming in the hallway, he was inspired.

That evening, right before he was due to drive to the airport to fly to New York, he snuck into McKinley and picked the lock of the drawer where Sue kept things that she had taken from students.

He had just slipped his puppet onto his hand, pleased with the success of his mission, when Sue caught him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Sally Field and Not-Without-My-Puppet," she said after turning on the lights. "Did you really think I was too stupid to suspect that you would come back here under the cloak of darkness to claim your monstrous puppet bride? You strange, tiny, doe-eyed pervert."

Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Kindly remove your fist from Puppet Hummel's butt," Sue instructed, "and place him gingerly on the desk."

Blaine had to obey. He didn't want to be late to the airport.

"And now report to detention for the rest of the week," Sue offered his punishment for breaking into her office.

"But I'm supposed to fly to New York to see Kurt's first big show!" Blaine resisted, horrified. He wasn't supposed to come back until the following evening, late at night. He couldn't be at detention and in New York at the same time on Friday afternoon.

"Well then, you're going to have to cancel Wonder Woman's invisible jet or whatever magic discount bullet train you kids use for your weekly jaunts to New York," Sue informed him. "Now get out of here! Go feel shame."

Blaine marched past her and out the door. He would just skip detention on Friday and accept the additional week of detention she was likely to tack onto his punishment as a result.

"Oh, and Blaine?" Sue followed him into the hallway. He paused and turned back to face her as she continued. "If you so much as _think_ about skipping town to dodge your detention, I will suspend you for two weeks and make sure your permanent record contains a strongly-worded note about your utter lack of respect for authority."

Blaine swallowed thickly, stuck between the knowledge that not making it to New York was going to hurt Kurt's feelings and the fact that he could _not_ be suspended from school for stealing from the principal if he wanted _any_ chance of getting into NYADA.

Sue pointed at him, trying to drive the threat home, and turned to walk back into her office.

Blaine was emotionally paralyzed.

He drove home instead of to the airport, consumed with anxiety about what he was going to tell Kurt. He would pay Kurt back for the unused plane ticket and the ticket to Pamela Lansbury's show – that wouldn't be a problem – but Kurt was going to be so upset. And there was nothing Blaine could say that would make things better; he had screwed up and he couldn't be there for Kurt on the night of his _first ever_ show with Pamela Lansbury.

He was in such a panic about what he was going to tell Kurt that he lost track of time when he got home and didn't realize it was less than an hour until Pamela Lansbury was supposed to hit the stage until his phone rang and he saw Kurt's name – and the time – on the screen.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt was equal parts nervous and excited as he finished getting dressed into his Madonna-inspired outfit backstage at Callbacks. He was really doing it. Getting ready to perform with _his band_ for the first time.

He hadn't heard from Blaine, though, which was strange. Not even a text to say that he had arrived.

Kurt decided to call him. Maybe Blaine's phone battery was dead or something. If so, the call would go straight to voicemail.

It didn't. "Hi," Blaine answered.

"Hey!" Kurt said, glad to hear Blaine's voice. "Did you get your ticket that I reserved for you? House left?"

"Kurt, I was going to call you," Blaine said. "Um, please don't be mad, but... I'm not in New York, I'm in Lima."

"Are you kidding?" Kurt realized that _I'm in Lima_ meant that Blaine was going to miss the show. "What happened? Did you miss your flight? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine!" Blaine reassured him "I'm just, um, I'm just trying to explain –"

The knowledge that Blaine was okay (and, apparently, had not accidentally missed his flight) let the worried part of Kurt's mind rest and suddenly all he felt was _annoyed_.

"Yes, why don't you explain!" he snapped. "And it better be a good explanation!"

"Well, Principal Sylvester gave me detention!" Blaine explained, defensive. "And she told me that if I tried to skip it, she was gonna suspend me and put it on my permanent record!"

"Hang on, wait, one second," Kurt couldn't believe this was happening. "And you weren't going to call me?"

"I was trying my best not to hurt you," Blaine told him. "All I did was steal back the Kurt Puppet I made in crafts class!"

"Excuse me?" Kurt asked disbelievingly. "The _what_ puppet? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Uh, I know, it's, uh, it's kind of a weird story," Blaine tried to gloss over the details, "but, basically, I was _missing you_."

What was going on with Blaine and _puppets_ this week? Kurt was incredibly upset that Blaine hadn't just _called_ earlier that afternoon.

"And is that how you see me?" Kurt snapped. "As a thing of felt and cloth and button eyes that has no feelings? That you can play with and manipulate and then discard whenever you're bored? I'm a person, Blaine! I'm flesh and blood and bone. And this was a really big night for me and I needed you to be here!"

He hung up and tossed his phone onto a nearby vanity.

"Hey," Rachel poked her head in as Kurt tried to calm down.

"We can release Blaine's seat," he told her, bitter about the situation.

"I don't think that's gonna be necessary," Rachel said, grimacing.

Kurt followed her out into the bar and received his second piece of terrible news in as many minutes.

"One person?" he realized, glancing around the empty bar. There was _one guy_ sitting at a table near the wall.

"And he thinks Angela Lansbury's performing," Rachel informed him.

"I told you so," Santana said as Kurt stood frozen, horrified. This was _not_ how he had imagined Pamela Lansbury's first show.

As Santana, Dani, and Elliott turned and walked away, Kurt felt a sudden surge of defiance. So what if only one guy was here to watch them? So what if Blaine didn't even care enough to call him until minutes before the show was supposed to start to let him know he wasn't coming?

If they had to perform for a nearly-empty room, so be it.

It took a five minute shouting match backstage to convince the others that it wasn't a complete waste of their time, but Kurt finally got the rest of the band on board and they went out and did their show for the man at the table by the far wall.

Blaine called later that night, as Kurt was getting ready to take a shower, but Kurt ignored him. He was still too upset to talk about what had happened.

Pamela Lansbury's first show had been a horrible failure and Kurt knew it was probably mostly his fault. He should've listened to the others when they expressed concern over his venue choice. He just wanted so badly for Pamela Lansbury to be _his_. His band, fueled by his passion.

He shed a few tears in the shower, trying to release some of his disappointment, and then texted Blaine (_I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you._) so Blaine wouldn't lie awake all night before crawling into bed.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Blaine and Kurt texted a few times throughout the following day, mostly to make plans to talk on the phone that evening, and the day felt like it lasted _forever_ for Blaine as he worried about the degree to which he had let Kurt down.

Detention after school was particularly unpleasant. It was just Blaine, Jake (who had started a fight in the courtyard the day before), and Becky (who frequently had detention as a result of her fondness for swearing), alone in a classroom with nothing to do.

"You know," Blaine suggested, twisting around in his seat to look at his classmates after Figgins instructed them to stay put and left the room, "maybe we could use this time to get to know each other a little better. We could sit in a circle on the floor and tell each other about our core wounds?"

"Or you shut your hole!" Becky suggested. "I'm going to college soon. I don't have time for your lame-ass bullcrap."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and Blaine turned back around to sit properly in his chair. He was so _done_ with being dismissed all the time.

"I'm sorry, Blaine Warbler," Becky suddenly spoke again, her voice much kinder this time. "That was totally inappropriate. Please come sit with me."

She was a puppet.

Blaine smiled at her, happy to rediscover his puppet fantasy.

"Sometimes I fly off the handle," Becky explained herself. "Like yesterday, when I taped Dottie's buns together. I did it for my old man. I wanted him to think I was cool."

"That's really heavy Becky," Jake (who was also a puppet) said approvingly, "thanks for sharing. What's going on with _you_, Blaine?"

"Well, to tell the truth, guys," Blaine said as he stood up and walked over to sit at the same table as his friends, "I feel really, _really_ guilty about missing Kurt's show in New York."

"Why?" Becky asked. "It's a stupid cover band."

"And dude," Jake reminded him, "you go to New York all the time. You were just there last week!"

"True," Blaine acknowledged, "but Kurt needs me."

"We all need you," Jake clarified, "because you are so awesome!"

"Yeah, you're America's gay sweetheart!" Becky complimented.

"Thanks, guys," Blaine smiled at them. "You guys are like my only real friends."

"But we're not real," Becky said. "We're puppets."

"Maybe that's a bad thing," Blaine considered. "Maybe the fact that I can only really feel like myself with friends I can totally control is keeping me from really feeling like I'm close to anyone. Maybe it's indicative of a deeper intimacy issue."

"Or, maybe everyone should just wise up and start doing everything you say because you are so right on all the time!" Jake encouraged him. "By the way, did you notice that you're now having puppet fantasies outside the choir room? That's not normal. Seriously, you might want to get a CAT scan."

Blaine blinked a few times as he felt himself starting to wake up from the fantasy.

"Hello, hello? Wake up!" Jake was standing in front of him as Blaine opened his eyes. "Hey, will you cover for me please? I've got to leave early."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Blaine agreed as he tried to readjust to reality. "Why?"

"It's not important," Jake told him. "Later."

Blaine breathed deeply as he sat up straight in his chair. Was he okay? He _felt_ okay. Maybe this was just his body's reaction to all the stress in his life and it had never had anything to do with the choir room.

"I'll be right back," he said to Becky.

He went to the arts and crafts room and got a bunch of puppet-making supplies. If he had to sit in detention for hours, he didn't plan to waste that time doing nothing. He had already started making puppet versions of all of his classmates, as well as Kurt and the other members of Pamela Lansbury, and he was pretty sure he could finish most of them by the end of detention.

* * *

><p><strong> BLAINE <strong>

Later that afternoon, when detention was finally over, Blaine took one of his new puppets – Tina's puppet – and went to the auditorium to think and have ridiculous conversations with the new puppet. He sat down on the edge of the stage and considered his strange week.

"Am I okay?" Blaine dramatically narrated his story out loud. "I mean, is this what it feels like to be losing your mind? I'm unraveling. I feel like Mel Gibson in _The Beaver_."

"More like Mel Gibson in _Mad Max_!" he made Puppet Tina say as she popped up beside him. "With your abs and your... leather."

"Wait, what leather?" Blaine asked her.

"The leather I was imagining you in when I was rubbing vapor cream all over your smooth, hairless chest," Blaine said for Puppet Tina, as he rubbed the puppet's hand across his chest.

"Tina," Blaine laughed, pretending to be embarrassed, "I'm engaged!"

"Hey, what's going on?" the real Tina suddenly interrupted from behind Blaine.

"Oh!" Blaine leaped to his feet, mortified. "Uh, nothing! I'm just, uh, just clearing my head out, just trying to figure some stuff out."

"Is that supposed to be me?" Tina asked, noticing the puppet Blaine was trying to hide behind his body.

"_What?_" Blaine scoffed. "That's– that's crazy."

"She has Asian eyes and my exact dress," Tina observed.

"Total coincidence!" Blaine denied it.

Tina folded her arms and stared at him.

"Not everything is about you, Tina!" Blaine scolded.

She raised her eyebrows at him, and Blaine gave up.

"What do you want?" he asked, embarrassed.

"I just wanted to let you know that everybody feels bad," Tina explained as she walked over to stand near Blaine. "We spent pretty much the whole glee session discussing how much pressure you're under with Nationals, graduation..."

"...the engagement," Blaine reminded her.

"You were just trying to exert some control," Tina suggested, "and the truth is you should have some. You've earned it."

Blaine was very pleasantly surprised.

"Sam suggested you should have the lead on one of the songs at Nationals," Tina continued, "so we took a vote and it was unanimous. Piano, a cappella, whatever you think is right."

"Thanks, Tina," Blaine said, grateful that she and the other members of New Directions had decided to trust him. Maybe Kurt had been right; they had just needed some time to get used to his ideas.

"Of course," Tina acknowledged before dropping her gaze to the puppet. "So, if you're done being a puppet master, do you think you could take your hand out from under my dress?"

"Uh," Blaine moved quickly but gently, sliding the puppet off his hand.

"Yeah," Tina approved.

"Uh, sorry about that," Blaine apologized as he handed the puppet to Tina.

"Thanks," Tina replied.

"I'm gonna kinda miss having a Kurt puppet, though," Blaine confessed as he and Tina walked out of the auditorium together. "He did anything I said."

"Anything?" Tina had her puppet speak for her, holding it close to Blaine's face.

"Alright, settle down, Puppet Tina, okay..." Blaine protested as Tina continued. "Blainey Days..."

They stopped by the arts and crafts room on the way to the choir room so Blaine could get the box full of puppets he had stored there.

"Guys, I just wanted to apologize to all of you," Blaine told New Directions a few minutes later. "I've been a little bit controlling lately and it's not cool. I've made some changes, though, and I've learned that sometimes you just need to let go. Cut the strings, so to speak."

"I bet you'll still be bossy as hell," Kitty criticized.

"Actually, I hope to be more of a leader as opposed to being just bossy, Kitty," Blaine told her.

She was not convinced.

"So," Blaine ignored her doubt, turning to grab the box full of puppets, "to celebrate this new laissez-faire Blaine, I've made some felt peace offerings."

Everyone got up and hurried to gather around the large box and receive their puppets. Reactions ranged from extremely enthusiastic to slightly creeped out, but everyone was game for a song in the auditorium with the puppets.

Just before he reached the door to the hallway, Finn's plaque caught Blaine's eye and he paused beside it, studying his friend's face.

Finn would've loved the puppets.

"The show must go... all over the place... or something," Blaine read the quote on Finn's plaque aloud and thought about when he had first joined New Directions. He and Finn had butted heads for months, as Finn had struggled with jealousy and Blaine had struggled to adjust to how different New Directions was than the Warblers. And then, after a confrontation in the locker room when Blaine had finally reached an emotional breaking point, they had become dear friends. Finn had trusted him as a leader.

Blaine sighed heavily as he walked out the door into the hallway.

New Directions had put him in charge of one of the songs for Nationals... maybe he could find a way to honor Finn with his selection.

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

That evening, after a blissfully long shower to wash the city and the diner off of his body, Kurt made himself some tea and curled up in a chair in the living room to call Blaine.

"Hey," Blaine answered quickly, like he had been waiting by the phone.

"Hi," Kurt said, glad to hear Blaine's voice.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday," Blaine said before Kurt could decide what he wanted to say. "I should've called sooner."

"Yes, you should have" Kurt agreed. "But I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have shouted."

"I wanted to be there _so_ badly, Kurt," Blaine stressed. "But, if Sue suspended me, I don't think I'd get into NYADA and I didn't want to risk all of our future plans, even though it killed me not to be there."

Kurt sighed. "I know," he understood. "I wasn't upset because you weren't coming. Disappointed, yes, but the anger was because... why didn't you just _call me_ as soon as she threatened you with the suspension?"

"I... I didn't know how to tell you," Blaine said nervously. "I got home and it was like my mind blacked out and suddenly you were calling and it was almost time for the show."

"How you tell me is you just _call_," Kurt said firmly. "I'm not fragile; I can handle you telling me that you can't come to my show."

"I know," Blaine said quickly. "I know, of course. How was the show?"

"It was a disaster," Kurt explained. "Well, actually, the _show_ was great – we sounded great – but there was exactly _one_ person in the audience. It's like everyone passing by saw that the bar was mostly empty and assumed that they were closed or something."

He huffed out an annoyed breath, and Blaine whined unhappily. "I can't believe I wasn't there to cheer you on," Blaine said sadly.

"It's alright," Kurt said, and he meant it. "I mean, I _always_ prefer for you to be there, obviously, but it wasn't the triumphant debut I had imagined for Pamela Lansbury."

"Well," Blaine said, "don't give up, okay? Did the one guy who was there like the show?"

"I think so," Kurt said. "He gave us a standing ovation, anyway. And no, I'm not giving up on Pamela Lansbury just yet. We just need to... regroup."

"Good," Blaine approved of Kurt's attitude.

"So," Kurt asked, "other than detention, how was your day? And what did you mean when you were talking about a puppet when you called last night?"

"Remember how I had that weird hallucination about puppets?" Blaine reminded him.

"Yes," Kurt recalled their conversation earlier in the week.

"I figured out what caused it," Blaine said.

"Are you okay?" Kurt worried.

"It was a gas leak!" Blaine said dramatically.

"A _gas leak_?" Kurt gasped. "Blaine, that's not funny at all. You could've _died_."

"I guess it wasn't that kind of gas," Blaine reassured him. "It didn't have a scent or anything, obviously, and I guess it just makes you kind of high."

"Oh my god," Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "The school had a gas leak so severe that it caused you to _hallucinate_ and they're not doing anything about it?"

"Well, they fixed it," Blaine said, like that was enough.

"Are you sure there aren't any permanent side effects?" Kurt asked. "I mean, _Blaine_, you blacked out for all of glee club."

"Apparently it's fine," Blaine told him. "Once it's out of your system, you're good as new."

"So... you hallucinated this puppet that you 'stole' from Sue?" Kurt tried to figure out what had happened, exactly, to keep Blaine from coming to New York.

"No," Blaine clarified. "After the first hallucination, I decided to make some puppets in crafts class. So, I made a puppet of you first, of course."

"Oh," Kurt wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Anyway," Blaine continued, "Sue saw me with it in the hallway and she took it from me, so I went to steal it back and she caught me."

"Right," Kurt understood. Kind of.

"So," Blaine wondered after a brief silence, "we're okay?"

"Yes," Kurt confirmed. "We're okay."

"I love you," Blaine said sweetly.

Kurt shook his head, marveling at their crazy week.

"I love you, too."

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

On Monday, Kurt got an unexpected phone call as he was walking out of his final class of the day.

It was a guy who worked at the Williamsburg Music Hall.

A guy who wanted to talk to Kurt about booking a show for Pamela Lansbury.

Kurt sent a text to Rachel, Elliott, Santana, and Dani – _Emergency Pamela Lansbury meeting! Very important._ – and stopped at the Williamsburg Music Hall to talk to the man in person before rushing back to the loft.

Rachel, Santana, and Elliott were there when he arrived.

"...and artists should be allowed to fail," Elliott was in the midst of saying when Kurt slid the door to the loft open.

"Who says we failed?" Kurt said pleasantly, stepping into the loft. "Cronuts, anyone?" he offered, setting the box of pastries down on the coffee table.

"Hi!" Rachel greeted him. She sounded a little cautious, like she was trying to judge Kurt's mental state. For the two of them, baked goods were usually comfort food.

"Oh, this?" Kurt explained the cronuts. "No big deal. Just a little token from the booking agency of the Williamsburg Music Hall... which is the location of our second gig!"

"What?" Rachel gasped. "Are you serious?"

"How?" Elliott asked.

"Okay, true, we only had one audience member at our last show," Kurt reminded them. "But, it happened to be the _right_ audience member. Because, not only was he a devoted Angela Lansbury fan, but he also liked what he saw, made a secret bootleg, and passed it along to his nephew who works at the –"

"– Williamsburg Music Hall!" Elliott finished with him. "Which also just happens to be –"

"One of the hottest music venues in Brooklyn!" Santana said, pleased. "Good work, fearless leader!"

"Well, it wasn't just me," Kurt acknowledged. "It was also a lot of luck. And you guys. Because, you know, whether Pamela Lansbury implodes or explodes, I really have to thank you guys for sticking by me."

Someone knocked on the door frame before anyone could reply, and Kurt turned to see a delivery man holding a large box.

"Uh, package for Kurt Hummel," the man explained.

"Thank you," Kurt took the box from him. "Oh, it's from Blaine!" he realized as he set it down on the coffee table. "He sent us a gift to say sorry for missing the performance the other night."

"That's so nice!" Rachel approved.

Kurt opened the box and they all peered in.

"Okay, that is creepy as hell," Santana criticized.

"Is there one for each of us?" Rachel wondered.

The box was full of puppets.

Kurt glanced at his friends, wondering if maybe Blaine had gone a little crazy after inhaling all that gas.

"Okay," Elliott laughed, "this is insane, but also pretty awesome."

Kurt stepped away to call Blaine.

"We got your puppets!" he laughed as soon as Blaine answered the phone. "Oh my god."

"Do you like them?" Blaine hoped.

"Yes," Kurt decided. "They're sweet. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Blaine said.

"Wait," Kurt suddenly realized, "is this the puppet of me that you tried – and failed – to steal back from Sue?"

Blaine laughed. "Yes," he confirmed.

"But...?" Kurt was pretty sure the story of Blaine getting detention had ended with Sue in possession of the puppet.

"The whole reason Sue took the puppet from me was because she was worried about the school board review of her performance as principal," Blaine explained, "and, well... it's done now."

"You stole it back," Kurt smiled, hearing the pride in Blaine's voice.

"Yeah," Blaine said happily.

"Oh!" Kurt realized Blaine didn't know his good news yet. "Guess what?"

"What?" Blaine played along.

"Pamela Lansbury has a second gig lined up!" Kurt announced. "We're still working out the details in terms of _when_, but..."

"I'll be there," Blaine said immediately. "And Kurt?"

"Yes?" Kurt smiled. He knew what Blaine was going to say.

"I'll call you if I can't make it."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Up next... 5x08: Previously Unaired Christmas. I've got something a little different planned. Keep an open mind. ;)<strong>_


	69. 5x08: Previously Unaired Christmas

_**Alright, let's get this going again! :)**_

_**This chapter's different than what I normally write for each episode... hang in there for this lengthier-than-probably-necessary explanation.  
><strong>_

_**As written/filmed, "Previously Unaired Christmas" is an official AU to season 4's Christmas episode ("Glee, Actually"). I guess the writers decided that they absolutely **_**had to**_** air a Christmas-themed episode this season, even though we're in spring/summer in the Glee universe at this point. Not what I would've done, but fine. I thought the episode was okay. Silly and random.**_

_**But I think they missed an opportunity. In an AU episode, **_**anything**_** can happen. And hey, Kurt and Blaine are engaged in the season 5 arc! If we're going to commit to an AU, why not play with that a little? (I mean, there's the **_**perfect song**_**, honestly, how did they **_**not**_**?) So, I'm just going to ignore the "Previously Unaired Christmas" AU and make up my own season 4 Christmas AU for Kurt and Blaine.**_

_**Cast your minds back to season 4... at this point, Kurt and Blaine were separated, but they spoke on the phone on Thanksgiving (late November) and agreed to start rebuilding their friendship. So, by the time Christmas rolled around, they had been talking again for about a month. And then Burt found out he had cancer and brought Blaine with him to New York. Blaine surprised Kurt at the ice rink in Bryant Park on Christmas Eve and they sang **_**White Christmas**_** together just before the clock struck midnight.**_

_**This AU starts that night. They get home very, very early in the morning – Kurt, Blaine, and Burt – and go to bed...**_

_**(A quick note: all the other characters' stories are different in this unofficial AU, too.)**_

_**P.S. This is the fluffiest, most ridiculous thing... I'm sorry or you're welcome, depending on how you feel about it. ;)**_

_**(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)**_

* * *

><p><strong> KURT <strong>

Kurt rubbed his face with his hands as he laid on the couch, staring at the dark ceiling and trying (unsuccessfully) not to think about Blaine.

They had come back from ice skating at nearly two o'clock in the morning. Kurt had insisted that his father sleep in his bed – and Blaine in Rachel's – before settling onto the couch with a pillow and one of his favorite blankets. In the two hours that had passed since that moment, sleep had proved elusive.

He didn't _want_ to think about Blaine. They were separated, and Kurt was clinging to the principle that cheating was a deal breaker. But, after hours spent ice skating and singing and walking and talking with Blaine, it was impossible to think about anything else. (Except that his father had cancer, but that train of thought led to a horrible place and Kurt refused to let himself go there. It was better to occupy his mind with thoughts of Blaine.)

He still loved Blaine. He had never stopped loving Blaine. Since their phone call at Thanksgiving and the subsequent month of rebuilding their friendship, the question gnawing at Kurt's mind had shifted from "How can I get over Blaine?" to "Could I learn to trust Blaine again?". They had love. But trust? Kurt wasn't sure...

Suddenly, Kurt was blinking awake and sunlight was streaming in through the loft's windows. He covered his face with his hands briefly as he tried to adjust to the light; he didn't remember relaxing and falling asleep, so abruptly waking up in such a bright room was disorienting. What day was it? What time was it?

He could hear someone trying to find something in the kitchen – opening and closing all the cabinets and drawers – and he shifted on the couch and turned his head to see his father looking guiltily in his direction.

"Sorry," Burt mouthed at him.

Kurt climbed off the couch as the events of the day before came back to him, and he wandered into the kitchen as Burt finally found a mug and started the coffee machine.

"Merry Christmas," Burt reached out with one arm and caught his son as he walked by, pulling him into a brief hug before releasing Kurt to continue his march to the bathroom.

Once he had washed and moisturized his face, brushed his teeth, and slipped on a comfortable outfit for lounging around the house, Kurt felt much more awake.

"Merry Christmas," Kurt returned his father's sentiment as he emerged from the bathroom. Burt laughed and said something about how he hadn't slept so little on the night before Christmas since Kurt was a child, but Kurt was distracted because Blaine chose that moment to join them.

Burt was mid-sentence when Blaine stepped around the wall that separated Rachel's room from the kitchen, so Blaine waved a "hello" to Kurt instead of saying anything. Kurt was so pleasantly startled by the sight of Blaine that he didn't think fast enough to return the wave before Blaine turned away to pour himself some coffee, so he quickly settled into a chair across from where he hoped Blaine was going to sit.

"Morning, Blaine," Burt said once he had finished his little story that Kurt had not heard at all. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Blaine smiled as he sat down across the table from Kurt. The way his hair was ruffled but not quite out of control brought so many memories to Kurt's mind. Blaine didn't let people see him without his hair perfectly gelled unless he trusted them.

Blaine took a sip of his coffee and Kurt suddenly realized that he was just _staring_ at Blaine. Not talking, not eating, not drinking anything. Just sitting at the table blatantly watching Blaine's every move. Heart hammering in his chest, Kurt quickly turned his attention to his father and hoped that Blaine hadn't noticed.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, proud of himself when his voice came out sounding perfectly calm.

Burt shrugged. "Whatever's around is fine with me," he replied. "Cereal?"

Kurt shook his head. "It's Christmas morning, Dad. We're not having _cereal_. Let me make you something."

Burt looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Instead, he shrugged and teased Kurt, "It's your house."

Kurt nodded a quick, satisfied, "yes, it is" and got up from the table to search for ingredients to make pancakes. He was relieved when he managed to gather everything he needed; he had planned to spend Christmas this year lying on the couch by himself surrounded by junk food (there was a small cheesecake in the freezer that Rachel didn't know about, and Kurt's plan was to eat the whole thing before she returned from a spontaneous trip to Connecticut to spend Christmas with Quinn), so he hadn't given much thought to the state of his pantry and fridge. He hadn't planned on having two additional people to feed.

"Do you–?" he turned to ask his father if he wanted plain pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes or some other variation, but Burt had moved to the living room.

Blaine was still at the table, though.

"Chocolate chip," Blaine suggested, understanding Kurt's unspoken question. Blaine smiled. "It's Christmas."

"Want to help?" Kurt asked without thinking.

"Sure," Blaine agreed carefully.

As he and Blaine worked together in the kitchen – and Burt watched something on TV – Kurt felt more and more nervous with each passing second. Blaine was so _polite_ and _nice_ and _attractive_, and Kurt was fighting hard to resist the temptation to throw all of his reservations away and twist his hands into Blaine's messy hair and kiss him until they could not breathe or his father intervened, whichever happened first.

A few minutes into the preparation of the meal, Blaine caught on, and they flirted unashamedly as they finished making the food. By the time Kurt, Blaine, and Burt sat down at the table to eat, all Kurt wanted to do was be alone with Blaine. He wanted to be alone so they could kiss and talk and make things better between them.

But his father was there. His father who, Kurt realized after breakfast, was not oblivious to what was going on.

"I think I'm, uh, gonna need a nap," Burt determined as they all cleared the table together. Before Kurt could reply, Burt motioned between his son and Blaine and added, "so, why don't you two go out and do something fun?"

"Dad–" Kurt protested.

"I don't need a babysitter, Kurt," Burt shot him down before the argument could even begin.

Kurt glanced at Blaine, daring to hope.

"Sure," Blaine said immediately.

Kurt was panicking again by the time they were dressed and ready to leave. What were they going to do? Was anything open on Christmas? Was it safe to be out, anyway, when it was supposed to snow all day? Would Blaine like the shirt he was wearing?

He felt like they were going on their first date. His stomach was full of butterflies as they said goodbye to Burt and walked out of the loft, closing the door behind them.

"Let's go to Central Park," Blaine suggested, his eyes full of excitement as they started to descend the stairs. "With all the snow, it'll be beautiful."

"And cold," Kurt reminded him.

"And cold," Blaine confirmed. "Good thing you're wearing this big jacket," he reached over and tugged on Kurt's sleeve as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "It looks really nice on you."

Kurt was so surprised by the compliment – and the accompanying affection in Blaine's eyes – that he barely managed a "thank you" before Blaine pulled the door open and they were both distracted by the rush of cold air.

They chatted as they rode the train into Manhattan. Kurt wanted to know everything Blaine knew about Burt's cancer, which wasn't much. Blaine wanted to know about NYADA. They both wanted to know about each other's lives and about their mutual friends. By the time they reached Central Park, Kurt felt much more at ease than he had felt when they had started their journey. It was just _Blaine_. Nothing to worry about.

Blaine was excited about the snow. Kurt teased him about it as they walked – "You do know it snows in Ohio, right?" – but Blaine's enthusiasm was infections. There _was_ something magical about snowy Central Park, especially because it was still snowing big, fluffy snowflakes.

"I admit," Kurt acknowledged after they walked in silence for a moment, "there is a very 'winter wonderland' feel to this place right now."

"Yeah?" Blaine teased, and Kurt knew by his tone of voice what was going to happen next.

"Oh no," Kurt whined, pretending to be horrified as Blaine hummed the opening to a familiar carol and then started to sing.

"_Sleigh bells ring_," Blaine sang. He put one gloved hand to his ear and pretended to listen to their surroundings. "_Are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening._"

As they walked on the increasingly snowy path, Blaine bent his elbow and offered his arm to Kurt. Kurt raised his eyebrows, teasing Blaine about the forwardness of the request, but quickly linked their arms.

"_A beautiful sight_," Blaine continued merrily. "_We're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland._"

Kurt didn't fail to notice the way Blaine lingered on the word _happy_.

"_Gone away is the bluebird. Here to stay is a new bird,_" Blaine sang, nudging Kurt's shoulder with his own as they walked. "_He sings a love song as we go along, walking in a winter wonderland._"

It wasn't until Blaine turned his head and caught Kurt staring at him that Kurt realized Blaine had stopped singing. As Blaine's curious eyes met Kurt's, Kurt turned immediately to stare at the path in front of them. He felt strangely unhinged, like he couldn't trust his own mind.

To distract himself, he took a deep breath and did what Blaine wanted.

"_In the meadow we can build a snowman,_" Kurt sang, "_and pretend that he is Parson Brown._"

As the approaching words registered in Kurt's mind, he paused just long enough to steal a glance at Blaine.

"_He'll say 'Are you married?'_" Kurt continued, his voice steady and cheerful as his mind filled with ridiculous possibilities, "_we'll say 'No man, but you can do the job when you're in town!'._"

He paused again, and this time Blaine took the longer moment of silence as a cue to finish the song.

As Blaine sang, ("_Later on, we'll conspire as we dream by the fire. To face, unafraid, the plans that we made, walking in a winter wonderland._") Kurt stared at him – trusting Blaine to keep them from walking into a pole or other obstacle in the path – and had a _moment_.

This was _Blaine_. Not some theoretical guy who existed to be dispassionately evaluated.

Kurt's life was more interesting and safer and _better_ with Blaine in it.

He loved Blaine.

He trusted Blaine.

"_Walking in a winter wonderland,_" Blaine sang before turning to look at Kurt to let him sing the final line.

"_Walking in a winter wonderland,_" Kurt echoed.

Blaine grinned, satisfied with the song, and Kurt kissed him.

They stumbled a little as they tried to kiss and walk at the same time, and Blaine laughed so delightedly that Kurt felt drunk with relief. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard Blaine laugh. A _real_ laugh, like he was overflowing with happiness. Blaine certainly hadn't laughed like that due to something _Kurt_ had done since before Kurt had left Ohio for New York.

They stopped walking in the middle of the path and turned to face each other so they could kiss properly, like they had to make up for the lack of kisses between them while they had been separated. It wasn't until a cyclist _woosh_ed by them, dangerously close to clipping Blaine's back as she passed, that they stepped apart and realized they had to do something other than make out in the middle of snowy Central Park. ("Honestly, who exercises on Christmas?" Kurt whined, unhappy that they had been interrupted.)

As they walked to a diner nearby to have an early lunch, they talked. They talked about what had happened between them. They talked about how they could make it better. They talked about how much they had missed each other. Their conversation continued as they ate, and they both shed some tears and they both had things to apologize for.

And then, as Blaine vowed that he would never, _ever_ cheat again (and Kurt believed him) and asked if they could _please_ get back together, an idea that had been little more than a crazy blip on Kurt's radar when they were walking through the snow suddenly bubbled up to the surface of Kurt's mind. He reached across the table and put his hand over one of Blaine's.

Blaine was looking at him expectantly, searching for an answer to the question of where their relationship would go from here.

"I have a proposal," Kurt said, his heart pounding as he prepared to voice the idea that hadn't even fully formed itself in his mind yet.

"Okay," Blaine agreed immediately, a spark of hope in his eyes.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Let's get married," he suggested.

Blaine's expression of surprise was enough to make the _crazy_ idea seem like the _best possible_ idea. Blaine's whole face lit up, like Kurt had said the perfect thing.

"_What?_" Blaine laughed

Adrenaline pounded through Kurt's veins.

"It's not going to be perfect," Kurt explained as Blaine stared at him. "We're going to mess up, sometimes, but we're going to learn from our mistakes. We're going to make it work. I love you."

Blaine nodded, captivated.

"So," Kurt finished with a little shrug of his shoulders, "why wait?"

Blaine was speechless, like his brain had flooded with joy and had stopped working properly as a result. He clutched Kurt's hand on the tabletop, smiling hugely, and shook his head in delighted disbelief.

"I told you once," Kurt reminded him, "that I'd love to elope in Central Park on Christmas, right?"

Blaine laughed again – the _happiest_ laugh – and he pushed himself up out of his seat and leaned across the small table for a kiss. Kurt tried to meet him halfway, but only succeeded in knocking his water glass over. Blaine was forced to jump to the side, away of his chair, to avoid a waterfall of icy water.

Kurt jumped to his feet, too, embarrassed as their waitress rushed over to clean up the water that was now all over the table and the floor. Blaine stood back, his face covered with both his hands as he laughed uncontrollably.

"We just got engaged," Kurt tried to explain Blaine's laughter as he helped wipe off the table while the waitress mopped the floor.

The confession had unexpected consequences. A family at a table nearby heard the news and started a round of applause that quickly spread around the small diner. Blaine had to come out from behind his hands to join Kurt in thanking everyone for their support, and then the manager paid for their meal and wished them a very happy Christmas as they bundled up and left the restaurant.

(But not before Kurt slipped back to the table and left a nearly one-hundred-percent tip for their waitress. It was Christmas, after all, and he was mildly horrified that he had spilled his drink and caused a commotion.)

It was still snowing as Kurt and Blaine walked down the sidewalk adjacent to Central Park, no particular destination in mind, their intertwined hands swinging between them.

Blaine was jubilant. Once he recovered from his speechlessness, he quickly reached the opposite extreme and couldn't stop talking. As a result, by the time they were so cold that they absolutely had to step into a small coffee shop for a warm drink, they had nearly all the details of their elopement worked out.

As they sipped their drinks and held hands under the table, Blaine called around to find someone who would marry them on such short notice (and on a holiday) – "yes, sir, I understand that 'later today' is a little crazy, but if you could just..." – and Kurt searched on his phone for jewelers in the area. By the time they finished their coffee and made their way to the only open jeweler in the area to look at rings, everything suddenly felt very _real_.

They were getting married in Central Park in four hours.

Picking out wedding bands was far easier than Kurt imagined that it would be. The jeweler was a kind older gentleman who seemed to appreciate their giddy enthusiasm, which meant that things were distinctly _not_ awkward. The jeweler brought out a box full of men's rings for Kurt and Blaine to look at and Kurt's eyes immediately landed on the ring he ended up purchasing. He had to have it. It spoke to him.

It took Blaine slightly longer – Kurt could tell that the _forever_ aspect of the decision was at the forefront of Blaine's mind – but, less than an hour after walking into the shop, they walked out with their wedding bands, perfectly sized and nestled together in a little wooden box in Blaine's pocket.

They contemplated buying new clothes to wear, but ultimately decided to just wear what they had on. They were eloping; the casualness of their everyday clothes was part of the thrill. Plus, Blaine had pointed out as their red-nosed reflections stared back at them in the glass of a menswear store they briefly considered entering, it was so cold that they would never be able to manage without their huge jackets, so what was the point?

With only an hour to go until the big moment, they were confronted with one final quandary.

Should they tell anyone?

There wasn't enough time for Burt to get to Manhattan. Rachel was in Connecticut visiting Quinn. Everyone else was back in Ohio or in Los Angeles or Chicago or another city too far away.

"And..." Kurt admitted nervously as he and Blaine sat on a bench against the wall in a coffee shop near Central Park (drinking hot chocolate this time, because they were already supremely excited and didn't want to add more caffeine to their bodies), "honestly? I don't want anyone raining on our parade."

"Snowing on our parade," Blaine teased happily.

Kurt shook his head affectionately. "I want to marry you," he elaborated, "and I just want to _enjoy it_."

To Kurt's surprise, Blaine seemed unfazed. "Let's not tell anyone," he agreed, leaning over to press a warm kiss to Kurt's cheek. "It'll be our secret," he whispered in Kurt's ear, and Kurt squirmed in his seat as a thrill rushed up his spine. They were _crazy_. Getting married only hours after becoming boyfriends again was completely irrational.

And perfect.

As they tossed their empty cups and pulled back on all their layers to combat the snowy weather, nervousness settled into Kurt's stomach and he regretted everything he had eaten and had to drink since the morning. The rush of cold air against his face when Blaine pushed the door open and held it open for Kurt to walk through helped a little, but the enormity of what they were about to do overwhelmed Kurt as he walked arm-in-arm with Blaine toward Central Park.

There were about to get _married_.

Without their parents there. Without their parents even _knowing_.

His dad was not going to be happy.

Rachel was going to be so mad.

Something about the mental image of Rachel finding out that Kurt had gotten married without her there to witness it burst the bubble of anxiety inside Kurt, and he laughed as he turned his head to look at Blaine.

"Rachel is going to _kill_ us for this," he giggled.

Blaine hummed his agreement.

"We're horrible people," Kurt decided.

"A perfect match," Blaine winked at him.

At that moment, there was nothing in the world that bothered Kurt less than the possibility that anyone might disapprove of his and Blaine's elopement. He was about to marry his best friend. He was about to become Blaine's _husband_. There was nothing more important than _that_.

They made it to Oak Bridge before the officiant, and Kurt looked around at the beautiful, snowy landscape and realized that _this was where he was going to get married_. He clutched Blaine's arm as they stood silently, alone on the bridge, and waited.

The officiant showed up a few minutes later. After introducing herself, she explained the legal stuff – the paperwork they would need to sign – and then she asked Kurt and Blaine to face each other to exchange vows.

Kurt's hands were shaking as he took both of Blaine's hands in both of his, and he wasn't sure if it had more to do with his anxious excitement or the fact that he was freezing cold, despite his layers of clothes.

The officiant asked Kurt to go first, and Kurt stared into Blaine's tear-filled eyes and repeated traditional vows as the officiant read them to him.

"I, Kurt," he said, "take you, Blaine, to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward." He struggled through the next few words before finding his voice again. "For better or for worse," he vowed. "For richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish from this day forward, until death do us part."

As Kurt finished the final sentence of his vows, Blaine shimmied his shoulders, trying to shake a little relaxation into Kurt through their joined hands, and Kurt smiled at him. Blaine's face was flushed from the cold, but he looked so _calm_. Like there had never been a simpler task for them to accomplish together than becoming husbands.

Kurt wanted to say "I love you," but the words got stuck in his throat and he just exhaled heavily, hoping that Blaine understood. Blaine squeezed his hands, ready as the officiant turned to him for his vows, and Kurt had never felt more loved.

"I, Blaine, take you, Kurt, to be my husband," Blaine repeated after the officiant. "To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better or for worse." He paused briefly, emotional, and Kurt tugged him forward a little so they were standing closer together. Blaine took a deep breath and continued. "For richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish from this day forward, until death do us part."

The officiant, who had seemed a little unhappy about being there at first, seemed to be warming up to them because she took a little time to explain that those were their vows to each other, but now they had to make an agreement with the state. ("I'm the state," she joked. "So, this is the part where I ask you the questions and you say 'I do' if you agree.")

She started with Kurt again.

"Kurt," the officiant asked, "do you take Blaine to be your husband?"

Kurt started to say "I do", but quickly realized that he was supposed to wait and snapped his mouth shut. He wanted to really _mean_ his "I do", so he had to listen carefully.

"Do you promise," the officiant continued, "to love, honor, and cherish him; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

She glanced at Kurt to let him know it was time to say something, and Kurt looked at Blaine as he agreed, "I do".

The officiant turned her attention to Blaine.

"Blaine," she asked, "do you take Kurt to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

The "_be faithful to him_" line hung heavy in the air between them for a moment, but it was a good kind of heavy. A reminder of what they had overcome. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hands tightly. "I do," he promised firmly.

Kurt felt like he was going to vibrate out of his shoes as they both glanced at the officiant. Was that it?

"Rings?" she suggested.

"Oh my god," Blaine realized he still had them, and he fished into his pocket and found the little box. Kurt shifted his weight between his feet, trying to warm up, and then put his arm out so Blaine could tip the rings out of the box and into Kurt's hand.

When the rings hit his gloved palm, Blaine's ring bounced off of Kurt's, and Kurt felt like everything else around them stood still as he watched it fall from his hand. There was nothing any of them could do but watch as the ring fell and _clinked_ onto the bridge below.

It didn't fall into the water.

Kurt quickly knelt and retrieved Blaine's ring (with his own ring clutched safely in his hand), and he and Blaine both laughed nervously as he stood up and offered the rings to the officiant so she could hold them.

Both Kurt and Blaine struggled to make it through the ring exchange without crying too much, and then Blaine barely waited for the officiant to declare them married before he tugged Kurt forward with an arm around his waist and kissed him. Kurt smiled and kissed him back as the woman beside them applauded.

"I love you," Blaine smiled against Kurt's lips before kissing him once more.

"I love you so much," Kurt said tearfully as Blaine stepped back.

They were _married_.

After thanking the woman profusely for coming out into the freezing cold on Christmas to marry them, Kurt and Blaine were left alone on the bridge. Nearly alone, as it turned out. They were quickly approached by another young couple who had taken a few photos of their little ceremony from a path nearby. It was a pleasant surprise; Blaine offered his email address, and the young man and woman promised to email him the photographs when they got back to their apartment.

"Do you, uh, want us to take a photo of the two of you now, since we're...?" the young woman asked after her boyfriend finished typing into his phone.

Kurt and Blaine agreed, grateful that they would have a few quality photos from their wedding day despite their spontaneity, and the young woman took a handful of photos of them with her fancy camera and a few with Blaine's phone.

Kurt's teeth were chattering by the time the couple walked away. He held a gloved hand out for Blaine.

"I'm going to freeze to death," Kurt informed him.

Kurt led them off the bridge and, as they reached the edge of the park, he glanced at the time on his phone. "We've still got... a few hours," he determined, "before we should head back."

"Yeah?" Blaine released Kurt's hand and wrapped his arm around Kurt's waist so they were pressed together at the hip as they walked. He kissed Kurt's cheek with a loud _smack_, and the spot felt extra cold for the next few seconds until the wind blew all the moisture away.

"It hurts my inner romantic, just a little, to say this," Kurt confessed, grinning at Blaine as they waited to cross the street, "but we're getting a hotel room. For the next few hours."

Blaine did not object. They chose a hotel near the subway station that would take them straight back to Bushwick later in the day, and then they abandoned all thoughts of the outside world and spent a few hours in the hotel room, reacquainting their bodies and celebrating being _husbands_.

As they got redressed so they could go back to Bushwick, they came to a consensus. They weren't going to tell anyone that they were married. They were going to wait until the next time Kurt returned to Ohio to "get engaged", and then they would plan and execute a wedding with their family and friends.

"We'll tell them at the reception," Kurt grinned as he pulled on his shirt.

Blaine laughed. "Do you really think we can keep the secret that long?" he wondered. "It could be a year or two."

"We'll have a very short engagement," Kurt suggested.

"We _did_ have a very short engagement," Blaine reminded him.

"Mmm," Kurt agreed, pleased with the parallel. "Everyone will be all..." he pitched his voice higher, "...'oh my gosh, you're so young to be engaged!' and they'll have no idea that we've been married the whole time!"

They both laughed at that, and then they had to head back to the loft where Burt was waiting for them. They stopped at a grocery store on the way back to get some decent food for Christmas dinner, and they paused outside the loft's sliding door to take off their new wedding rings.

After a quick kiss, Kurt slid the door open and prayed that his father wasn't a secret mind-reader.

"Hey, boys!" Burt greeted them from the couch. He had the TV on, but seemed to be more interested in something on his phone.

"Hey, Dad," Kurt smiled at him. "Sorry we're so late. We brought dinner," he held up the grocery bag in his arms, and motioned toward the kitchen where Blaine was setting the other bag down on the table.

"Honestly, it's been a pretty nice, lazy day," Burt reassured him as he stood up and walked to the kitchen to join the two younger men. "I honestly can't tell you the last time I spent most of a day just... doing nothing."

"How're you feeling?" Kurt asked, feeling a pang of guilt about leaving his father alone all day.

"I'm fine, Kurt," Burt said gently. "Feeling completely normal, for now. Anyway," he changed the subject, "how was your day? Loved the photos of the snowy city."

Kurt had texted him a few photos throughout the day, both to make sure Burt knew he was on Kurt's mind and in a ridiculous attempt to try to act _as normal as possible_.

"It was wonderful," Blaine answered for both of them as he finished unpacking the grocery bags. "Thank you, again, for inviting me."

"Glad you're here, Blaine," Burt said sincerely. "Now... let's get this food started! I'm starving."

Dinner was a secret adventure for Kurt and Blaine. They were _married_, and Kurt felt like his father was going to, somehow, suddenly _know_. It felt so _obvious_.

And Burt definitely knew something was going on. Every time Kurt would laugh a little too loudly at something Blaine said that wasn't particularly funny, or when Blaine's loving expression got so intense that Kurt started fumbling over his words, Burt would give him a _look_.

Kurt knew it was obvious that he and Blaine were back together. Even the most oblivious person on the planet would know that he and Blaine were back together after all the blushing and giggling they were doing. But Kurt knew there was no way that Burt had the slightest clue that his son and now-son-in-law had secretly gotten married earlier in the day.

The secret was intoxicating.

By the time they finished dinner (which, despite the secret Kurt and Blaine were learning to keep, was one of the most pleasant – and delicious – Christmas dinners Kurt could remember), Burt had apparently decided that he knew Kurt's and Blaine's secret.

"So, you two, uh," he motioned between the two boys, "back together?" Burt asked as Kurt and Blaine cleared the dinner table.

"What makes you think that?" Kurt challenged, exchanging a quick, happy glance with Blaine.

"Well," Burt shook his head, pleased, "congratulations."

Blaine laughed, too loudly, and Burt narrowed his eyes at Blaine briefly before glancing at Kurt.

"I think I might call it a night," Burt decided, as if the boys' odd behavior had perplexed him enough for one day.

"Alright," Kurt said as his father stood up. "Merry Christmas, Dad."

Burt hugged him tightly, and Kurt felt a little choked up as he thought about his father's health scare. He could beat cancer, right?

As Burt hugged Blaine, Kurt watched them and felt more content than he had felt since he moved to the big city. He had his family with him for Christmas. His father and his _husband_. Whatever the future had in store for them, they could face it together.

Burt brushed his teeth while Kurt and Blaine finished cleaning up, and then the trio said their final goodnights and Burt disappeared behind Kurt's privacy curtain.

Blaine wandered over to the living room and turned on the television, searching through the channels until he found a Christmas movie, and then he returned to where Kurt was still standing in the kitchen.

"Sneaky," Kurt mouthed at him as he approached. They both knew Burt would still be able to hear them if they were talking – the movie wasn't _that_ loud – but it was nice to have some background noise instead of just _silence_.

Blaine was proud of himself, Kurt could tell, as he backed Kurt against the wall and kissed him.

They were both incredibly aware of Burt being in the same room, so things didn't get heated, but Blaine kissed a trail across Kurt's cheek and down his neck before stepping back.

"I love you," Kurt said softly as Blaine started to turn away.

Blaine paused and smiled brightly at Kurt. "Love you, too," he whispered, pulling his ring out of his pocket to put it back on his finger. "Mister... Hummel-Anderson?"

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly and offered a nonverbal "we are not discussing this right now" as Blaine beamed at him.

"Anderson-Hummel?" Blaine mused as Kurt put his ring back on, too. "Or...?" He shrugged happily when Kurt refused to play along. "Something to think about," he decided.

Kurt's face burned with pleasant nervousness as Blaine turned to walk away. Deciding on a family name was the simplest of the many tasks and challenges that loomed ahead of them, but it was also one of the most exciting. It made Kurt think of future Christmases with Blaine and their possible children. Christmas cards addressed to them as a family.

"Kurt?" Blaine's quiet voice pulled Kurt out of his daydream, and he glanced toward the living room to see Blaine motioning for him to come sit on the couch.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered as he hurried over, pecking a quick kiss on Blaine's lips as he settled onto the couch beside him. For a while, they watched the Christmas movie on the TV in mostly-silence, stealing the occasional kiss and playing with the new rings on their hands. Enjoying each other's company.

Soon, with the constant hum of noise from the TV and Blaine's body warm beside him, staying awake became a challenge for Kurt. After a few minutes of struggling to focus, Kurt gave in to his exhaustion and scooted down the couch slightly so he could lean his head on Blaine's shoulder.

He had just gotten comfortable and was rapidly falling asleep when Blaine shifted and carefully climbed off the couch, whispering an apology as Kurt groaned unhappily.

"We could both use some sleep," Blaine said softly as Kurt shifted his body so he was lying properly on the couch.

Kurt was too far gone to argue, so he just mumbled an "I love you" and hoped that Blaine understood what he was saying.

Blaine knelt beside the bed and leaned close to kiss Kurt softly on the cheek. "Goodnight, Kurt," he said quietly as Kurt fell asleep. "I love you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aaaaaaand at that point Kurt would wake up on the couch on Christmas morning and realize that he fell asleep the night before (after the ice skating)... and he dreamed this AU. :)<br>**_

_**The other AU storylines in this episode would be Rachel's, Artie's, and Unique's:**_

_**Rachel goes to visit Quinn in New Haven. Quinn's a member of Yale's **_**a cappella**_** glee club and she sings Carol of the Bells with the group when Rachel arrives. They do something fun together (what? I don't know) and get to catch up. And this is nice!Quinn, not psycho!Quinn. ;) Later, at some point, Rachel sings Silent Night and thinks of Finn – his absence in the episode wouldn't be explained, but obviously we'd all know that, since this is actually the middle of season 5, he's already gone.**_

_**Artie learns that the black-and-white Christmas Special he directed **_**last**_** Christmas is a finalist in a contest that he forgot he even entered, so he wins a trip to Miami to attend the award ceremony and his arc is all about gaining confidence in his directing ability and his ability to travel independently (plus, I like the idea of the contrast of snowy New York and warm Miami at Christmas). It wouldn't really have any context, but Artie would sing Little Drummer Boy at some point because he sang it for the season 2 Christmas album and it's lovely. :)**_

_**At McKinley, Unique and Marley decide to volunteer at a local women's shelter. They enlist the help of the rest of New Directions (obviously :D), and the group sings Sleigh Ride as they help the children who are at the shelter (with their moms) decorate the place so it feels festive. And there would be a story in this arc for Unique about womanhood, perhaps? Or, who is Marley with at this point of season 4? Because I always wanted Unique/Ryder to be a thing (could've been so interesting and complex!), so there could be some hints of that as long as Marley's not dating him at this point. Also, Unique and Marley sing Do You Hear What I Hear at some point (Unique and Harmony-the-Gerber-Baby sang it for the season 3 Christmas album and it's so pretty).**_

_**And then, as Kurt/Rachel/Artie/Unique wake up at the end of the episode and realize they were each dreaming, New Directions (plus Kurt, Rachel, and Quinn) sing Auld Lang Syne on the stage at McKinley (also a fantasy, but a nice group number to end the episode). Lea Michele sang it for the film New Year's Eve a few years ago, if you're looking for a version to listen to.  
><strong>_

_**I'm sorry; I'm so carried away right now. The point is... yay, AU possibilities! ;)**_

_**One final request (my notes on this chapter are practically as long as the actual story at this point, I'm so sorry)... please, NO SPOILERS for season 6 in the comments! :) Thank you!**_

_**Up next (I'm going to shoot for one week from today – Tuesday)... back into the season 5 arc with 5x09: Frenemies!**_


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